Today’s soporific sprint stage followed the script and once the five-man break had been hauled in from its short leash, the sprinters’ teams took over. Here was a golden opportunity for someone to redeem their Tour. As the peloton swept through the final corner, Cofidis led it out for Christophe Laporte but hot on his wheels was Arnaud Demare. The latter kicked with 350m to go and came around Laporte to sail across the line, holding off the Cofidis rider who finished runner-up and third-placed Alexander Kristoff. Unsurprisingly, there was no change on GC.
