Is the stage 11 finish too tricky for Cavendish?
The chance of a stage win is likely to tempt more than one of the peloton's more agile sprinters in the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday.
However, the likes of Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Thor Hushovd Cervélo TestTeam) would do well to study the profile of the undulating 192km ride from Vatan to Saint Fargeau, which gets tricky inside the last 50km before ending on a slight incline.
With only two Category 4 climbs the stage should, in theory, finish in a bunch sprint — although only those who can finish fast on a slight incline, including Hushovd and Freire, need apply.
Yet a series of tight, winding roads could throw a wrench into the ambitions of the sprinters' teams and give ideas to either early or late breakaways.
After a first intermediate sprint, whose points are likely to tempt the contenders for the green jersey (or their teammates), the summit of the first climb is at the 45.5km mark.
Before then a breakaway is likely to have formed, and after the summit it will have a chance to open up the gap on the main bunch.
And even should the break be reeled in, the tight approach to the day's second climb at Perreuse, which is effectively on a road for tractors, means it will be crucial to be well placed at the front, from which more attacks are likely.
The final 40km is raced on undulating terrain, although the final few kilometers of the race are sprinter-friendly. After dipping with 2km to go, the road takes a right-hand then a left hand bend before climbing, ever so slightly, towards the finish.
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