Stage 11 - Marseille to Montpellier - (182.5km)
COURSE: This is one of the flattest courses of the entire Tour, skirting the Camargue marshes of the Rhône delta, just north of the Mediterranean coast.
This stage has “sprinters” written all over it, especially if the Mistral winds are blowing. The finish loops to an end on the western edge of Montpellier, an ancient city dating back to the 8th century.
HISTORY: There have been 25 Tour stage finishes at Montpellier, the latest in 2005, when Robbie McEwen won a tight field sprint after breakaways Chris Horner and Sylvain Chavanel were caught in the finishing straightaway.
FAVORITES: A few of the top sprinters have dropped in the Alps, leaving the likely green-jersey candidates Tom Boonen, Erik Zabel, Robbie Hunter and Thor Hushovd to fight out the sprint points in Montpellier.
