Mont Saint Michel - Utah Beach 188 km
Grand Départ! Picturesque Mont Saint Michel, a few little climbs to decide the first Polka Jersey of the TdF and then hopefully a long tricky day with crosswinds finished off with a sprint. If the crosswinds action doesn't happen then we can expect a sprinters battle royale to decide the first yellow jersey of the Tour.
This is one of six stages with live video from start to finish. (1, 9, 15, 19, 20 and 21. Mark them in your calendar)
Norman conqueror of the day : Mark Cavendish
There have been so many TdF opening stages where we have assumed Cav would win only for it to go horribly wrong. Now that he's the underdog I wouldn't be surprised to see him get that jersey.