Greig Leach

The first part of the day included some relatively small climbs but the last thirty kilometers was going to be flat and straight. With that kind of terrain it was sure to be a day for the sprinters. But with two guys still up the road, their teams had to go to the front and pull the escapees back. Cofidis put one man on the front on behalf of Nacer Bouhanni, likewise Giant-Alpecin for John Degenkolb and Katusha for Alexander Kristoff. Just behind the sprinters' representatives where the teammates of the Yellow Jersey, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff). They were there to keep their man safe from crashes or surprise splits in the peloton.