Preview: 2014 Tour de France — Stage 11

Besançon to Oyonnax (187.5km)

Wednesday, July 16th 6:50 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. EDT

This is the stage after the first rest day. Does this mean that a new race is about to start? Perhaps. It will all depend on how events have gone so far. The main contenders are still within striking distance of each other. That’s not enough to suggest that the race will already have been decided, however, it is significant in terms of the overall classification. That was the thinking of race organizers when they opted to avoid increasing those gaps with a mid-race time trial, and instead offer something different in the form of rolling stages where good tactics could pay off. Stage 11 could suit a rider like Peter Sagan.