Cycling in Yorkshire
Cycling in Yorkshire
Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2022 is a hilly 153.7km road stage from Lille to Arenberg. There are about 20km of cobbled sectors, which means that those riders who do well in Paris-Roubaix could prosper today.
The race organisers says that good preparation and complete concentration are needed, but there could be time gaps among GC contenders.
| Date | Wednesday 6th July 2022 |
|---|---|
| Stage classification | Hilly |
| Distance | 153.7km |
| Intermediate sprint | Mérignies |
| Climbs | None |
Here is an annoying video map:
This is the profile of Stage 5 Tour de France 2022.
These are the cobbled sectors on Stage 5 Tour de France 2022.
| Caravan | Fast Schedule | Slow Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Time (départ fictif) | 1135 | 1335 | 1335 |
| Start Time (départ réel) | 1200 | 1400 | 1400 |
| Intermediate Sprint (37.2km) | 1252 | 1447 | 1452 |
| Final Cobbled Section at Hasnon à Wallers (146.9km) | 1525 | 1708 | 1725 |
| Finish Line (153.7km) | 1534 |
1716 | 1734 |
Stage 5 starts in Lille.
Because it was once part of the lands belonging to the Count of Flanders, the French sometimes call Lille 'the Capital of Flanders' (Wikipedia).
It is really the Préfecture of the Département du Nord, and the capital of the Région des Hauts de France. Together with the Belgian cities of Kortrijk and Tournai, it forms a conurbation of over 2 million people, known as an Eurométropole.
Lille was part of Burgundy, and was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire, then became part of the Spanish Netherlands when Charles V of Spain inherited the mantle of Holy Roman Emperor. King Louis XIV won it for France in the War of Spanish Succession.
During both Word Wars, Lille was occupied and badly damaged.
Historically, Lille was known for its textile industry, but that declined from the 1960s. Today, it is dependent on services and education, with a large student population.
Lille is well-connected: it has Eurostar and TGV stations.
The peloton heads east out of Lille into the outskirts of neighbouring Roubaix and the Parc Barbieux.
Roubaix was a centre for textiles, and today it is known for mail order. Its open-air velodrome hosts the finish of the Paris-Roubaix Classic, and has done since 1896. Since 2012, Roubaix has also had an indoor velodrome, known as 'Le Stab'.
From Roubaix the race route goes south via Hem to Forest-sur-Marque and Cysoing. Next the peloton passes Templeuve-en-Pévèle, where you can see the Moulin de Vertain and a sculpture of a giant cobblestone.
Pont-à-Marcq come shortly after the windmill. This is the area where Arnaud Démare did some of his early races (notably the Ronde Pévéloise).
Having done the Giro, I don't think Démare will be taking part in the Tour, so he won't be contesting the intermediate sprint at Mérignies.
From there, the riders take the D917 south to the Parc Naturel Régional Scarpe-Escaut. Pecquencourt is on the route, at 58.7km.
The first cobbled sector comes at 80km, at Villers-au-Tertre to Fessain (1400m).
The route continues south to cross the Canal de la Sensée at Hem-Lenglet. The south-most point of the day is at Ramillies.
Heading north again, the riders tackle the next cobbled section, from Eswars to Paillencourt (1600m). Hot on its heels is Wasnes-au-Bac to Marcq-en-Ostrevent (1400m), then Emerchicourt to Monchecourt (1600m) and Monchecourt to Emerchicourt (1300m).
There are more cobbles at Abscon (1500m).
Erre to Wandignies-Hamage (2800m) is the next cobbled sector. The riders continue north, and take on more cobbles from Warlaing to Brillon (2400m) and from Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes to Sars-et-Rosières (2400m).
Next there are cobbles from Bousignies to Millonfosse (1400m), and finally from Hasnon to Wallers.
Hasnon is only a small village, but it is billed as 'the world capital of darts'. From the 1880s, darts were made here. Hasnon darts had birchwood shafts, turkey feather flights, steel points, and bands of lead pressed into the shafts for weight.
After Wallers, the riders take rue Jules Guesde and rue Maurice Bouton to Arenberg. The finishing straight in Arenberg is on avenue Michel Rondet.
Arenberg has one of the most famous cobbled sectors in Paris-Roubaix, the Trouée d'Arenberg road, but it is not included in Stage 5. The finish line is in the village, just before the start of the Trouée d'Arenberg.
The total distance on cobbles is about 20km. The cobbled sectors are:
Fosse Arenberg is a main landmark in Arenberg.
It was a coal mine, opened in 1900 by the Compagnie des Mines d'Arenberg. It closed in 1990, and UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 2012.
Now the rooms are used for exhibitions, conventions, film screenings and plays.
When a Tour de France stage finished in the village of Arenberg in 2010, Thor Hushovd was the winner, and in 2014 it was Lars Boom. A rider with similar qualities to Hushovd and Boom could prevail in 2022.
Sonny Colbrelli won Paris-Roubaix in October 2021, but he is unlikely to be taking part after a cardiac arrest in March 2022.
Other riders from the 2021 Paris-Roubaix top ten who could triumph on this stage of the Tour de France include Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Soudal), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Deceuninck), Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), and Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma).
Dylan van Baarle won the April 2022 edition, and van Aert, Stefan Küng, Matej Mohoric, Jasper Stuyven, van der Poel and Lampaert were among the riders in the top ten.
Who do you think will win Stage 5?
Bradt travel guide to Lille, by Laurence Phillips.
Price £8.19 from Amazon as at 29th December 2021.
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