The pack of riders cycles on its way during the second 201 km stage of the Tour de France cycling race from York to Sheffield, July 6, 2014.
The pack of riders cycles on its way during the second 201 km stage of the Tour de France cycling race from York to Sheffield, July 6, 2014. REUTERS

Stage 7 of the Tour de France is expected to feature another mad dash to the finish, as riders will take on a 235-kilometer flat race from épernay to Nancy before engaging into tough climb on Saturday.

Heading into Stage no. 7

Germany's dominance continued in the Tour de France as another German sprinter took the top of the podium in Stage 6. Marcel Kittel has been virtually undefeated in flat surfaces, winning Stage 1, Stage 3 and Stage 4.

However, the race between two historically significant cities Arras to Reims opened the opportunity for Andre Greipel to seize the moment yesterday. Greipei captured his sixth career stage victory in the Tour de France.

Despite Greipel's victory, green-jersey holder Peter Sagan remains on top of the sprinters classification ahead of Kittel and Greipel, while Italy's Vincenzo Nibali still holds the yellow jersey up to this point of the race.

"I think there was a lot of pressure on us, and also on my shoulders," Greipel said in an interview with the Guardian. "Everybody did the job they had to do to get me in the position for the sprint and I had enough power to win. I am very happy that we finally have a stage win."

Stage 7: épernay to Nancy

The 7th stage of this year's Tour might feature flat roads, but sprinters are expected to be a hard task because of length of this race (234.5 kilometer). The finale will be hard for Kittel, Sagan and Greipel.

Sagan, the green jersey owner, is tapped as the slight favorite in this kind of race, but many analysts believed the two crashes he had in previous stages might have affected his confidence moving forward.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Simon Gerrans is another serious contender in the race to Nancy. Then again, the window of opportunity is wide open for the bikers, making the top spot in the general classification standings up for grabs at the end of this stage.

"Another serious candidate would be Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Simon Gerrans but he also looks to still suffer from Mark Cavendish's aggression in Harrogate. In overall, it leaves hopes for a breakaway to succeed and why not a new race leader in the capital of Lorraine," via Tour de France.

Live Stream Information

Hot Now: Tour de France 2014 Stage 8 Live Stream & TV Schedule, Standings & Results: Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles

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