🔎 A look at some of the gravel roads of stage 9. Here is the Chemin de Baroville, 2nd sector of the day. 🔎 Un œil sur certains des chemins blancs au programme de l’étape 9 du #TDF2024, avec ici le Chemin de Baroville, 2eme des 14 secteurs du jour.
"It's not really gravel, it's really big stones" - Julie De Wilde speaks from experience about controversial Tour de France gravel sectors
CyclingFriday, 27 October 2023 at 10:30
With the route and profile of the 2024 Tour de France now fully known, one of the main talking points has been stage 9 and the sectors of gravel included on the stage, something which not everyone is a fan of.
The likes of Jumbo-Visma boss Richard Plugge, Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere and BORA - hansgrohe boss Ralph Denk have all raised concerns about the prospect of gravel, with the main idea being that whilst you can't win the Tour on those sectors, something as simple as an untimely puncture could lose you the race.
"It's not really gravel, it's really big stones," says Julie De Wilde in conversation with Sporza, speaking from experience having crashed on the gravel during the 2022 Tour de France Femmes. "Some of the stones were as big as my palm. You'd have to be lucky not to hit one badly. It was a lot of fun, until I had a puncture. I kept riding until the end of the lane to change bikes, but by then I was already hopelessly behind."
"In retrospect, I would opt for wider tires, like the ones they use in Paris-Roubaix," continues De Wilde, offering the riders some advice. "The chance that you will have a puncture is relatively high, so tubeless seems to me to be the appropriate choice. If the hole is not too big, you can continue driving and change on a less difficult part."
claps 3visitors 922
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The point is obvious: MVDP can beat Tadej on CX/Road and Tadej cannot. What is so hard to understand???averagecyclist22-12-2024
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024