Preview: 2014 Tour de France — Stage 6

Arras to Reims (194km)

Thursday, July 10th 7:00 a.m. – 11:13 a.m. EDT

On the day after the stage over the cobbles, we continue our commemoration of the war’s centenary by following the roads through the battlefields of the Somme and along the Chemin des Dames. This is a stage for courageous riders, characterized by many changes of direction in the final kilometers, when the wind may have a role to play — there’s a real possibility that an escape could stay clear to the finish. But if the attackers come up short, the final straight, with its leg-breaking false flat, should benefit a powerful sprinter. Here, the Kittel and Greipel we saw in 2013 would be well rewarded.