The day after a rest day is always a recipe for uncertainty in the peloton. Some riders will feel superhuman, others will feel like they left their legs in the Pyrenees. The frisky ones will look to take advantage of a groggy peloton early in the day and build a difficult-to-close gap over a trio of Cat 4 climbs clustered early on in the stage. If an opportunist like Saxo Bank’s Jens Voight makes the break, the sprinters may be denied a field sprint. Otherwise, look for Columbia to bring it all back together on the flat/slightly downhill run-in to Issoudun to set-up their man Mark Cavendish.

The other big wild card in this stage will be the motivation of French teams on Bastille Day (the French independence holiday). French riders are always super motivated on a day like this (no matter what the terrain is like), so expect to see riders like David Moncutie, Sébastien Hinault, and Thomas Voeckler representing Cofidis, Ag2r, and Bouyges Telecom in the breakaway.

Note: Stage route, exact start/finish, and sprints/climbs have been approximated from information provided by LeTour.com. Actual stage may vary slightly.