Tour teams take to the cobbles: Photo special

Mark Cavendish, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

The 2010 Tour de France teams descended on the cobbles of Belgium and northern France on Wednesday to prepare for next week's key stage three of the race.

Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) and many more were snapped by CW photographer Graham Watson practising their skills on the rough roads that play host to Paris-Roubaix.

Seven sectors of cobbles await the riders on Tuesday, July 6. Classics specialists will be in their element, and skinny climbers will be like fish out of water. Overall contenders could gain or lose time on their rivals early in the race during the stage and the green jersey will be up for grabs.

Michael Rogers of HTC-Columbia commented via Twitter: "Stage 3 of TdF will be a tough one with the cobbles. Reminded me why I don't ride Paris-Roubaix..." 

It's no wonder the big squads were out in force to test their legs.

The Tour de France starts in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday, July 3 and finishes in Paris on Sunday, July 25.

Tour de France, stage three: Wanze to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, 213km

Tour de France 2010, profile, stage 3

Team Sky, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Team Sky

Andy Schleck, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Frank Schleck

Charly Wegelius, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Give me 10: Brit Charly Wegelius

Thor Hushovd, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 3

Thor Hushovd leads Cervelo

Mark Cavendish, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Mark Cavendish and HTC-Columbia

Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Lance Armstrong and RadioShack

Astana, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Astana

Ivan Basso, Tour de France 2010, cobbles training, June 30

Ivan Basso

Related links

Tour de France 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.