Tour de France 2018 stage four preview: A route into the heart of Brittany for a punchy sprinter like Peter Sagan

It has all the makings of a classic cat-and-mouse story between peloton and breakaway, but if the first two days reminded us of anything, it's that the Tour is rarely straightforward

Stage five is mean. Stage six is cruel. Stage nine is plain vindictive. So Tuesday’s stage four appears on the surface like a rare chance to relieve the legs before more brutal days to come.

However this 195km jaunt into the heart of Brittany is unlikely to pass without incident, and if anything it will have the opposite effect with those riders who thrive off breakaways — like Direct Energie’s Sylvain Chavanel and Katusha’s Tony Martin – looking to make the opportunity count, and trying take advantage of the category-four Cote de Saint-Jean-la-Poterie which could split the peloton 60km from home.

Those teams with their eye on a sprint finish will be equally determined not to let the breakaway succeed, like Fernando Gaviria’s Quick-Step Floors and Mark Cavendish’s Dimension Data as he seeks to find some form. But if the peloton reaches the final 2km as one, then the slight incline into the finish at Sarzeau will favour riders who can sustain their power for longer, like Marcel Kittel and Arnaud Demare, and some of the punchier riders like last year’s green jersey winner Michael Matthews, current yellow jersey owner Greg van Avermaet.

And, as with just about any stage that doesn’t involve an Alpine mountain or Pyrenees peak, the supremely talented Peter Sagan will be in contention.

It has all the makings of a classic cat-and-mouse story between peloton and breakaway, but if the first two days reminded us of anything, it’s that the Tour de France is rarely as straightforward as it should be.