Tour de France 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and route for Stage 11

Stage 11 of the 2016 Tour de France serves one big purpose: Get riders closer to Mont Ventoux. It’s short at 162.5 kilometers, and it’s flat with just two Category 4 climbs. With Ventoux on Thursday and a time trial on Friday, the general classification contenders -- Chris Froome and company -- will try to conserve their legs and stay out of danger.

The stage will begin in the stunning fortified city of Carcassonne at approximately 7:50 a.m. ET, and finish in Montpellier, which is probably more fun than the Vermont version. NBCSN will once again carry the stage beginning at 7:30 a.m. Anyone with a subscription to NBC Gold can begin streaming the stage live at 8:10 a.m.

The stage is worth watching for anyone who has an interest in the green jersey battle (though any hope that Peter Sagan doesn’t have it locked up is probably misguided). Sagan took back the lead on the points classification by 30 points after winning the intermediate sprint and finishing second in Stage 10. Mark Cavendish has a chance to regain the lead with 70 points up for grabs. Cavendish has won three 2016 Tour stages already.

Stage 11 may also be a good day for echelons. High Mistral crosswinds are expected, which could force teams to work together in the peloton to avoid getting split up. Crosswinds can have wreak havoc on a stage (see Stage 2 last year). For that reason, an otherwise innocuous stage could be surprisingly interesting.

But barring acts of nature, there should be no drama on Stage 11. This is a stage to put on in the background of your day, and dream of bigger things to come.

Map and profile courtesy of the Tour’s official site

Start time: 7:50 a.m. ET (approx.)

Route: 162.5 kilometers from Carcassonne to Montpellier

TV: NBCSN, beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Streaming: NBC Sports Gold, beginning at 8:10 a.m.