Course: Still heading east, this 199km stage finally has someterrain conducive to long breakaways. The day’s four Cat. 4 climbs areevenly spaced, but there are plenty of undulations in between, particularlyin the 40km before the final, and longest, hill — the Côte de Maron— which comes just before the finish.

Stage 6 - Troy to Nancy > 199km

History: There have been 13 stage finishes at Nancy in the past100 years, including wins for Tour champs Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet,Joop Zoetemelk and Bernard Hinault. The last visit was in 1988, when abreak on the climb before Nancy produced a stage win for German Rolf Gölz(now a directeur sportif at Gerolsteiner) and the yellow jersey for CanadianSteve Bauer.

Favorites: The last climb, 13km from the finish, could see anold breakaway caught and a new one form. Expect riders like Alex Vinokourov,Davide Rebellin and Yaroslav Popovych to be in the mix seeking either thestage win or the maillot jaune.