Tour de France : Le parcours de la cinquième modifié pour raisons de sécurité

The route of the 5th stage of the Tour de France has been modified. Due to urban development, the distance of the stage between Lille and Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, initially 153.7 kilometers, has been increased by 3.3 kilometers to reach 157 kilometers. “Compared to our reconnaissance last fall, an island has been set up on each side of the road 500 meters from the entrance on the cobblestones“, explained to AFP the race director Thierry Gouvenou about what the technicians call a “lock”, in other words a “chicane”.

“This development was installed with the aim of improving road safety but poses safety problems for a peloton which will most certainly be launched at high speed when approaching the first cobbled section. Entering the first cobblestone sector is like a finish line“, added the race director. The solution adopted as a replacement consists of taking this cobblestone sector, between Villers-au-Tertre and Fressain to the south-east of Douai (North), in the opposite direction, without modifying the total cobblestone distance. which remains 19.4 kilometers.

“The roads are less and less suitable for cycle races“, underlined Thierry Gouvenou, who is worried about the next editions of the Tour and other events.

(With AFP)