After a nod to Liège-Bastogne-Liège yesterday, Tour organisers ASO pay homage to another race in their portfolio by taking the field over several of the cobbled sections from Paris-Roubaix.
There are 13.2km of pavé hell for the riders to deal with in seven separate sections. The last four are in France and particularly nasty, the final one just 10km from the finish.
It’s been six years since the Tour last encountered the cobbles. Back in 2004 the hopes of principal Spanish contender Iban Mayo were blown away in the dust. The sylph-like Alberto Contador will be hoping he doesn’t suffer the same fate. The finish is at the entrance to Roubaix’s infamous Arenberg Forest.
Stage profile
TOPICS
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'With no Richie, the plans had to change' - James Shaw, EF Education-EasyPost on the Giro d'Italia breakaway hunt after Carapaz withdrawal
EF Education-EasyPost racer taking part in sixth Grand Tour -
'No one is unbeatable' – Giulio Pellizzari moves ahead of Jonas Vingegaard on GC with bonus seconds sprint ahead of Giro d'Italia mountains face-off
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader gains four seconds on heavy favourite Dane at Red Bull Kilometre -
'I was not expecting this after many hard moments' – Without GC pressure, Giulio Ciccone finally achieves childhood dream of pulling on maglia rosa
Italian sprints to bonus seconds in Cosenza to take pink, 10 years on from maiden stage win as neo-pro -
Giro d'Italia abandons – Three more riders out of the race as Grand Tour reaches Italian soil
Tracking all the riders who have crashed out of or otherwise left this year's Giro
