Tour de France 2016: Stage 4 Route, Distance, Live Stream and TV Schedule
Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish and his fellow sprinters will have another chance to battle for a stage win during Stage 4 of the 2016 Tour de France on Tuesday, the longest of this year's race and last before the peloton makes its way to the Massif Central.
Cavendish has won both bunch sprints so far and appears to be in sensational form, and while the open roads near Limoges will make life hard on the riders, and the wind could cause cracks in the peloton, another mass sprint seems almost certain.
The favourites for the yellow jersey will want to stay close to the lead, as those cracks could lead to time gaps ahead of the mountains, and crashes near the finish line at Limoges will be a real possibility.
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Date: Tuesday, July 5
Time: Noon (BST), 7 a.m. (ET), 1 p.m. (Local)
Route: Saumur-Limoges
Stage Profile: Flat
Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)
TV Info: ITV 4 (UK), NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)
Preview
Here's a look at the stage profile, courtesy of Guzman G. Pineda G.:
While the chart may suggest hilly terrain that could favour the puncheurs, the final climb lies more than 20 kilometers from Limoges, and the lack of elevation shouldn't trouble the sprinters. A breakaway is a possibility, but with so much open road to work with after the climb, another bunch sprint seems far more likely.
Monday's stage to Angers passed without any major incidents, as the peloton rode at a very slow pace and still chased down the early break with room to spare. The riders know the coming days will be tough―don't expect anyone to waste too much energy on Tuesday.
Lotto Soudal's Andre Greipel, who finished second, didn't mind the slow pace, as reported by Cycling News' Sadhbh O'Shea: “I think maybe everybody was a bit tired after yesterday, everybody was a bit nervous because we’ve had a lot of fighting in the bunch. It was not a stage to gain any points so everybody relaxed. I didn’t think that I wished for a faster stage than today.”
The climbers and GC favourites will take the spotlight for the first time on Wednesday, and once the peloton has crossed the Massif Central, the wear and tear will take its toll on the sprinters, who will likely have to sit and watch as Tinkoff's Peter Sagan once again builds his lead in the point standings.
That makes Tuesday's stage crucial for the likes of Cavendish, Greipel and Etixx-Quick-Step's Marcel Kittel, his main rivals for the green jersey.
Many thought Greipel was the favourite to finally break Sagan's stranglehold on the points classification this year, but instead, it has been the Manx Missile dominating the sprints so far. The Sunday Times' David Walsh knows the veteran just won't quit:
The slight incline in the final straight means Giant-Alpecin's John Degenkolb should fancy his chances, but the German hasn't been at his best of late. Direct Energie's Bryan Coquard and Orica-BikeExchange's Michael Matthews also tend to do well on these kind of finishes.
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