Châtellaillon-plage Poitiers

167.5km Wednesday, 9 Sept Start 12:40 Finish 16:28

This may well be the least complicated stage of the race, starting on the coast at Châtellaillon-plage and heading across the flatlands of the Poitou to finish in Poitiers, where a bunch sprint looks all but inevitable.

■ Terrain

With the prevailing wind coming off the sea, the riders should be pushed along by it if it does blow, providing assistance by quickening their pace. The final straight is a kilometre-and-a-half long and provides the perfect setting for the sprinters to show off their skills.

■ Gameplan

Much like the day before, the breakaway should only feature a handful of riders at most and will be lucky to gain a handful of minutes on the peloton before it is held in check. In the final third of the stage, that small group should be reeled in inexorably, setting the stage for the latest face-off between the sprinters. Once more, the general classification riders will have the task of attempting to stay out of trouble while at the same time being aware of any unexpected traps that are sprung as a result of the weather conditions or unforeseen events that occur on the road.

■ Players

One of the most interesting aspects of the battle for sprint supremacy is to see how well those teams that are balancing support for their sprinter with backing for their GC contenders will be able to contend with rival squads that are more fully committed to assisting their sprinter. Those in the latter camp include Lotto-soudal’s Caleb Ewan, Cofidis’s Elia Viviani and B&B Hotels’s Bryan Coquard. Although being able to count on several team-mates isn’t always a guarantee of success, fatigue will now be starting to take a toll on those domestiques who are switching between sprint- and Gc-related roles each day, barely having time to recover. As we get further into the race, this should favour the likes of Lotto and Cofidis and perhaps benefit their sprinters.