VERVIERS, BELGIUM LONGWY, FRANCE

DISTANCE 202KM TERRAIN HILLY

The Tour hits home asphalt with a snap, crackle and pop of an uphill finish in Longwy, a French town that hugs the Belgium/ Luxembourg border. The 1.6km, 5.8 per cent gradient climb is steeper in its first half than its gentler second, and looks very similar in girth to the finish from stage 2 last year, where the irrepressible Peter Sagan beat established Ardennes riders Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe. The last 600m are flatter this time, suiting the Slovak powerhouse even more.