‘Each cobble is a hammer blow’ — Tour de France riders heading for a rough ride across the stones

CHRIS Froome isn’t known for his humour, but he was in good form when talking about Wednesday night’s Stage 5 of the Tour de France.

YORK, ENGLAND - JULY 06: Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky looks on during sign in prior to stage two of the 2014 Le Tour de France from York to Sheffield on July 6, 2014 in York, United Kingdom. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

CYCLIST Chris Froome isn’t known for his humour, but he was in good form when talking about Wednesday night’s Stage 5 of the Tour de France.

“It’ll shake things up,” said the 2013 Tour winner. “Literally.”

The 155.5km stage from Ypres to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut might not be the Alps, but it offers up its own physical challenges, with much of the route on cobblestones.

And it’s no laughing matter.

For riders already carrying injuries, like Australian Simon Gerrans, who fell on each of the first three stages and is still suffering the effects of the battering he took in the first day crash with England’s Mark Cavendish, it will be a painful experience.

The Tour’s General Classification, or “GC” riders, who compete for the overall points lead on the gruelling three-week Tour are usually slight and wiry, built for endurance, not getting bashed up.

Tour de France riders cross a cobblestone section during the third stage. There’ll soon be more to come.

It is the Classics, or one-day race riders, who are better suited to the physical battering that hours of bouncing along on cobblestoned roads will produce on Wednesday night.

Orica GreenEDGE sports director Matt White

Former Tour rider Steve Chainel described riding on cobblestones as, “Your liver, your thighs, fingers, arms, collarbones … each cobble is a hammer blow.”

Matt White, the sports director of Australian team Orica GreenEdge, when asked how his riders were approaching the stage, joked: “Most of them would rather give it a miss to be honest.”

“If you look at this whole field here there would only be a handful of guys who would be licking their lips about this stage.

“There’s a big difference between a classic specialist and the rest of the bunch.

“It’s going to be a very nervous stage for the GC guys. Someone will normally lose their Tour de France on a stage like this.”

White said it would be Classics riders like Swiss time trial champion Fabian Cancellara of Trek Factory Racing and Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s flying Dutchman Niki Terpstra who will be favourites for the stage.

“You look at guys like Cancellara and Terpstra, they’re the specialists. They want to tear the legs of the guys who tear their legs off in climbs,” he said.

The best chance for GreenEDGE is Classics specialist Mathew Hayman.

“Matty Hayman is going to get leadership from us,” White said. “It’s his first Tour de France and we’ll be supporting him 100 per cent. He’s very excited about this stage.”

One of the few.

Originally published as ‘Each cobble is a hammer blow’ — Tour de France riders heading for a rough ride across the stones