"This will be one of the craziest finals in recent years" - José de Cauwer voices concerns over Tour stage 4

This year's Tour de France is quite unique compared to past editions thanks to its course design. Across the whole first week, riders will not see any high mountains as they cruise through the north and west of France. Instead, sprinters and explosive men will find themselves in their territory with multiple opportunities to shine.

Stage 4 is definitely one of those with a long list of favourites, but it's also a stage that sparks quite a debate. According to José de Cauwer, such a stage is causing too much of unnecessary tension in the peloton with a danger of crashes. "This will be one of the craziest finals in recent years," he predicts.

The effort to have a different race from past editions with mountains often placed in the opening weekend, was evident from a first look at the route design. But have the organizers overdone it a bit with the circuit in Rouen? "They also went for it a bit. We smelled the finish line 3 times, but we always rode away to find a super steep hill somewhere and then a super fast descent. I won't complain, but I hope everything goes well."  

De Cauwer hopes above all that whole peloton makes it through this stage in one piece. "That's right, but it's still tricky." It would be a shame to lose a big favourite on such a day due to a crash, he thinks: "I think of Tadej Pogacar, but also to many other riders."

It cannot be denied that descending, corners and technical sections in general are an inseparable part of cycling, but it's always going to be a question of whether the risk is too great. That's always up to the rider to decide: "Risks will not be avoided in the descents, because of course there is also a prestigious stage victory in the region of Jacques Anquetil."