Fabian Cancellara said if he loses the Tour de France yellow jersey on the Mur de Huy, he can get it back on the cobbles a day later.
The 34-year-old Swiss timetrial and one-day classics specialist missed out on the yellow jersey by six seconds on Saturday’s opening stage, a timetrial around Utrecht.
But as Australian Rohan Dennis got caught behind crashes and crosswinds on Sunday, Cancellara snatched the race lead by just three seconds from Tony Martin.
Cancellara finished third behind Andre Greipel and Peter Sagan on the 166km second stage from Utrecht to Zeeland and took four bonus seconds on the line, propelling him over Martin into the yellow jersey as Dennis came home almost a minute and a half behind.
Monday’s third stage finishes with a short, sharp 1.3km climb called the Mur (wall) du Huy.
It is the traditional finish for the Fleche Wallonne Ardennes classic race in April which was won by Spaniard Alejandro Valverde these last two years.
Cancellara has never raced the Ardennes Classics as he is a cobbled classics specialist and three-time winner of both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
Tuesday’s fourth stage takes in some of the cobbled sections used for Paris-Roubaix and the Trek rider believes that would give him the chance to regain the lead should he lose it on Monday.
“The bad thing is I never did the Mur de Huy so (Monday) will be a premier,” he said.
“At the end I don’t look at it as the Fleche, it’s the Tour de France and that’s good enough.
“I know what I have to do (Monday), ride at the front and be out of the chaos. (Sunday) was the same.
“In my head was actually to look at (Monday) to not lose too much time and then maybe get it back on the cobbled stage.
“I’m looking positively for (Monday) because a new chapter is coming in my career as a rider: to ride up the Mur de Huy.”
– Not specialists –
Cancellara may just keep the yellow jersey as the two riders within striking distance of him are not Ardennes Classics specialists either.
Martin is at 3sec with Tom Dumoulin at 6sec but both, like Cancellara, are timetriallists.
Perhaps Sagan in fourth or Geraint Thomas in fifth at 33sec and 35sec respectively could do something but they would have to make up around half a minute depending on whether they can take time bonuses on the line.
That’s unlikely, though, as both are working for a team leader — Alberto Contador and Chris Froome respectively — and there are many more specialist punchers likely to be vying for victory.
But the closest of those are Roman Kreuziger, another Contador teammate, and Michal Kwiatkowski, who are both more than a minute behind.
Valverde is more than two minutes down while Irishman Daniel Martin and another Spaniard, Joaquim Rodrigiez are almost 3min back.
– Best friend –
Meanwhile, Greipel paid tribute to his lead-out man Marcel Sieberg for helping him not only win the second stage but also take the green points jersey for the first time in his career.
“He’s not just a good rider, he’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since I’m riding my bike,” said the 32-year-old of his compatriot and Lotto Soudal teammate.
“He’s the most reliable rider for me, he’s pretty smart in the way he’s riding his bike.
“It means a lot to have a rider like him in the team because he’s the kind of rider everybody looks up to and is listening to.”