Tour de France 2014: Stage 6 Route, Live Stream, Predictions, Updated Standings

The peloton is still recovering from Stage 5 of the 2014 Tour de France, a brutal 152.5-kilometre affair over the cobblestones of Roubaix in pouring rain. Event organisers showed mercy to the pack, as Stage 6 will be a routine flat stage that will most likely end in another mass sprint.

Arras-to-Reims is a Tour classic, starting and finishing in two of France's most historic cities and crossing the beautiful country roads of northern France in between.

Bad weather conditions might bring more chaos and carnage with it, but overall, Thursday's stage should give the riders a chance to catch their breath and prepare for the Tour's second week as we head for the Alps.

Date: Thursday 10 July

Distance: 194 km

Profile: Flat

TV info and live stream: NBCSN (for U.S. viewers) and ITV4 (for U.K. viewers) will be broadcasting every stage of the 2014 Tour de France, with mobile coverage available via NBC Sports' Live Extra and the ITV Player app.

Updated Standings

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana	20h 26' 46''
2	Jakob Fuglsang	Astana	20h 26' 48''
3	Peter Sagan	Cannondale	20h 27' 30''
4	Michal Kwiatkowski	O.Ph-Q-Step	20h 27' 36''
5	Fabian Cancellara	Trek	20h 28' 03''
6	Jurgen Van Den Broeck	Lotto-Belisol	20h 28' 31''
7	Tony Gallopin	Lotto-Belisol	20h 28' 31''
8	Richie Porte	Team Sky	20h 28' 40''
9	Andrew Talansky	Garmin-Sharp	20h 28' 51''
10	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar	20h 28' 57''

Position	Rider	Team	Points
1	Peter Sagan	Cannondale	185 pts
2	Marcel Kittel	Giant-Shimano	135 pts
3	Bryan Coquard	Europcar	121 pts
4	Alexander Kristoff	Katusha	82 pts
5	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana	53 pts
6	Mark Renshaw	O.Ph.-Q-Step	50 pts
7	Arnaud Demare	FDJ.fr	44 pts
8	Greg Van Avermaet	BMC Racing	42 pts
9	Ramunas Navardauskas	Garmin-Sharp	42 pts
10	Michal Kwiatkowski	O.Ph.-Q-Step	40 pts

Position	Rider	Team	Points
1	Cyril LeMoine	Cofidis	6
2	Blel Kadri	AG2R La Mondiale	5
3	Jens Voigt	Trek	4
4	Nicolas Edet	Cofidis	3
5	Thomas Voeckler	Europcar	3
6	Pierre Rolland	Europcar	2
7	Tom-Jelte Slagter	Garmin-Sharp	2
8	Perrig Quemeneur	Europcar	2
9	David de la Cruz Melgarejo	NetApp-Endura	2
10	Chris Froome	Team Sky	1

Route

The race will start in Arras' Grand'Place, with the peloton spending most of the day headed in a southern direction. Via two Category 4 climbs (Cote de Coucy-le-Chateau-Auffrique and Cote de Roucy) and a quick sprint in Pinon, the journey will end in the historic city of Reims.

The race profile, courtesy of Defiende El Maillot:

The Cote de Roucy will give the more adventurous riders a chance to get ahead of the peloton and avoid a mass sprint, but it might be too far away from the actual finish line in Reims, at 37 kilometres.

Given Wednesday's chaotic race, chances are the peloton will prefer to take a day off and not chase any breakaways too fiercely. If that's the case, a 37-kilometre time trial will take the riders from the foot of Cote de Roucy to Reims and eternal glory.

Preview, Prediction

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

Once again, the peloton is helped by France's wide-open countryside, and with rain and winds playing a massive role on Wednesday, the top riders will prefer to shelter in the belly of the pack.

Contenders for the main awards have been dropping like flies, with Chris Froome the latest casualty, via Sky Sports News:

The peloton seemed very nervous on Wednesday, and while the cobblestones and wet conditions certainly played their part, the riders for the general classification are expected to be very careful in the lead-up to the first mountain stages.

Vincenzo Nibali has a stranglehold on the yellow jersey, so Astana will likely spend much of their time near the front of the race. Risk-takers such Thomas Voeckler will be eyeing this stage, but a mass sprint is still the most likely outcome.

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Peter Sagan has been steadily growing during the first week of the Tour, and as a Classic specialist, he traditionally is able to recover better from heavy stages like Wednesday's than the rest of the sprinters would.

Fans shouldn't look past the dominance of Marcel Kittel, however, and his Giant-Shimano team-mates did an excellent job guiding him through the treacherous cobbles of Roubaix. The German should be rested for this stage, which could be the final chance the sprinters have ahead of the Alps.

Expect Kittel and Sagan to battle it out, with the early option on the green jersey at stake.

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