The organizers have planned 19.4 kilometers of cobblestones divided into eleven sectors almost entirely in the second half of the 157 kilometer course in the Nord department.
"Of the eleven cobbled passages, four are regularly used in Paris-Roubaix", warns race director Thierry Gouvenou.
"The longest were placed in the final. They are also the most technical."
At the end of the last sector, called Pont Gibus, there are barely five kilometers left to reach the line installed at the height of the old Arenberg easel, the former mining site located at the entrance to the famous gap of the same name.
Tour de France 2022: profile 5th stage Vincent LEFAI AFP / Archives
The Tour passes for the third time through Arenberg, where the film Germinal, based on the novel by Émile Zola, was shot.
During the first two appearances, victory went each time to a cobblestone specialist: Norwegian Thor Hushovd (2010) then Dutchman Lars Boom (2014).
Departure from Lille at 1:35 p.m. (launched at 2:00 p.m.), scheduled arrival at Arenberg around 5:29 p.m. (timetable calculated at an average of 45 km/h).
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