Tour de France: The contenders for stage victory on the cobbles

Stage 5 of the Tour de France takes the peloton over eight sectors of cobblestones and is eagerly awaited as one of the first major rendezvous for the general classification contenders at this year's race. On the evidence of the Tour's past forays into the reaches of Hell, at least one favourite's hopes will be severely dented come Wednesday evening. But who are the men most likely to take stage victory in Arenberg? Cyclingnews runs the rule over some of those who should be to the fore.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.