Stage 1 of the 2018 Tour de France starts with an opportunity for the sprinters to make their mark and be the first pull on the maillot jaune.
The opening stage from Noirmoutier-en-l’Île to Fontenay-le-Comte is a features 201km of racing, 110 of which are on the sea shores of Vendée. Even though a nice weather is forecasted, the breeze might create some splits in the peloton. Echelons are possible also in the Poitevin marshalls towards the end.
Mark Cavendish will be looking to add to his 30 Tour de France stage wins, and he’s made it not secret that he is back in the hunt to match Eddy Merckx’s stage win record. Cavendish is sure to see challenges from veteran sprinters Marcel Kittel André Greipel, Peter Sagan, Michael Matthews, Alexander Kristoff, Arnaud Démare and Dylan Groenewegen while Fernando Gaviria, John Degenkolb, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Sonny Colbrelli and Timothy Dupont will be looking to capture their first stage win.
No climbs in this stage to speak of, and even though there is a slight rise in the road at the finish, it will not present a difficulty to the sprinters.
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