"It's not really gravel, it's really big stones" - Julie De Wilde speaks from experience about controversial Tour de France gravel sectors

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."