There is no sprint if Mark Cavendish is there. In this Tour, even the German giants of the sprint seem to be supporting actors compared to the overwhelming power of the British champion who yesterday on the infinite straight of Villars-les-Dombes took his fourth success, an extraordinary poker that brings him within four of Eddy's record Merckx who won 34 stages. The completely flat and colorless stage was exalted in the final sprint, an authentic world championship of speed presenting the best of the sprint around: Cavendish, Coquard, Degenkolb, Greipel, Kittel, Kristoff, Sagan, all together, elbow to elbow, fighting for the win of the stage. A sprint to be enjoyed with Kittel starting from a distance towed by his trusty Sabatini and with Cavendish following behind him ready to jump him when the German marshal comes out in the open and is packed by the wind. Cavendish is a marvel. He adds a bit of malice to his strength, deviating the trajectory, to hinder any possibility of recovery for Kittel who gives up finishing fifth even overtaken by Kristoff, Sagan and Degenkolb. The big blond German foams anger and protests but the jury doesn't listen and confirms Cavendish's success. Sixth is Greipel, seventh Coquard.
If in the sprints the Tour keeps the promises of the eve by offering challenges and emotions galore, not so on the front of the fight for the final victory. Froome, after Friday's time trial, appears more and more master of the race without even trying to do extraordinary things. A four-way battle between the British, Quintana, Contador and Nibali was dreamed of, perhaps with Aru also being included in the fight at the top, but expectations were immediately disregarded: Contador fell and went home to heal his wounds ; Nibali came to the Tour with the idea of training in view of the Olympics, even too serenely making a fool of himself as if he were any other rider and not one of the few champions capable of winning the Tour, the Giro (twice) and the Vuelta. Aru, a Tour up to the Ventoux without praise or infamy, skidded dangerously in the time trial so as to make his return to the podium area very problematic. That sphinx of Quintana remains, but the Colombian Condor has never done anything to attack Froome so far and in the few times that Froome has extended he has remained detached and the ranking, although not irremediable, does not speak in favor of him. Now the Alps are coming to offer him the last chance for the long-awaited acute. Already today, in the 160 km from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz, the route presents a crescendo of climbs with the hors catégorie of the Grand Colombier (12,6 km of ascent with average 6,8%) and the Lacets du Grand Colombier , a spiral of switchbacks 8,6 km long at 7,3% placed 14 km from the finish. However, even the bookmakers now seem not very confident about Quintana's chances of final victory, which after the time trial saw the odds rise from 2,5 to 16 while Froome's was further reduced from 1,50 to 1,12. Even for the victory in today's stage, the bookmakers don't see him among the top favourites, preferring Majka, Nibali (yes, the Shark as long as – we add – he doesn't choose to be… a cycling tourist) and Froome himself.
