The magic of the last week of the Tour de France is that battles for stage victories often carry a lot of excitement, even when jerseys are largely a settled matter.

Maintaining pace and effort in the Tour de France requires a careful balancing act, one that will be put to the test in the coming stages.

Playing to his strengths to win his second stage victory of the 2014 Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali is riding off with the yellow jersey.

After winning two of the first three stages, Marcel Kittel will once again be a favourite when the Tour moves to mainland Europe for what is likely to be a sprinter’s stage on Tuesday.

Winning the Tour de France is ultimately a solo achievement, but even the top contenders will need support from their own domestiques in finding success.

Decisive stages determine race leaders, but the strength of mind and character determines the winner. Nairo Quintana proved that with his first Grand Tour victory at the Giro d’Italia.

The last stage of any Grand Tour is often a parade rather than a competition, but with so many positions up for grabs at this year’s Giro d’Italia, the final weekend could be very combative.