Etape Classique Stage Preview Stage 1 2007-

Leader: Fabian Cancellara (CSC) by 13 secs after prologue win.

Parcours: 3 x Cat 4 climbs, 3 x intermediate sprints.

Plenty of sprint teams here that will want this to come to a bunch kick #sbscycling #couchpeloton

Contenders- Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) is consistently good as ever and the Australian speedster is the best in the peloton at improvising in the finish. Good chance!

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) isn't a two-time world champion without cause, he can adapt to most parcours and is wily in the sprint finishes. A pure sprint finish shouldn't suit him as much, but the Spaniard is coming off a super consistent classics campaign and will be thereabouts.

Thor Hushovd (Credit-Agricole), Gert Steegmans and Tom Boonen (both Quickstep-Innergetic) will all benefit from a harder day in the saddle, all have classics credentials and a powerful kick to the finish.

Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) is the new kid on the block, it's his Grand Tour debut, but he'll be one of the favourites in his home nation after impressive wins at the unofficial sprinters' world champs, the Scheldeprijs to go with 6 victories to date this year.

Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner). Have you seen this guys quads? Massive. Forster is almost too much of a track specialist to be suited to a 200-kilometre stage like this one, but there's no doubting his punch in the finish.