The final road stage before the riders reach Paris saw the opportunists finally get their chance to snatch a stage win. Boasson Hagen spotted the move early on and used it to his advantage, claiming an impressive solo victory over ten minutes ahead of the peloton.
Today sees the final chance for the GC contenders to take the fight to Chris Froome's yellow jersey, and also a chance for the Brit to claim a win and assert his dominance on the race.
At 22.5km long, the test against the clock shouldn't create too many large time gaps; but with the riders in the top ten separated by around 30 seconds a piece, we should still see a lot of chop and change in the overall.
The route centers around the twisting city streets of Marseille and should produce one technical final GC stage. The roads are predominantly flat, the riders gradually making their way from the city center to the seafront. Winds will whip in from the west in this section and could meet some early starters with gusts of around 12mph.
With such a twisting route, the wind shouldn't hamper the riders too much; with buildings flanking narrow roads, most will benefit from the protection.
As the riders reach the 14.4km mark, they'll start the short, sharp climb to the Basillica that overlooks this French city. The ascent only climbs for 1.2km, but at an average of 9.1%, this should prove to be a real leg breaker of a climb, especially for those riders not accustomed to their TT machines.
Such a short climb won't see many bike changes, but with such a twisting route and a steep climb on the cards for today's stage, I would not be surprised to see a lot of riders start the stage on their usual road bikes.
Once the riders reach the summit of the climb, it's a 2km downhill before a 5km slog to the finish line. The descent twists and turns, perfect for those riders looking to take some risks. The final 5km are relatively straight and should allow the TT specialists to have the last laugh...
Despite wearing the yellow jersey for the majority of this race, Chris Froome is yet to take his customary Tour de France stage win. It's rare for a winner of the Tour not to take a stage along the way, especially after having won three Tours previously.
The Brit had a sterling first day TT to cement his position in the overall, riding to 6th on the stage. With no hills to speak of in Dusseldorf, Froome was unable to really punish the TT specialists and instead was forced to limit his losses. He has the chance to dish out such punishment today, the 9.1% climb to the Marseille Basilica suiting him down to a tee.
With a yellow jersey to protect, the safest way for Froome to defend will be to jump straight on the offensive and take the stage. He can be found at9/4 with BetStars to do just that.
Riders looking to usurp Chris Froome's throne are Romain Bardet and Rigoberto Uran; the three are separated by merely 27 seconds, a time margin that could quickly be gained, or lost, in a TT like today's. Bardet has no time trialling talent to speak of and will be looking to defend his podium position tomorrow; barring an incredible day in the saddle, the Frenchman won't be taking yellow into Paris...
Uran on the other hand is a more than competent TTer, beating Froome in five of the eleven TTs that the pair have ridden in together. Whilst Froome is notoriously better at the discipline, taking bronze in the 2012 Olympics, only one crash, slip up, or mechanical could potentially spell the end of his race; throwing open the door for a Rigoberto Uran victory.
The Colombian can be found at 40/1 with Bet365 for the stage win; motivation for yellow should push Uran beyond the realms of his abilities and we may just see him take a podium on the day.
Outside of the GC battle lie many strong, natural time trialists. ITT world champion,Tony Martin, heads the lists of favourites and will be looking for some stage win redemption after being robbed by Geraint Thomas in his home nation earlier in the race.
The big German excels in the long, powerful sections of a TT course and will have to choose his moments to accelerate wisely today. Martin is arguably more comfortable on a TT bike than his ordinary road machine and shouldn't struggle around all the twists and bends. Katusha are still devoid of a stage win and will put everything behind Martin today, he can be found at7/1 with Paddy Power for the stage.
Stefan Kung and Primoz Roglic are two other natural born TTers that will be eyeing up today's course in Marseille. Kung will be eager to salvage BMC's lacklustre race so far, hoping to channel his recent strong form into a credible result. He finished second in the first TT of this race and is clearly on some stellar form; he can be found at9/1 with Paddy Power for the stage win.
After having already taken a stage on this race, Roglic will turn up to today's TT a little more relaxed, content with the victory he's already claimed. Nonetheless, the Slovenian is a born winner and will take any opportunity to snatch another stage win. The climb suits him, as do the long power sections; as a result, Roglic finds himself as the big favourite for today's stage at11/8 with Bet365.
Another team looking to salvage their race on the streets of Marseille today will be Movistar. The Spanish side are accustomed to fighting for the leader's jersey in all three grand tours and now find themselves in unknown territory having only Quintana's 12th place to shout home about.
They pushed for the breakaway yesterday but were unable to bring home the victory. Today marks their final chance and they'll more than likely put all their eggs in theJonathan Castroviejo basket. The Spaniard is the current European ITT champion and is one of the strongest riders in the world against the clock. He doesn't have the same power as Tony Martin but he is certainly a stronger climber, the climb to the Marseille Basilica suiting him.
The Spaniard can be found at long odds of 25/1 with BetStars for the stage win and is certainly worth an E/W punt.
As well as Chris Froome, another Brit to back is none other than British ITT champion, Stephen Cummings. The Dimension Data rider has taken a victory on the past two Tours de France and will look to complete a hat trick of wins today. Cummings can be found at 66/1 with Paddy Power for the win and is worth an E/W bet.
It's all about time today, specifically the 27 second gap between Rigoberto Uran and Chris Froome. Can the Colombian peg back the Brit, or will he claim his fourth Tour de France victory in just five years?
The Verdict
We should see two fierce battles today, one for the stage win and another for the overall win. Chris Froome and Rigoberto Uran are two strong time trialists, but being later starters hampered by stronger winds, I doubt they'll be fighting it out for podium positions on the day.
Tony Martin is the rider I'll be on for the stage win, 7/1 E/W.
Riders that I'll cover for the podium tomorrow will be Jonathan Castroviejo at 25/1 E/W and Stephen Cummings at 66/1 E/W.
With the knowledge that some of the early starters may face more favourable weather conditions tomorrow, I'll also be on long shot, Maciej Bodnar at 80/1 with Paddy Power E/W for the win.
TTs are always good stages for some large H2Hs, here are some of the best (all with Paddy Power):
Primoz Roglic (Win) vs Chris Froome - 8/13
Alberto Contador (Win) vs Damiano Caruso - 8/13
Simon Yates (Win) vs Mikel Landa - 11/10
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Words By: Inside The Peloton
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