After a shorter Stage 5, which sent the peloton into the mountains for the first summit finish at the 104th edition of the Tour de France, riders will begin Stage 6 in the commune of Vesoul before traveling 216 km to the city of Troyes in north-central France.
Stage 6 will be a welcomed changed for most riders after Stage 5 finished on a brutal category 1 climb up to La planche des Belles Filles. The final climb took the riders for 5.9 kilometers up a 8.5% average gradient to 1035 meters in altitude.
Riders will begin in the commune of Vesoul in France's Haute-Saone department. 69 kilometers into the stage, the peloton will face a category 4 climb up the Cote de Langres, which at 458 meters in altitude is the highest point of the stage. From the Cote de Langres, riders will generally be working downhill, before an intermediate sprint at Colombrey-les-Deux-Eglises is up for grabs at the 135 km mark. 19 kilometers after the intermediate sprint sits the Cote de la colline Sainte-Germaine. This will be another category 4 climb, in which riders must travel for 3.1 kilometers at a 4.4% average gradient. The stage will finish with a flat, straightaway sprint through the city of Troyes, which sits on the Seine River and is the capital city of the Aube department.
This stage will be a ideal race for the sprinters, and will likely come down to a bunch sprint in which power and timing of attack will be pertinent.
With the disqualification of Peter Sagan after Stage 4, the chance for other sprinters searching for stage victories and the green jersey has now opened up.
Arnaud Demare (FDJ) will likely be hunting for another stage victory, after unleashing a sprint at the end of Stage 4 that could not be matched. Stage 6 sets up well for Demare, with a flat sprint, and his FDJ teammates will undoubtedly be working to support Demare as he has an easier, yet still difficult, path to the green jersey after the departure of Peter Sagan.
Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) has yet to put together a perfect stage at this year's Tour de France, but the veteran German rider knows what it takes to capture stage victories at the Tour, and should be targeting the pivotal Stage 6 as a stage where he can put his skills to good use. Greipel is possibly the most powerful sprinter in professional cycling, and this ability will come in handy as the riders approach the finish in Troyes. The finish of Stage 6 will be require pure power on a flat and straight-forward stretch of road. Greipel excels on stages set up like Stage 6, and Lotto-Soudal will likely be looking to support the rider in an attempt to capture Greipel and Lotto-Soudal's first stage victory at this year's edition of the Tour de France.
Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) is another rider to look for at the finish of Stage 6. The Norwegian sprinter has yet to capture a stage victory at this year's Tour de France, but has continuously put himself in contention and currently sits 5th in the points classification standings. Just like Demare and Greipel, Kristoff is one of the most powerful riders in cycling, and is more successful on flat sprints rather than punchy climbs.
Michael Matthews (Orica-Greenedge), Nacer Bouhani (Cofidis), and Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) will be other riders to keep an eye on throughout Stage 6.
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