Juan Antonio Flecha cannot wait to get to grips with the cobbled sections on stage three of the Tour de France and feels Bradley Wiggins will be able to cope just fine on what should be one of the pivotal stages of this year's race.

As a spring Classics specialist, Flecha knows the fabled pavé better than most and has ridden over those same sections many times before in Paris-Roubaix. Recent history also bodes well for the Spaniard as last April he achieved a superb third-placed finish in the race which is also referred to as the Hell of the North.

Tuesday's stage from Wanze to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut includes seven sections in total from that race and they will strike fear into the hearts of many of Wiggins' rivals, such as Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, who are far more at home in the high mountains than they are on those dusty, uneven surfaces.

When we tracked Flecha down, he had just returned from a reconnaissance trip with the rest of the team to check over the last 90 kilometres of the stage, and he was excited at the prospect of riding them again on cycling's biggest stage.

He said: "Everything went perfectly today and we've had a really productive day. We thought it would be beneficial to check out the last 90km of the stage, and especially the final four cobbled sections, because not only are they the toughest, they are also the four longest sections of the stage.

"Any section of pavé over two kilometres long is always hard to cross, and these all are. The nice weather today meant they were not as dangerous as they can be, but that could all change if it rains heavily on the day."

When the time comes for the team to do battle over them, they will be riding specially modified versions of their Pinarello Dogma 60.1s which are more accustomed to the rigours of that bone-jangling terrain. Flecha explains: "The mechanics came with us on the recon trip and they have done a great job to ensure all the bikes are set up just the way we want them.

"They differ from the bikes we normally ride in the respect that the back ends are more flexible. That makes them more comfortable and allows them to better absorb the stones. The chainstays are also a little bit longer, which makes them more stable in the corners."

Leader

Although Flecha has yet to be briefed on what his role will be for the remainder of the Tour, he knows he has a leading role to play on Tuesday and is more than happy to take that responsibility.

He added: "When the time comes I will be coaching everybody and guiding them through the stage tactically, just like I did today. We will also be getting information from the team car, but it's always helpful on stages like this to have someone inside the race who can direct things a bit as well.

"I don't know if I'd enjoy that type of responsibility every day, but certainly on stages like this I have no qualms about leading the guys."

One of the major plus points Flecha took from the reconnaissance trip was seeing Wiggins performing so well on the pavé. The 32-year-old was really encouraged by what he saw and feels this stage could be one where his team leader gains time on some of his main adversaries:

"Bradley hit those sections hard today and he was looking in really good form. He was holding a high power output for a long time out there and it was great to see.

"Of course, he has a good track record on this type of terrain. Take last year, he finished in the top 25 at Paris-Roubaix, and that will give him a lot of confidence this time around."

Condition-wise, Flecha is also looking good and is going into his eighth Tour de France feeling calmer than ever before: "I am really looking forward to it starting now. Sometimes in the past I have felt stressed going into the Tours, but not this time. I am really relaxed. I have so many good memories from this race and hopefully this year there will be many more."