We're back in the flat lands today for the last of the three Grand Départ stages in the Hauts-de-France région.
However, although stage 3 is the flattest so far, it cunningly manages to take in the climb through Cassel that also featured in stage 1.
The organisers have also schemed for echelon mayhem – should the winds decide to blow.
Stage 3: Valenciennes > Dunkerque
- Date: 7 July
- Distance: 178.3km
- Elevation gain: 800m
- Stage type: Flat
Route profile
Route map
Route planners aren’t only at the mercy of how the riders tackle a particular stage, but what the weather does, too.
A cold, wet day in the mountains will produce a different result from sweltering temperatures, as will today’s stage to Dunkerque, plotted in hope that a gale picks up.
Should it not, today will be one of the more incidental stages of the race for the yellow jersey favourites.
If crosswinds arrive, however, there could be some big winners and losers.
From Valenciennes – another town that evokes Paris-Roubaix – the peloton heads north-west on flat roads. The final section, before the finish in Dunkerque, is where things might get tasty, through the huge expanse of Flanders countryside.
Teams will become vital and any team leader left isolated will be exposed.
“The riders and team managers all become weather experts on the morning of this type of stage,” says race director Christian Prudhomme.
“There’ll be no need for panic as the stage passes Isbergues. However, following the climb of the Côte de Cassel, the final 35 kilometres will be exposed to the wind.
“Will it blow? And in which direction?
“The stage has been designed to encourage the formation of echelons or, failing that, for a bunch finish near the Marcel-Tribut Stadium.”
What do you need to know about Dunkerque?
Dunkerque is best known to the English as the site of the British Expeditionary Force’s 1940 evacuation from mainland Europe in a flotilla of small civilian boats in the face of the advance of Hitler’s troops in the Second World War.
Nowadays, it’s an industrial centre, the third largest port in France and the site of an atomic power station. Seafood, featuring moules frites and yet more beer, dominates the local menu.
For cycling fans, it hosts the Four Days of Dunkerque, which as you’d expect includes five days of racing. This year’s race, which took place in May, was won by Sam Watson of Ineos Grenadiers.
