Carrick on Suir’s Sam Bennett will hopefully have rested well and recovered from yesterday’s Alpine stage of the Tour de France which finished atop the Col de la Loze.
The Deceuninck Quick Step rider extended his advantage in the points classification from 45 to 47 by outsprinting closest rivals Peter Sagan and Matteo Trentin at the Intermediate Sprint point.
Today’s 18th stage is once again in the Alps with 5 categorised climbs including two 1st category and one Hors Category.
The intermediate sprint comes after just 14 kilometres today so expect a hectic battle to secure the 20 points on offer.
Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic of Team Jumbo Visma wears the leader’s Yellow Jersey with an advantage of 57 seconds over compatriot Tadej Pogacar.
The race finishes in Paris on Sunday.
