Boonen wary of breakaways

Though the tour has yet to reach his native Belgium, the world champion powered away with 200 metres to go, crossing the line several metres ahead of second-place Simone Cadamuro.

Speaking after his victory on Thursday, Boonen gave an indication that his team were prepared to vary their tactics, commenting: "in the next few stages, we will have to be careful of breakaways. Riders like Steven de Jongh and Wouter Weylandt have deserved their chance to go for a stage victory. At the end of they day, it gets a bit monotonous preparing a sprint solely for my benefit."

The likes of Liquigas' Manuel Quinziato and T-Mobile's Matthias Kessler (right) have proven pedigree in breakaways, though any attack will have to be better organised than Thursday's unimpressive attempt, where Rik Reinerink, Koen Barbé and Matthé Pronk were reeled in with over ten kilometres remaining.

Should Quickstep send a rider to monitor any serious attacks, a fascinating stage could develop. If not, expect the blue jerseys to hit the front and ensure Tom Boonen has the chance to showcase his impressive sprint once again.