The cobble specialists guiding GC contenders over Tour de France pavé

Paris-Roubaix training 2022, Arkéa-Samsic rider (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

The cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix make for some of the most exhilarating racing of the entire year, and that's when you've got hardened Classics specialists, powerful and experienced, going at it. Throw those treacherous paving stones into the Tour de France, throw a bunch of yellow jersey hopefuls on top, and the potential for chaos and spectacle goes up another level.

It's that mixture, of seasoned experts and ducks out of water, that will make stage 5 of this year's Tour one of the most gripping of the whole three weeks.

When it comes to the cobbled stage of the Tour, who better to have in your team than the current Paris-Roubaix champion? Dylan van Baarle soloed to the biggest win of his career at the Hell of the North this spring but will be on support duty here. The Dutchman is one of the most versatile domestiques in the world and will be working early in the mountains to come but his biggest task arrives on Wednesday.

Van Baarle's exact role hasn't been explicitly defined. The thing is, Ineos have three leaders, and not even Van Baarle could protect them all at once. He'll be joined in a shepherding trio by Luke Rowe and Filippo Ganna and it'll be interesting to see how Ineos management choose to divide up the support network. Ganna has the horsepower but Rowe has far more experience on the cobbles and in shepherding GC leaders through nervous pelotons.

Thomas is a former cobbled Classics specialist, so he'll be the most comfortable of the three. Winner of E3 Harelbeke and a top-10 finisher at Paris-Roubaix before he took the stage racing path, he has the requisite power and feel on the cobbles. Yates is a smaller and lighter rider but can still hold his own, with a rock-solid position on the bike sure to help smooth the ride. Martínez is arguably the most at risk, with strong power on the flat but less experience of this kind of racing. He did, however, get a taste at GP Denain and finished impressively in the front group.

"I'm excited but there's always a bit of fear also. You're not 100% the master of your own fate. Anything can happen. I remember with Romain [Bardet] a few years ago, we went onto the first cobbled sector like 5th and 6th wheel, and I hear him hit the first cobble and 'pppffffsssssss', puncture. You can do everything right and still lose a heap of time. We're quite armed for it, but you're not 100% master of the elements.

"When I'm riding for myself in Roubaix. I can move up on the grass, gravel, take all the risks I want. With Ben on the wheel, it's not like that. If I move up in tricky fashion, and I hear a puncture behind because I was riding in the gravel, it's kind of my fault. Also, when I'm riding for myself, a last-second inside corner is possible, but with someone on the wheel, the tiny gap that's open for me might not be open for him. So you have to do it in more secure and composed way. You have to be master of your emotions, and don't succumb to the stress."

UAE Team Emirates have an enviable mountain unit but look lighter on the cobbles, and the late withdrawal of Matteo Trentin is the key factor there. It's no exaggeration to suggest his positive COVID test last week could have major implications on the race as a whole. The Italian was seen as a beacon for Pogacar in the opening week, a rider who has a rich palmarès but is also considered one of the smoothest navigators in the peloton.

What can't he do? The Slovenian has never ridden the pavé of northern France, but has nevertheless already showcased that his remarkable abilities extend to cobblestones. He raced on them for the first time this spring, producing a sensational ride at the Tour of Flanders. He was mugged by Mathieu van der Poel at the finish but Pogacar dominated the race on debut and perhaps merited a victory that would have been one of the most famed in the race's rich history. You sense he could fight all fires on his own.

Stefan Küng is a big rouleur who is not only the European time trial champion but a lover of cobbles. He claimed his first podium finish at Paris-Roubaix this year in what was another step forward in the Classics, and he has been FDJ's safe pair of hands at the Tour since he joined in 2019. This will be one of the most mis-matched pairings out there on Wednesday, with Kung towering above the diminutive David Gaudu.

"I'll try to help David with my experience. I will try and kind of babysit him through the stage. On a stage like that, you also think about what might be if you have your own free card to go for it, but we discussed it in an open way with the team, and I knew what my role was. I know that's the important part for the team, so I will play his card and give it all to try and get him up and through unscathed.

"The last time we had a Roubaix stage, there were a lot of crashes before the cobbles sectors, so it's almost like you have to get to the first sector without anything happening, then once the cobbles start, it's more or less an honest race, as long as there's no major incident. The whole stage from kilometre-zero is super nervous, everyone is on edge. You just have to be sure, stay calm, then the once race really starts, you have to be there."

One of the most intriguing narratives of the build-up to this Tour was how Jumbo-Visma could juggle the competing interests of two bona fide yellow jersey hopefuls with Van Aert's dreams of green. That tension could well reach its elastic limit on Wednesday. This is Van Aert's terrain, an opportunity not only to extend his lead in the points classification but also finally win a stage after a string of near misses. And yet, yellow is still considered the more important pursuit at Jumbo-Visma (even if Van Aert currently wears it).

That's why there's more responsibility for Nathan van Hooydonck, a Dutch workhorse who stands at more than two metres tall. Now 26, he has four Paris-Roubaix participations to his name and has taken a noticeable step up in quality this year. Jumbo-Visma aren't just supporting one man, and they in fact have an enviable support network, with Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot also set to play leading roles.

Both riders are fairly short and light, but both have real power on the flat, as evidenced by their strength against the clock. Roglič, despite being prone to mishaps, perhaps has the stronger credentials, or at least the greater experience. He finished in the main group on the Roubaix stage of the 2018 Tour, and caught the eye in a late breakaway at the GP de Denain this spring, a cobbled semi-classic that served as a reconnaissance for Wednesday. Vingegaard, meanwhile, finished more than 11 minutes down.

German champion Nils Politt lines up alongside Aleksandr Vlasov, considered by many as a dark horse for the Tour de France podium. Politt towers over much of the podium and the flat cobblestones of northern France suit his raw power perfectly. His second place behind Philippe Gilbert in 2019 was a coming-of-age moment and while he hasn't quite kicked on in the Classics so far, he remains a luxury asset for Vlasov.

"I did that role already for Ilnur Zakarin in 2018 and for sure it's something I can do. It's quite ok. The Roubaix stage is always super nervous right from the start. There'll be a lot of crashes. You have to make sure you're always in a good position, always in front, always out of trouble, and bring him to the cobbles in a good position. Don't get into trouble somewhere in the back, and if you do, get him back to the front."

"It's a case of being really relaxed. That first sector, everyone can really panic about it, but for me, the third and fourth sectors are more dangerous. There are some real pinch points there. You can't totally relax for the first one but you can save some energy for sure. Afterwards it's a big road, you can move up, get re-positioned. But after the first couple, that's when the game is really on.

You don't get much more experienced than Imanol Erviti, who rode his first Paris-Roubaix in 2005 and hasn't missed one since. He was in the breakaway with 2016 winner Mat Hayman in that famous edition and bagged a fairytale top 10 for himself. Otherwise, Erviti has sacrificed his ambitions for others throughout his career and as a result has gained a reputation as one of the top domestiques in the business.

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.