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MARSEILLE, Jul 19 (CP) – A second consecutive transition stage awaits the riders in Thursday's eleventh stage of the Tour.

After the successful – and expected – breakaway in stage 10, Thursday looks ideal for the sprinters to again get into the action. The 182 kilometer route takes the riders alongside of the Mediterranean coast from Marseille to Montpellier.

As far as stages go, this is the flattest on offer for the rest of the race and will present the peloton's fast men with their best chance of victory until they reach Paris. With just the one classified climb - a category four climb at that - this could be one fast stage. If the conditions are favorable and the sprinters are hungry for the win expect to see a high pace right throughout the day.

A potential deterrent could be the weather. This part of France can get notoriously hot. One only has to remember back to the last time the Tour visited Montpellier in 2005 when the temperature got into the 40's.

Though riders won't face anything as severe as that in this stage, it can be nonetheless a hot and hard day of racing.

If it does come down to a bunch sprint, look for those who feature high in the green jersey classification to be in the mix here. Both Tom Boonen and Thor Hushovd will be looking for their second win.

German Erik Zabel currently sits in second spot and trails Boonen by 16 points. The veteran would love to get that ever elusive victory in what could well be his last Tour.

Also keep an eye out for South African sprinter Robert Hunter. The Barloworld team will have been buoyed by the stage victory by young Colombian Juan Mauricio Soler. Hunter has made his presence felt in most sprints thus far and it would be a coup if he could provide the wildcard team another win.

Stage eleven details can be found here.

© Michael Holden