The last chance for the sprinters. When the route came out last year this one had the watch out if there are crosswinds label. It still applies in the conditional because the weather forecast looks uncertain.The Route: 188km and 1,200m of vertical gain as the race rides through arid countryside. A passage through Pzenas to evoke gonzo singer Boby Lapointe and past plenty of ros wine vineyards.Look at the profile and theres a climb to the intermediate sprint but its just a long drag up. The categorised climb is not just a cte but a col, a real mountain pass but tiny and on a regular road.The Finish: the same finishing straight as 2021 when Nils Politt won solo but a different approach, its on big big boulevards for the most part but KM5 to KM4 is narrower.The Contenders: its easy to write theres no hierarchy for sprint previews early in the race then to pivot by the third week into talk of fatigue messing up the order. Still Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the obvious pick, fast and he copes fine with the hills and mountains. Likewise Biniam Girmay (Intermarch-Wanty).Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) has a good chance and Mark Cavendish (Astana) just needs an opening again. Jayco rode their socks off on the road to Pau only for Dylan Groenewegen to get ejected on the climbs before the finish, this should suit better. Germans Pascal Ackermann (IPT) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain) keep running close but how to get ahead of the riders named already?Philipsen, Van AertGirmay, GroenewegenCavendish, De LieWeather: sunshine and 30C. All the write-ups for this stage come with the sprint stage but watch out for the wind and the forecast looks as a tricky as picking the winner, one or two outlets say it could gust to 40km/h and from the NW meaning a three quarters tailwind which can shred the race; most say a gentle breeze of 10-15km/h.TV: KM0 is at 1.30pm CEST and the finish is forecast for 5.40pm CEST. Check for crosswinds during the stage, otherwise tune in for the finish.Postcard from GruissanDo sport and politics mix? The essay answer is frequently, even if participants and spectators alike may prefer otherwise. Todays stage starts in Gruissan where the mayor is Didier Codorniou, also known as Le Petit Prince for his days as one of the best rugby players in France despite his small stature. Hes proof of sport and politics combined, his notoriety must have helped his early campaigns. Hes not done with rugby either as he wants to become the next president of the French Rugby Federation.The Tour is now crossing a part of France that has been a stronghold of the National Rally (RN), the rebranded far-right political party that used to be called the Front National until 2018. Its turned support here into mayoralties, winning cities like Perpignan, Bziers, Beaucaire and Frjus. Yet, unless keen readers can point otherwise, the Tour de France has yet to have a start or finish in any town or city run by the RN. They dont run too many places but its an oddity.With the RN gaining more votes than ever, the next round of mayoral elections should mean more mayors. This could impact the race. The rise of environmental politics and Green Party mayors has led ASO to adopt ecological policies in order to meet demands of their clients in town halls, with more emphasis on public transport and reducing carbon emissions. What might RN mayors want from the race? A flippant idea would be a best French rider competition but that might not be very flattering on current trends. More seriously we can see Italy where the RNs Italian cousins are in power and the Giro is attracting more interest from politicians, the race features a Made in Italy campaign and ministers are showing up at the race and embracing . On second thoughts lets just look forward to todays stageThe post Tour de France Stage 16 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.