After the second, and final, rest day at the 104th Tour de France, the race will resume with a 165 kilometer route from the Occitan city of Le Puy-en-Velay to the city of Romans-sur-Isere in France's Rhone-Alps region.
Immediately after the departure in Le Puy-en-Velay, riders will begin to gradual ascend for the first 16 kilometers before reaching the foot of the first of two categorized climbs of the day on the Cote de Boussoulet.
The category 3 climb to the summit of the Cote de Boussoulet will take the field up an average incline of 6.3% over 4.5 kilometers, topping out at an altitude of just over 1,200 meters above sea level.
From the summit of the Cote de Boussoulet, riders will descend for the next 20 kilometers before ascending once again to the village of Saint-Andre-en-Vivarais.
Soon after passing through Saint-Andre-en-Vivarais, the peloton will reach their final climb of the day up the Col du Rouvey.
The ascent to the summit of the Col du Rouvey will be a category 4 climb of 2.8 kilometers at an average gradient of 5.6%.
After the riders reach the summit of the Col du Rouvey it will be essentially all downhill for the next 40 kilometers, except for a short climb to the town of Saint-Felicien 80 kilometers from the finish in Romans-sur-Isere.
Once riders reach the bottom of their descent from the Col du Rouvey, they will pass through the town of Tain-l'Hermitage before quickly arriving at the day's only intermediate sprint at Chantemerle-les-Bles.
The final 40 kilometers to the finish line in the city of Romans-sur-Isere will be almost completely flat, with a minor 18 meter climb in the final kilometer.
While we could see another breakaway rider capture a victory on Stage 16, it is most likely that this one will come down to an all-out bunch sprint in the final kilometer.
After spending the last five days in the mountains, Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) will once again have a shot to capture a victory on Stage 16. Kittel has already taken five stage victories at this year's Tour de France, and will have a solid shot at securing a sixth in Romans-sur-Isere. The German sprinter has largely solidified that he is the most powerful rider at the 104th edition of the Tour de France, and has repeatedly fought off other decorated sprinters in the final meters.
Team Sunweb rider Michael Matthews will be another favorite on Stage 16. The Australian has put in a strong showing at the Tour de France thus far, capturing Stage 14 in impressive fashion, while also taking four intermediate sprints and finishing in the top five on three other stages. Matthews currently sits in 2nd place in the points classification, 79 points behind current green jersey holder Marcel Kittel, and has put himself within striking distance of the Quick-Step Floors rider. Matthews has shown he is not afraid to take charge at the front of the peloton, and could be integral if the chase pack is hoping to reign in a breakaway late in the stage. Michael Matthews has shown his form and consistency to this point at the 104th Tour de France, and all eyes will be on the Team Sunweb rider, as he has a solid chance of challenging the dominant Marcel Kittel on Stage 16.
Don't count out the veteran German sprinter for the Lotto Soudal squad, Andre Greipel, just yet. Greipel has struggled to make his mark at this year's Tour de France thus far, but he has not been far from glory on many occasions. Greipel has taken 3rd place on three different stages to this point, and finished in the top ten on a total of five stages. It will be tough for Greipel to chase down Marcel Kittel in the points classification, who leads Greipel by 187 points, but the Lotto Soudal rider still has a lot to race for. A stage victory has alluded the Lotto Soudal team thus far at this year's Tour, and a win on Stage 16 would be a major boost for both Greipel and his team. Greipel also celebrated his 35th birthday on Sunday, and a stage victory at this year's Tour de France would prove to be a major statement for the veteran rider in his 15th year of professional cycling. While a host of other talented riders will be pushing for the finish in Romans-sur-Isere, day 18 at the 104th Tour de France could just be the day that Andre Greipel puts everything together and emerges victorious.
The biggest challenge for any sprinter, to win on Stage 16 will be the fact that this route sets up well for a winner coming from a breakaway off the front of the peloton. If a solo leader, or lead group, is able to breakaway early they will have a good chance of holding on until the finish. A breakaway leader or group will seek to build a comfortable gap on the chase pack on the two initial category 3 and category 4 climbs at the Cote du Boussant and the Col de Rouvey, and from there could have the opportunity to hold on for the remaining 100 kilometers. At only 165 kilometers, there will be little room for error on the part of the peloton, as waiting too long to raise the tempo could prove detrimental to the chase pack.
Other riders to keep an eye on throughout Stage 16 includes Primoz Roglic (Lotto NL-Jumbo), Simon Yates (Orica-Scott), Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Greg van Avermaet (BMC), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), and Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto NL-Jumbo).
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