Will the expected echelon take place today on the road to Nimes? The flat and wind-exposed terrain of the Rhone valley and the proximity of the sea from Beaucaire and Tarascon in the finale gave ideas to some teams after the spectacular coup achieved in the wind last year in St Amand-Montrond.

The echelon that quashed the hopes of favourites like Alejandro Valverde was one of the key moments of the 100th edition, proving that the Tour can also be lost on the flat. Of course, race director Thierry Gouvenou would love to see a repeat of such an eventful stage and the ride between Tallard and Nimes could be ideal if the infamous Mistral wins decides to blow.

Where to attack then ? Not before Cavaillon as the course is too hilly but in the long windswept valley reaching to the Rhone river and why not in Tarascon ? The town is known for its local hero Tartarin, a fictional adventurer. 

In the same time, sprinters teams will be keen to exploit their last chance to shine before Paris and one thinks of Cannondale and Peter Sagan, out for revenge after missing out on stage wins so far.

Finally, a breakaway is also quite possible and might go all the way for once.

For Bretagne Seche team manager Emmanuel Hubert, "there will be a breakaway AND an echelon".

"There will be a breakaway involving a Bretagne Séché rider of course. And it can go far because the start of the stage is rather tricky and the peloton will take some time to chase", he forecast, hoping that one of his riders will be in contention for stage honors.

"But there will also be an echelon because, whatever the weather forecasts say, one of my guys on the spot tells me there are violent wind spells from Beaucaire. It could also help the escapees," Hubert said.