The signature stage of the 101st Tour de France? If Mont Ventoux and the ‘double d’Huez’ stages of last year’s edition attracted the greatest number of column inches prior to the centennial Tour, the return of the cobbles to La Grande Boucle after a hiatus of just three years has set alarm bells ringing among the riders set to tackle the 2014 race, not least with defending champion, Chris Froome. A close look at the stage five parcours reveals why.
Two of the hardest secteurs from Paris-Roubaix are included – the Carrefour de l’Arbre and Mons-en-Pévèle – and all nine of them (a total of 50.4km) appear in the closing 80km of the stage. Having raced for 140km, and survived seven of nine encounters with the pavé, the riders will find themselves on the longest of them all: a bone-jarring 3,700m from Wandignies to Harnage a Hornaing. Expect fireworks should the names Boonen and Cancellara appear on the start list.
