It's a full 1000 meters of vertical drop from the top of the Puerto de Monrepos, summited at km 34, to the finish line at km 154. Very nice, cozy stage, a just reward to the peloton for a few days of hard work. With such a short stage, there's no excuse for a breakaway to succeed; this is a stage for the fastmen. Van Avermaet, Boonen, Bennati, Zabel, Koldo F., Napolitano, Duque... get in there and show us what you got. Too many sprint finishes aren't a great way to run a grand tour, but I find that after 3-4 days without one I really begin to miss them. So... let's wind one up, shall we? Enjoy!