Tweet
Seven cobblestone sectors on the 210 kms third stage of the Tour de France between Wanze and Arenberg-Porte du Hainaut on Tuesday promise more tension following multiple crashes on the second.
After several pile-ups on the road to Spa, the peleton refused to sprint to the finish line. There were rumours the bunch might decide to mount another protest on the infamous cobbles of the so-called Hell of the North.
"I certainly hope it won't be a no-contest race," said HTC-Columbia team manager Bob Stapleton. "But Saxo Bank team director Bjarne Riis warned that some riders could lose a lot of time if all hell breaks loose."
The gate of hell opened a day earlier than anticipated for Riis who saw his leader Andy Schleck crash heavily in the second stage while Fabian Cancellara, the last winner on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, lost his yellow jersey.
One man would not mind a riders' strike. New race leader Sylvain Chavanel of France leads Cancellara by 2:57 before the first cobbled sector.
"If the peloton decides not to race until Paris, that's fine by me," he said.
The first cobbled sector is at 128 kms but the most dangerous are the last five, all back on French soil, a homecoming that will not please many riders if it rains again. Cloudy but fine weather is forecast.
"That (rain) would drastically change the race. I hope it's sunny," said seven-times Tour champion Lance Armstrong.
(Editing by John Mehaffey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
