Tour de France - Cycling Update (Photo : Tour de France Website )
After a crash-marred Stage 3 that resulted to the withdrawal of several elite riders from the competition, the 2015 Tour de France resumed on Tuesday with one of the toughest races waiting ahead of the contenders.
The Seraing to Cambrai Stage will feature the longest and trickiest route in this year's edition of the Tour de France, featuring 13.3 kilometers of cobbles - most of them situated in the final quarter of the 223.5-kilometer race.
General classification contenders Chris Froome (the current yellow jersey holder after three stages), Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez are expected to have a tall task overcoming the menacing cobbles, giving sprinter such as Vincenzo Nibali all the opportunity in the world to seize the moment.
Cycling expert Chris Fontecchio at Podium Café called the cobble-riddled stage, especially the Nord-Pas de Calais region as hell, not only because it was one of the hardest routes out there, derailed several campaigns such as Froome's bid for a back-to-back title last year, but because of his macabre history during World War 1.
"You may not know the story of why the cycling world calls the Nord-Pas de Calais region "hell." That would be because of World War I, which devastated this area beyond what words can describe.
Cambrai itself was notable for the Battle of Cambrai, in November 1917, where tanks were first used, to great "success." Paris-Roubaix returned in 1919, but only after its organizers took a trip up north to see if there were any roads left to use, and had various Hell-metaphors to offer on their return."
TV coverage of Stage 4 of the 2015 Tour de France will start at 8:00 p.m US (EST) live on NBC Sports. The race can also be watched online via NBC Sports Live Extra app, NBC's special web package for the Tour de France, and Sports Stream. Race results, overall standings and more updates are available on Tour de France website or SteepHill.
