Tour De France, 2007, Stage 5 Preview: Let the Tour Begin

With all due respect to sprinters and the wondrous ways of the first five racing days, let the Tour de France begin.

Although it's not considered a mountain stage, the race's most decisive day to date will occur Thursday when the field negotiates 182.5 kilometers (113.3 miles) from Chablis to Autun.

The route will include eight categorized climbs and it will progress on narrow, twisting roads through the famed Chablis and Burgundy wine regions as Tour's clockwise journey continues.

In addition to the categorized climbs, including the category 2 effort that ends at Haut-Folin, there will be plenty of other continuing short, twisting climbs and sharp descents.

There will be little time for the peloton to cruise through open, flat stretches and recharge.

As such, while there's only been five prior days of racing, riders recovering from crashes, early Tour illness or already fatigued cyclists will find their way to the back of the pack. By day's end, the bottom of the race's overall standings could feature the first sizable time gaps among numerous riders. It's likely the fifth stage could also mark the first time the back-of-the-packers are eliminated via the finishing time limits.

The first designated mountain stage is still two days away, but because of the numerous ascents and tricky maneuvering, stage 5 will also be the first stage in which a sprinter isn't favored.

There's always the chance for a small-group breakaway, but a strong single-day Classic rider may take his chances before mountain stages begin Saturday.

One constant through the Tour's first week is stage arrivals in cities infrequently visited. That will again occur in stage 5 in the day's end in Autun.

The city of 18,000 was founded during the reign of Roman emperor Augustus. Remnants of ancient times remain today, not the least of which are a Roman theatre, a cathedral dating to the 11th century as well as gates and walls from the same time period.

The only year the race previously finished in Autun was 1998. The stage victor was GAN rider Magnus Backstedt of Sweden, whose riding skills often related to his unique status as the biggest cycling in the pro ranks. He's 6-4 and weighs 206 pounds.

Backstedt won the 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner currently rides for the Italian squad, Liquiqas. He surprisingly was left over the squad's Tour team, but last week won his country's national road title.