Stage 3: Wanze - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. Carnage on the Cobbles? Not Really

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News and Highlights

Daminao Cunego, Charlie Wegelius and Rin Taaramea take a tumble on the Pave. Image Credit: BBC

Lance Armstrong had predicted on his Twitter feed that stage 3 from Wanze, Belgium, to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut in France was "Going.To.Be.Carnage".

The weather behaved, there was no carnage, but the cobble stones still claimed some riders including Frank Schleck who had to withdraw from the Tour after breaking his collarbone (see picture below).

A team Saxo Bank statement read, "After the horrible crash earlier today, Team Saxo Bank's Frank Schleck was examined at a local hospital where X-rays revealed three fractures of his left collarbone which obviously stopped the national champion of Luxembourg of continuing today's stage."

Frank Schleck being attended to by Tour de France doctor Gerard Porte. Image Credit: BBC

The Cobbled Roads

Worst case scenario? The Tour sections are in better shape

A close-up of the cobbles

Below are scenes from pile-ups during the Paris-Roubaix race 2009:

Stage 3 of the Tour de France from Wanze (Belgium) to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut in France has seven cobbled sections  totalling 13.2 km.

There is one short cobbled section midway through the race. At km 166, the riders will hit the first section of  'paves' as the cobbles are called in French. A gentle one to start with and only 700m long.

Then in the final 30 km before the finish the riders will be faced with unrelenting challenges at Sars et Rosieres, Tiloy les Marchiennes, Wandignies Hamage and finally the toughest section at Haveluy called the 'Pavé Bernard Hinault' just 10 km from the finish.

The finish line itself is located at the entrance to the notorious Arenberg Forest, the legendary backdrop to Paris-Roubaix, a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. The race earned the name l'enfer du Nord, or Hell of the North, more perhaps because when the race resumed after the First World War, the Arenberg region had been devastated by constant bombardment and had seen so much death.

It would seem that these cobbled stretches are remnants of ancient roads such as Roman cobbled roads. However, it is our understanding that cobbled roads were quite common in the 1800s and it was the transportation needs of the Second World War had spurred the paving of the roads. Until then the race was run over cobbled roads not because they were bad and therefore a test of the rider, but because that was how the country roads were made. Indeed, before the Second World War, cycle races were often the impetus for mayors to have local roads paved.

Members of a club called 'The Friends of the Cobbles' are entrusted with the maintenance of the historic cobbled stretches. However, rumour has it that they spend more time in the local drinking holes than in patching any holes.

Video Highlights

Adiitional Highlights

Stage 3 Crashes (in Flemish)

Stage Map

Image (above and below) credit: www.letour.fr

Stage Profile

Standings

(Source: www.letour.fr)
For an expanation of the classifications and jerseys, please see our page Classifications and Jerseys
Jersey icon key:
General classification (GC) fastest time leader, Sprints points leader, Mountains points leader, Young Rider time leader, Team total least time leader, Most Aggressive Rider

Leaders

		13	CANCELLARA Fabian	TEAM SAXO BANK	14h 54' 00"
		95	HUSHOVD Thor	CERVELO TEST TEAM	63 pts
		135	PINEAU Jérôme	QUICK STEP	13 pts
		39	THOMAS Geraint	SKY PRO CYCLING	14h 54' 23"
			TEAM SAXO BANK		44h 45' 55"

General Classification. Also called GC (yellow jersey / maillot jaune)

Standing	Rider	Rider #	Team	Time	Gaps
1.	CANCELLARA Fabian	13	TEAM SAXO BANK	14h 54' 00"
2.	THOMAS Geraint	39	SKY PRO CYCLING	14h 54' 23"	+ 00' 23"
3.	EVANS Cadel	121	BMC RACING TEAM	14h 54' 39"	+ 00' 39"
4.	HESJEDAL Ryder	54	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	14h 54' 46"	+ 00' 46"
5.	CHAVANEL Sylvain	131	QUICK STEP	14h 55' 01"	+ 01' 01"
6.	SCHLECK Andy	11	TEAM SAXO BANK	14h 55' 09"	+ 01' 09"
7.	HUSHOVD Thor	95	CERVELO TEST TEAM	14h 55' 19"	+ 01' 19"
8.	VINOKOUROV Alexandre	9	ASTANA	14h 55' 31"	+ 01' 31"
9.	CONTADOR Alberto	1	ASTANA	14h 55' 40"	+ 01' 40"
10.	VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen	101	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	14h 55' 42"	+ 01' 42"
11.	ROCHE Nicolas	81	AG2R LA MONDIALE	14h 55' 42"	+ 01' 42"
12.	VAN SUMMEREN Johan	58	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	14h 55' 47"	+ 01' 47"
13.	MENCHOV Denis	191	RABOBANK	14h 55' 49"	+ 01' 49"
14.	WIGGINS Bradley	31	SKY PRO CYCLING	14h 55' 49"	+ 01' 49"
15.	MILLAR David	57	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	14h 56' 06"	+ 02' 06"
16.	KREUZIGER Roman	44	LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	14h 56' 24"	+ 02' 24"
17.	SANCHEZ Luis-Leon	161	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	14h 56' 25"	+ 02' 25"
18.	ARMSTRONG Lance	21	TEAM RADIOSHACK	14h 56' 30"	+ 02' 30"
19.	LÖVKVIST Thomas	37	SKY PRO CYCLING	14h 56' 34"	+ 02' 34"
20.	ROJAS Jose Joaquin	169	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	14h 56' 35"	+ 02' 35"

Points Classification (green jersey / maillot vert)

Standing	Rider	Rider #	Team	Points
1.	HUSHOVD Thor	95	CERVELO TEST TEAM	63 pts
2.	THOMAS Geraint	39	SKY PRO CYCLING	49 pts
3.	CHAVANEL Sylvain	131	QUICK STEP	44 pts
4.	MC EWEN Robbie	75	KATUSHA TEAM	38 pts
5.	CANCELLARA Fabian	13	TEAM SAXO BANK	37 pts
6.	ROELANDTS Jürgen	108	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	36 pts
7.	PETACCHI Alessandro	208	LAMPRE - FARNESE	35 pts
8.	HESJEDAL Ryder	54	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	30 pts
9.	ROJAS Jose Joaquin	169	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	30 pts
10.	RENSHAW Mark	117	TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA	30 pts
11.	EVANS Cadel	121	BMC RACING TEAM	28 pts
12.	SCHLECK Andy	11	TEAM SAXO BANK	24 pts
13.	LADAGNOUS Matthieu	65	FDJ	24 pts
14.	OSS Daniel	46	LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	22 pts
15.	VAN SUMMEREN Johan	58	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	21 pts
16.	CONTADOR Alberto	1	ASTANA	20 pts
17.	WIGGINS Bradley	31	SKY PRO CYCLING	20 pts
18.	KNEES Christian	145	TEAM MILRAM	20 pts
19.	VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen	101	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	19 pts
20.	TURGOT Sébastien	158	BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM	19 pts

King of the Mountains Classification [white & red (polka) dotted jersey / maillot à pois rouges]

Standing	Rider	Rider #	Team	Points
1.	PINEAU Jérôme	135	QUICK STEP	13 pts
2.	CHAVANEL Sylvain	131	QUICK STEP	8 pts
3.	TAARAMAE Rin	171	COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE	8 pts
4.	MONFORT Maxime	116	TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA	5 pts
5.	LLOYD Matthew	106	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	4 pts
6.	HESJEDAL Ryder	54	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	3 pts
7.	ROELANDTS Jürgen	108	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	3 pts
8.	CUMMINGS Stephen	33	SKY PRO CYCLING	2 pts
9.	BARREDO Carlos	132	QUICK STEP	2 pts
10.	BURGHARDT Marcus	124	BMC RACING TEAM	2 pts

Young* Riders' Classification (white jersey / maillot blanc)
*Riders no more than 25 years old in the year of the race.

Standing	Rider	Rider number bib	Team	Time	Gaps
1.	THOMAS Geraint	39	SKY PRO CYCLING	14h 54' 23"
2.	SCHLECK Andy	11	TEAM SAXO BANK	14h 55' 09"	+ 00' 46"
3.	KREUZIGER Roman	44	LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	14h 56' 24"	+ 02' 01"
4.	ROJAS Jose Joaquin	169	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	14h 56' 35"	+ 02' 12"
5.	MARTIN Tony	115	TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA	14h 56' 35"	+ 02' 12"
6.	DURAN AROCA Arkaitz	214	FOOTON-SERVETTO	14h 56' 49"	+ 02' 26"
7.	FUGLSANG Jakob	14	TEAM SAXO BANK	14h 56' 58"	+ 02' 35"
8.	KOREN Kristjan	43	LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	14h 57' 07"	+ 02' 44"
9.	ROELANDTS Jürgen	108	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	14h 57' 10"	+ 02' 47"
10.	FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto	162	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	14h 57' 14"	+ 02' 51"

Team Classification

Standing	Team	Time	Gaps
1.	TEAM SAXO BANK	44h 45' 55"
2.	GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	44h 46' 06"	+ 00' 11"
3.	SKY PRO CYCLING	44h 46' 20"	+ 00' 25"
4.	ASTANA	44h 48' 16"	+ 02' 21"
5.	BMC RACING TEAM	44h 48' 45"	+ 02' 50"
6.	CERVELO TEST TEAM	44h 49' 17"	+ 03' 22"
7.	RABOBANK	44h 49' 32"	+ 03' 37"
8.	OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO	44h 49' 35"	+ 03' 40"
9.	AG2R LA MONDIALE	44h 49' 44"	+ 03' 49"
10.	CAISSE D’EPARGNE	44h 49' 50"	+ 03' 55"
11.	TEAM RADIOSHACK	44h 50' 23"	+ 04' 28"
12.	TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA	44h 50' 24"	+ 04' 29"
13.	LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	44h 50' 37"	+ 04' 42"
14.	KATUSHA TEAM	44h 51' 06"	+ 05' 11"
15.	FDJ	44h 51' 25"	+ 05' 30"
16.	COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE	44h 51' 26"	+ 05' 31"
17.	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	44h 51' 58"	+ 06' 03"
18.	BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM	44h 52' 06"	+ 06' 11"
19.	QUICK STEP	44h 52' 28"	+ 06' 33"
20.	TEAM MILRAM	44h 52' 32"	+ 06' 37"
21.	FOOTON-SERVETTO	44h 56' 01"	+ 10' 06"
22.	LAMPRE - FARNESE	44h 56' 03"	+ 10' 08"