John Degenkolb on Tour cobbles: "It will be crazy, like every year"

John Degenkolb was the winner of Paris-Roubaix in 2015, and the winner of the last time the Tour de France came to the cobbles of northern France in 2018. Although his ambitions for today are likely more modest, his viewpoint is nevertheless a very important one.

“It is something very special but when you look back in the history of the Tour de France, it is a part of cycling and it also belongs, from time to time, in a stage race like this," he told VeloNews. "The winner of the Tour de France should be able to ride on the cobbles. I am aware that many guys are going with the feeling of fear into the stage, but in the end, I also have the fear for the Alpe d’Huez stage so we kind of have to come to the same point," he said regarding the GC riders who will be the main focus point of the day.

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“I had a look on the stage, and I did a recon, when we were doing the classics, it was great to see it them already, the parcours and the sectors. It is completely different to having a race during the classics compared to the Tour, with the stress. It will be crazy, like every year. If you go to the back of the peloton to get some bottles you will not make it back up because everyone fights for their position and will not let anyone pass in the peloton," he added.

Team DSM didn't come to the Tour de France with aspirations to fight for the GC so Degenkolb will have full freedom to go for the stage win. 18th at Paris-Roubaix earlier this year and with only Nils Eekhoff as support when things get heated though, the ambitions are limited. “There is a big difference to approaching the stage, the tactics are completely different. Many classics specialist riders are having the task to protect their captain for the GC," he said.

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"When you look back in 2018, there were three guys in front, and in the end, in the back, there was nobody to pull for the stage victory because they were happy the stress was released, and most likely there’ll be a similar scenario today," he concluded.