Tour de France 2018: stage nine on the road and cobbles to Roubaix – live!

15 July 2018 10:44
Updates as the Tour reaches the cobbled stage to RoubaixThomas needs staying power to become Grand Tour championAny thoughts? You can email Niall or tweet @niallmcveigh 10.40am BST This year’s Tour has been a slow burner so far, but that’s about to change. After a couple of serene, occasionally soporific flat stages, today we hit the Hell of the North. Today’s stage includes 15 stretches of bone-shaking cobbles, 12 of which feature in the infamous Paris-Roubaix one-day race.There’s a memorable stage win up for grabs, but for many, it’s all about survival. Race leader Greg van Avermaet won the classic last year, but others like Dan Martin, injured in a nasty crash yesterday, and Chris Froome, whose Tour ended around these parts in 2014, will just hope to get through it. Related: Geraint Thomas needs staying power to become Grand Tour champion Related: Dylan Groenewegen sprints to back-to-back Tour de France stage wins Related: Tour de France diary: Rowe’s rage, Stella showers and Brailsford for mayor Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian