The peloton will tackle 3358km during the 21 days of racing at this year’s Tour de France, as they ride from Utrecht to Paris. There is no time for the general classification contenders to settle into the race this year, with hills, cobbles, coast roads and uphill finishes coming in the first week. The Pyrenees and Alps dominate the second and third weeks, with the lack of individual time trialls putting the focus on the mountains.
Cyclingnews has identified the five stages in this year’s Tour de France that could be key to deciding the overall winner.
Stage 4: Tuesday, July 7: Seraing – Cambrai, 223.5 kilometres
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The previous day's stage on the Mur de Huy will have given the general classification riders their first real test of the Tour de Franc, but this 223km monster on the Paris-Roubaix pave could be race-defining for some. Not content with making it the longest stage of the three weeks, the organisers have thrown in seven sectors of cobbles – three of which featured during this year’s edition of Paris-Roubaix.
It’s the second consecutive season that the pavé factors into the Tour’s route and the third time in six editions. The effect has always been as if throwing a grenade into the general classification, where few come out unscathed. Last year the peloton was so nervous before the cobbled stage that multiple crashes sent Chris Froome (Team Sky) home nursing broken bones.
Most of the other overall contenders were also left nursing their wounds as the apocalyptic conditions meant few stayed upright. While Nibali didn’t win the Tour de France on the stage to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, his performance on the day, finishing third and putting two minutes into his rivals, was a large part of his eventual success.
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