Today’s stage starts in Lannemezan and passes through Castelnau-Magnoac where Antoine Dupont was born and grew up. He’s the world’s best rugby player and rooted in this area, owning a family restaurant and often portrayed as the local son. He might make guest appearance at the start.

There’s another local sportsman to celebrate. Bruno Armirail was born in Tarbes and grew up in Bagnères-de-Bigorre by the foot of the Pyrenees and went to school in Vic-en-Bigorre, location for today’s intermediate sprint.

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A day of wild suspense awaits. Ok, it’s sprint stage so the suspense will come late in the day but it could be more unpredictable than many a mountain stage.

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The stage starts in Carcassonne, the eighth start or finish in ten years. Tim Wellens won Stage 15 here last year. But something has changed since then.

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This stage ought to go to the breakaway, and if not then end in a reduced bunch sprint. The flat finish doesn’t suit the Slovenian and with many riders well down on GC already plenty can go clear and not trouble the overall classification.

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A mountain stage of sorts but mainly gentle roads. The breakaway has a good chance and someone might be able to take the yellow jersey today and keep it for a while as long as UAE and Visma-LAB agree to it.

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Today’s stage finish is on the Montjuïc hill in Barcelona. Like yesterday’s stage, like the Volta a Catalunya’s final day and like plenty more. If you wanted to find the one location that has hosted the greatest variety of top level pro races it has to be here.

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A scenic start and a sporting finish. We’ll see if Mathieu van der Poel can match Tadej Pogačar.

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What makes the ideal grand départ? Barcelona certainly adds grandeur to the Tour, and the Tour is of sufficient scale to bring something to the city as well.

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Today’s stage should put the grand in the grand départ as a tour of Barcelona’s attractions and history with the yellow jersey up for grabs.

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Tadej Pogačar aims for a record-equalling fifth win, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel line up with green lights for their form and health, Florian Lipowitz is back after the podium finish last year while Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas bring carefree promise.

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