Tour De France 2015: Stage 6 Route, Live Stream Schedule and TV Info for July 9

The 2015 Tour de France's Classics-inspired opening week continues with Stage 6, as Thursday's ride for Le Havre should once finish with a thrilling finale due to the profile of the course. NBC Sports and British Eurosport will provide TV coverage and live streams for the race.

Normally, the first week of the Tour is filled with flat stages and bunch sprints, and while Stage 6 may very well give the sprinters another chance to shine, the slight rise in the final climb may be better suited for the Classics specialists. Three-time green jersey winner Peter Sagan will undoubtedly be the favourite for this stage.

Tony Martin became the first leader to keep hold of his yellow jersey in this year's Tour, and he should survive the finale in Le Havre comfortably. Here's everything you need to know about Stage 6.

Stage 6: Abbeville – Le Havre, 191.5 Kilometers 

Date: Thursday, July 9

Profile: Hill

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Eurosport Player (UK)

TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.), British Eurosport (UK)

For a look at the Stage 6 route and others throughout the competition, check out the Guardian’s interactive guide.

Standings

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	17:19:26
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	+12
3	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:25	+25
4	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	+33
5	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal	+38
6	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:40	+40
7	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:46	+46
8	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	+48
9	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	+1:15
10	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step	+1:16

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal	151
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	119
3	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin	89
4	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step	86
5	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	60
6	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	55
7	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	42
8	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	40
9	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka	33
10	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	30

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	2
2	Michael Schar (Swi) BMC Racing Team	1
3	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	1
4	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal	1
5	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	1

Preview

David Hughes/Robert Harding/Associated Press

If there's one thing you can say about this year's route for the Tour, it's that event organisers have kept things interesting. After the finish in Huy and the cobblestones of northern France, Thursday's stage again presents an atypical challenge for stage racers.

The peloton will ride along the coastal roads of Normandy―expect the cameramen to frame every single cliff the riders pass―but despite the three categorised climbs along the way, the pack shouldn't break apart too much until Le Havre. The climbs themselves aren't very long or steep, and solitary riders or early breakaways will have to face the winds coming in from the sea, as well as the peloton.

The finish itself is tricky, and while the final climb may not be steep enough for the likes of Joaquim Rodriguez, it may do serious damage among the sprinters. Jens Voigt explains, via Cycling News:

"

Back in the day, when we had only flat sprints, there were riders like Jalabert who was fast but not a pure sprinter. There weren't so many stages for them at the Tour and they developed more towards the Classics. But the organisers have started putting fewer pure sprinter days in, like this, which suits a different kind of sprinter. It makes the Tour more interesting - there are flat days for Cav and Kittel but also challenging sprints, so every rider can find a day to perform.

"

Andre Greipel has dominated the sprints so far, but his powerful―and heavy―build will hold him back during the final climb. The same goes for Mark Cavendish and Alexander Kristoff. Of the strong sprinters in the peloton, two names stand out: John Degenkolb and Sagan.

The former dominated the Spring Classics, winning Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, and he has shown the ability to recover from tough stretches in time for the sprint in the past. As shared by his team's official Twitter account, he believes his form is excellent, as well:

Degenkolb won't be blowing past his opponents during the climb, but if Giant-Alpecin can shield him long enough and launch him during the final stretch, he might have the endurance to hold off the pack.

There's one man whose chances of winning this stage are even greater however, and he happens to be the one who has ridden along the Champs-Elysees in the green for the past three years. Sagan was built for a stage like this, and in the past, these kind of finishes have won him the point classification.

He's not a pure sprinter like Greipel or Cavendish, projecting more as a puncheur who shines during the Classics. The fact he's able to hang with the pure sprinters during the first week of the Tour is mind-blowing, and he did more than that on Wednesday, via Velocast's Scott O'Raw:

The Slovak carried Contador up the Mur de Huy, guided him over the cobblestones and still sits second in the point standings. He also keeps entertaining the fans, via Cycling Weekly:

He remains the heavy favourite to win the green jersey and should make up tons of ground on Greipel as soon as the heavier stages roll around. Don't be shocked if he starts bridging the gap on Thursday, winning his first stage of this year's Tour in the process.

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