Tour de France 2017: Stage 6 Route, Live-Stream Schedule and TV Info for July 6

Chris Froome will relish any opportunity for a spot of rest as he looks to retain the yellow jersey in the 2017 Tour de France, and the general classification leader will be glad to see the low profile of stage six of the competition.

Two category four climbs is as adverse as it gets for the trip from Vesoul to Troyes, although the flatter ride also means more opportunities for breakaways to disrupt any plans the peloton might have.

Fabio Aru also comes into the sixth stage of the Tour hoping to follow up Wednesday's stage-five victory—his maiden stage win in the race—with a second successive triumph as he eyes Froome's spot atop the leaderboard.

Five stages down and an already-feisty Tour de France promises to open up again, along with the chase for the green and polka dot jerseys for sprint leader and King of the Mountains, respectively.

Read on for a look at stage six, complete with live-stream information and television details as Cycling News TV provide a preview of the route:

TV Info: Eurosport, ITV 4 (UK), NBC Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: Eurosport website, ITV app, NBC Sports Live service

Preview

For all the complexities a Tour de France stage can pose and the tactics that come with it, stage six is a relatively simple point-to-point from the country's eastern coast in the direction of northern-central territory.

Stage five featured a more hot-tempered route and saw Aru emerge as winner following a fantastic climb up La Planche des Belles Filles, as shown by the Tour's official stage roundup:

But stage six will favour the sprinters, and with such a simple journey on the menu for Thursday, the general, sprint and mountains classifications all look set to retain the same leaders.

The main draw coming into the fifth stage, however, will be whether Team Sky can preserve—or even extend—Froome's lead at the head of the queue.

Speaking to the media after finishing third on Wednesday—20 seconds behind winner Aru, to boost himself 12 seconds ahead at the head of the leaderboard—Froome said:

"It's an amazing feeling to be back in yellow. Having said that I know the race is far from over. It's only just begun for me.

"I think as a team we're in a great position, first and second. We can take confidence away from that and I think it gives us options going forward in terms of being able to play both cards. 

"Today went really well. The team did a great job, keeping me out of trouble and then setting that pace on the final climb. If anything we made a little mistake in the final giving Aru that much space to go. But with it being flat before that final kick, I think no one really wanted to be left pulling at that point."

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas previously held the lead before Froome, proving that their riders are in good shape to ensure the reigning title holder has a good chance of a fourth Tour de France title.

However, the race to finish first in Troyes will be an open one should the right contenders make their play, meaning the opportunity is also there for Froome's current lead to be cut back.