Tour de France '09

Tour de France 2009

Stage 3: Waregem - Compiègne 236km

Analysis by Jean-François Pescheux, Tour competition director: “This is the longest stage of the Tour. It starts in Waregem, which is celebrating the half-centenary of its hosting of the World Championships, where Rik van Steenbergen beat Louison Bobet. The stage flirts with the route of Paris-Roubaix, but without venturing onto any of the cobbled sections from “The Hell of the North”. This is a fairly rolling stage but without any great difficulty. It does pay tribute to recently retired Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc, as there is a sprint near his home in Fontaine au Bois. Once again, the wind might be a factor on these Picardy plains, and that could lead to echelons forming. This stage also gives the escape artists their first realistic chance of breaking away and staying clear.”

Tour De France Stages

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