Tour De France 2015: Stage 4 Route, Distance, Live Stream and TV Schedule

After two dramatic road stages filled with crashes in the Netherlands, the 2015 Tour de France will finally enter French territory, as Tuesday's Stage 4 will take the peloton from Seraing to Cambrai. NBC Sports and British Europsport will provide TV coverage and live streams of Stage 4, in which the riders will encounter the dreaded cobblestones of northern France.

As if the 2015 Tour hasn't seen enough drama in its first week, event organisers will be sending the peloton across a course similar to Spring Classic Paris-Roubaix, a race famed for its crashes and mechanical issues as much as it is for its beauty.

New race leader Chris Froome didn't even last until the cobblestones last year―expect Team Sky to do whatever it takes to avoid a similar outcome in 2015.

Here's everything you need to know about Stage 4.

Stage 4: Seraing-Cambrai, 223.5 kilometers

Date: Tuesday, July 7

Profile: Cobblestones

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Eurosport Player (UK)

TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.), British Eurosport (UK)

For a look at the Stage 4 route and others throughout the competition, check out the Guardian’s interactive guide.

Standings

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	7:11:37
2	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	0:00:01
3	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:00:13
4	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal	0:00:26
5	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	0:00:28
6	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:00:31
7	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step	0:00:34
8	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:00:36
9	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	0:01:03
10	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step	0:01:04

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal	75
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	48
3	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	40
4	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step	37
5	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing	35
6	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	30
7	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin	28
8	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	25
9	Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	22
10	Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	22

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	2
2	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	1
3	Michael Schar (Swi) BMC Racing Team	1
4	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	1

Preview

The Tour de France tends to ignore cobblestones in most of its editions, but when it doesn't, carnage usually ensues. And after two chaotic days of racing, the last thing the peloton needs is more drama.

Last year, Froome crashed out of the Tour before the riders even reached the first stretch of cobblestones, while Alberto Contador lost valuable time on eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali. The Spaniard was forced to retire from the Tour days later, but in truth, his bid to win the race appeared all but over after an eventful Stage 5.

For those of you who may have forgotten―or never watched it in the first place―here are some highlights:

Unlike last year, the weather forecast only shows a slight chance of rain, and not the persistent showers the peloton faced in 2014, per Meteofrance (in French). Cobblestones can do plenty of damage when they're dry, but they turn into a real nightmare as soon as it rains.

Rohan Dennis and Fabian Cancellara were the race leaders after Stage 1 and 2, respectively, and both spent just a day in the yellow jersey. Spartacus was even forced to withdraw from the Tour after suffering injuries to his back on Monday following a brutal crash, as he confirmed via Twitter:

Obviously, Team Sky and Froome are hoping said trend doesn't continue on Tuesday, and the Brit has already taken his precautions. Per Global Cycling Network's Daniel Lloyd, he will be riding a special bike solely for the occasion:

Froome is an excellent time trialist and climber, but he has never been a particularly gifted technician. In contrast, Nibali, who laid the foundation for his Tour triumph last year during a similar stage, has the ability to stay upright and power over cobblestones where most others can't.

The defending champion lost a significant amount of time during Stage 2, courtesy of major cross winds and a puncture, and he might be eyeing Stage 4 as his best opportunity to close the gap a bit before the high mountains.

GCN's Neal Rodgers wouldn't be shocked if that's exactly what happened on Tuesday:

The pace of Tuesday's stage will be high, as Team Sky in particular will be keen to make sure none of the top contenders are able to join a break. But safety should be the team's top priority. Froome's lead over Contador, Nibali and Nairo Quintana is as pleasant as it is unexpected, but it's far too early in this year's Tour to start calculating and defending.

Nibali likes the cobblestones and has a slightly heavier build than most stage racers, who tend to be lighter in order to survive in the high mountains. On cobblestones, these riders lack the bulk to power through, and will instead bounce around and risk punctures. 

It's not worth taking unnecessary risks in an attempt to defend a lead that could be wiped out easily by a single day of bad legs in the high mountains. If Froome is smart, he'll make sure he survives Tuesday's stage safely, and worry about the general classification later.

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