Kelly won at Paris-Roubaix in 1984 and 1986, and was a runner-up at the Tour of Flanders on three occasions too, so he knows how to tackle the cobbles.

And, on the evidence of last year’s Tour, he believes Vincenzo Nibali has proved he can tackle the pave too – which could be ominous news for the other GC men.

“If you’re happy with the tactical side of racing on the cobbles then you are at a big advantage,” Kelly explained. “You can ride at the front much more easily.

“But handling is also crucial. If you have the wet and windy conditions again then bike handling is going to be very important. We’ve seen that Froome and Quintana, for example, are small, lightweight guys. Those sort of conditions will not suit them.

“You’ve got to stay at the front, in the top 30, 40 positions in the peloton and will take a lot of effort doing that and if you’re not good at bike handling then it’s always going to be a bigger risk for those guys.

“If the conditions are not good, Nibali is always the one to ride better. I think he’ll be hoping the conditions are not good because that’s where he can take advantage from the other big favourites.

“I would say Contador, Froome and Quintana will be very concerned about those first five days.”