There are two ‘transitional' stages in the 99th Tour, days that serve to get the peloton from one mountain range to another – the Alps to the Pyrenees. The first of them, stage 12, began with two tough climbs and was perfectly suited to the opportunists – men willing to race hard to establish and early advantage over the peloton and then hold onto it until they get to contest the stage win. But the race from Saint-Paul-Trois Chateaux to Le Cap d'Agde on the third Saturday of the 2012 race is essentially flat. It urges the sprinters into action and, judging on the hard-fought battle between Peter Sagan and Matt Goss as they led the peloton home in stage 12, we can expect to see Liquigas-Cannondale and Orica-GreenEdge work hard to ensure these riders have a chance to earn more points in the race for the green jersey.
But yes, it's also Bastille Day and French pride is at stake. To say, however, that this is going to inspire the local riders more than other stages is a little absurd as every rider wants to be a winner of a Tour stage, no matter what the date is.
It's different to the flat days of the opening week as the numbers in the peloton have dwindled, there is fatigue to consider, and there are still plenty of teams without a win. The profile begs for a sprint but it's also an opportunity some won't be able to resist chasing.