Tour De France, 2007, Stage 11 Preview: Sprinters Return to the Spotlight

It's been five stages since sprinters were in the spotlight at the Tour de France. But the speed merchants should be back at the front of the peloton again Thursday in one of the race's flatest stages.

The ever-diminishing remaining field of 171 will ride 182.5 kilometers (113.3 miles) from Marseille to Montpellier in stage 11. The stage begins at an elevation 107 meters (343 feet) and never rises above 136 meters (436 feet).

The day will progress along the Camargue marshes of the Rhone delta just north of the Mediterranean Sea. As per usual, the cyclists will pass through dozens of villages en route to the coastal finishinng city of Montpellier, a Tour de France fixture.

Largely an industrial city, Montpellier, like many French cities, is known for its botanical gardens and ancient buildings. The University of Montpellier, granted its charter in 1220, is among the country's oldest.

Since its Tour de France debut in 1930, Montpellier has been a departure or finishing city 28 times, including most recently in 2005.

Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) won a field sprint on that occasion after a long two-rider breakaway of American Chris Horner (Bend, Ore.) and Sylvain Chavanel were caught on the final straightaway.

Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and Chavanel (Cofidis) are both riding strong Tours this year. Horner is currently 25th overall, 9:11 behind race leader Michael Rasmussen; Chavanel is currently 33rd overall, 16:52 behind.

It's unlikely, but maybe Chavanel and Horner will return together with another long breakaway?

McEwen, however, won't be in the sprinters' mix. With compatriots Michael Rogers (T-Mobile) and Stuart O'Grady (CSC), who both crashed out of the Tour, McEwen was also been sidelined after finishing outside the time limit in stage 8.

If stage 11 ends as predicted in a massive sprint, the likely candidates are Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) of Norway, Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) of Belgium and Erik Zabel (Milram) of Germany.

The 11th stage also represents the mathematical beginning of the second half of the Tour. Discounting the prologue, riders have competed in 10 stages and have completed 1,206 of the race's 2203 miles. That leaves 997 miles left until the conclusion in Paris on July 29.

What's awaiting down the road? Try six road stages, including three mountaintop finishes in the Pyrenees, and two individual time trials totaling more than 100 kilometers (62.4 miles). And then there's the final, largely ceremonial 20th stage to Paris.