[ritchiebaby]

Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Foix is another one for a long breakaway. The 178km stage runs towards Andorra but turns back to stay in France. There are two Category 1 climbs in the last third, the second featuring sections at 16% and 18%, followed by a 27km downhill stretch to the finish. Probably another day where the heat will play a big part in deciding race tactics.

If a group gets away and stays away, then the likes of Michael Matthews and Matej Mohoric, who's done very little this Tour, and possibly Tom Pidcock, who is a brilliant descender as seen on Stage 12, can come to the fore. Pidcock is almost 9 minutes behind in the GC race, so he won't be allowed a huge lead and that might bring Geraint Thomas into the equation, as well as the other contenders. Dylan Teuns, Lennard Kamna and Bauke Mollema are so far back in the GC race, they might be allowed more leeway. Simon Geschke could be another rider to consider as he will want to consolidate his KOM lead.