Run parallel to the North Sea, this looks a simple stage on a benign day but could cause unexpected problems if the wind gets up. If it is blowing, the sprinters and overall contenders will be doubly determined to stay at the front of the peloton. This will bring out the elbows as they all battle for the same places on the road.
After the stage the riders will be flown 1,000km to Turin for a rest day. Most of them would have undoubtedly appreciated taking a day off further into a race that gets steadily tougher all the way to its spectacularly hard finish.
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