ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — The splendor that is the Tour de France will roll through three countries while stretching over 23 days and more than 2,660 miles.
Despite the distance, only a handful of stages will decide which rider in the 198-member peloton wears the yellow jersey when the Tour concludes July 25 in Paris.
The top riders, such as Lance Armstrong and defending champion Alberto Contador, have concentrated their training on a small group of days — the four in the Pyrenees and two in the Alps.
There also has been some consternation about an early stage, which comes Tuesday, as the peloton wends from Wanze, Belgium, into northern France. The 120-mile stage will incorporate part of the route of Paris-Roubaix, the toughest one-day classic race on cycling’s spring schedule.
There will be seven stretches on cobblestones, which could shake riders who don’t have a strong team or a stomach for riding on rough pavement.
Armstrong was concerned enough about Tuesday’s stage that he made a stop in Wanze this week on his way to today’s prologue in Rotterdam. After encountering the knee-jarring cobblestones, Armstrong posted on his Twitter feed: “Going. To. Be. Carnage.”
Armstrong fared well this year at the Tour of Flanders, which has stretches of the rough pavement and has served farmers for decades.
And in 2004, the last time the Tour featured an afternoon with cobblestones, Armstrong and his team took over the stage and put time on some of his rivals.
Contador, who excels in the mountains, also paid a visit this year to Tuesday’s route.
