5 most anticipated stages of the 2018 Tour de France

2. Arras to Roubaix (Stage 9, 95.5 mi/154 km)

One of the most highly anticipated stages is the ride over the cobblestones of northern France. These old farm roads are relics of another era, routes that could have been used in the inaugural edition of the Tour de France back in 1903. They are part of one of the greatest one-day classics of the spring racing season, and it is always a treat when they feature at the Tour de France.

These roads are surfaced with large paving cobblestones, known in French as pavé. Featured in the route of Paris-Roubaix every spring, the cobbled roads of northern France are normally contested only by certain classics specialists. Not everyone will be as familiar as their counterparts on the cobbles, which could result in both crashes and some serious time gaps before riders even get into the high mountains.

Sections such as Mons-en-Pévèle, Camphin-en-Pévèle, Cysoing, and Bourghelles will be familiar to regular viewers of Paris-Roubaix. For those fans who follow cycling once a year every July, this ride toward Roubaix will offer an opportunity to encounter some of the most iconic roadways in cycling.

The finish brings riders right outside the Roubaix Velodrome, traditional finish of Paris-Roubaix. But the peloton will cross a finish line outside the track instead of going onto the banked oval. Depending on who survives the cobbled sections toward the end of the race, we could see a great bunch sprint as the green jersey race gets ready to take a backseat in the mountains.