Omega Pharma-Quick Step puts Marcel Kittel on the back foot

Mark Cavendish's gloves, Tour de France 2013, stage five

Pure sprinters are now set to step out of the limelight at the Tour de France until the finale in Paris where Mark Cavendish will look to equal Marcel Kittel's treble after winning stage 13 today.

Cavendish has won on the Champs-Élysées the past four consecutive occasions but the Tour has seen a much more even sprint competition this season. 

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Contributor

Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author of Pain & Privilege: Inside Le Tour. She follows the WorldTour circuit, working for British, Australian and US press, and has covered 10 Tours de France.