The peloton will be able to taste the North’s cobblestones after completing a stage in France on Tuesday. The organizers plan 19.4 km of cobblestones between Lille and Arenberg. They have divided the route into 11 sectors, almost all of which will be completed in the second half.
Thierry Gouvenou, race director, warns that four of the 11 cobblestone passages are used regularly in Paris-Roubaix. The final was the place for the longest. They are also very technical.
The last sector, Pont Gibus, ends at the end. Only five kilometers remain to reach the line that was installed at the peak of the Arenberg easel. This former mine site is located at the entrance of the famous gap.
The Tour passes through Arenberg for the third time, where Emile Zola’s film Germinal was shot. The first two appearances saw victory go to a cobblestone specialist, Norwegian Thor Hushovd (2010) and Lars Boom (2014).
