tour reporter
The 5th stage leads over the dreaded Pavé in the north of France. The Tour de France is not decided there, but you can lose it there.
They are strange names that make some people rave and others sweat: Wasnes-au-Bac at Barcq-en-Ostrevent, Aubergicourt at Émericcourt or Erre a Wandignies-Hamage. That’s the name of some of the cobblestone passages that the field of drivers in the Tour de France today on the 5th stage (we report in the live ticker from 2 p.m. on sportschau.de).
19.4 kilometers of cobblestones
Of the 157 kilometers of the stage (the stage was extended by 3.3 kilometers due to a last-minute route change), 19.4 kilometers lead over the dreaded pavés of the French north. Eleven sectors that are otherwise not included in the classic ParisRoubaix are on the program have been incorporated into the course by the route planners. It’s a stage that the specialists look forward to – and that the drivers fear.
It was in the days before the start of the Tour de France there was a lot of talk about having to get through the first week in one piece. And not everyone was happy with the route of the first few days. Many small roads, many changes of direction, the wind – all of this was considered dangerous in advance.
However, the first four stages went much quieter than expected: small breakaway groups that were easy to control and whose occupation was not very competitive. Stages two to three ended with a mass sprint, but fortunately without a serious mass crash. On stage 4, Wout van Aert in the yellow jersey caused a bit of a stir with an attack just before the end.
On the part of Lille after Arenberg, the calm should now be over for good. “About the pavés driving on the tour is something completely different than on ParisRoubaix“says the Belgian Philip Gilbert. “At Paris-Roubaix we drive against the other specialists. On the Tour, on the other hand, there are a lot of riders who don’t know how to steer their bikes on these roads.”
Some specialists have free rein, others don’t
Gilbert, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Tuesday (July 5th, 2022), is definitely one of the specialists. In 2019 he won the spring classic in Roubaix. Also John Degenkolb has a proven soft spot for the cobblestones. Paris-Roubaix was won by the German professional cyclist from Team DSM in 2015.
Three years later he celebrated in Roubaix an emotional stage win when the tour last the field over the pavés hunted. “If you’ve won there before, you obviously want to be up there again.”says Degenkolb. “I think my personal expectations are higher than those of the team.”
Gilbert (Lotto-soudal) and Degenkolb will be just like the Dutchman Mathieu vat the pool (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will certainly get a free ride from their teams. Your teams do not have a driver for the general classification. Other specialists, on the other hand, will primarily have to escort their captains safely across the paved sectors.
Politt’s “hands are tied”
In all probability, this also applies to the German champion Nils Politt from the Bora-hansgrohe team, whose captain Alexander Vlasov at the Tour de France wants to compete for the win. “Then my hands are tied a bit. It’s about getting him to the finish line safely.”says the Cologne, the ParisRoubaix 2019 behind Gilbert finished in second place.
Team tactics will also be decisive for other specialists as to whether they can try to win a stage or not. Dylan vanBaarle For example, the winner of this year’s edition of ParisRoubaixat Ineosgrenadiers in the team also contenders for the podium in Paris. However, standing there with the young Thomas Pidcock and the experienced Luke Rowe two other drivers in the tour squad who also feel comfortable on this terrain. and Geraint Thomasone of the team leaders of the British teamalso dominates the cobblestones.
Recurring discussion
Other captains are more in danger. And the discussions about whether the pavé-Sections part of Tour de France should be or not, recurs regularly when the course designers incorporate them into the course. The organizers argue that the rider who wants to win the toughest bike race in the world has to be able to do everything. “For the favorites, good preparation and full concentration are the best weapons against nervousness ahead of this stage”says tour director Christian Prudhomme.
In fact, teams used Monday’s transfer day to revisit the eleven cobblestone sections. It is certain that the Tour de France can’t win there, but can certainly lose. “I still remember 2018”says Nils Politt. “Some of them were already lying in front of the cobblestones. One of the big ones usually doesn’t survive it because he’s thrown back by a fall.”
Prominent Victims of the Past
This is what happened to the Luxemburger Fränk Schleck in 2010, at that time a co-favourite for yellow, who was on one of the pavé-Sectors fell and had to retire from the race with a triple broken collarbone. His teammate Jens Voigt then raged into the microphones and threw the organizers “Ruthlessness” and “games” before. In an interview ahead of the tour that year, he spoke of “modern gladiatorship”.
In 2014 and 2018, the cobblestone stages were also a challenge Christopher Froome or. Richie Porte prominent victims. However, both of them did not fall on the cobblestones, but on the way there. As with the classic in the spring, the most important thing is to drive onto the sectors in a front position.
“It always follows more or less the same rules”says the German professional cyclist Jonasrutsch. “You drive onto the cobblestones, but first you have to sprint to get there so that you can get onto them in the best possible position. And then you drive over them in a row. It will be the same on the Tour.”
Two races in one, two ambitions
So this time it will definitely be hectic. And there will be two races in one. One for the stage victory and one for the ranking riders who shouldn’t lose any time if possible. This is especially true for the top favorites – the two Slovenians Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and the Dane Jonas Vingegaard.
Pogacar, fourth in the Tour of Flanders in the spring, has already proven that he also masters this terrain. Roglic and Vingegaard have with Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte and Nathan Van Hooydonk four classic drivers at your side.
Van Aert still has to be considered one of the contenders for the stage win after his previous appearances. After all, he should wear the green jersey of the best points to Paris. He is already leading this ranking after three second places and one stage win. “We look forward to combining the two ambitions of green and yellow.”says van Aert. But the two captains have to come through safely on Wednesday.