Perils loom for Tour de France

Rotterdam - The third-stage cobbles were the talk of Rotterdam in the build-up to the Tour de France but some competitors have warned Sunday's 223.5-km first leg to Brussels may be even trickier.

Defending champion Alberto Contador predicted a difficult day for riders unfamiliar with Dutch and Belgian seaside roads.

"The first week is not ideal," added Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso. "There are cobbles on stage three but also the first stage with the dams and dikes could be very tricky with the winds and constant change of direction."

The dikes, dams and bridges could lead to splits in the peloton which last year caught Contador off guard.

In a seaside stage between Marseille and La Grande Motte, the Spaniard and the Schleck brothers Andy and Frank found themselves trapped in a second bunch when the main pack was split by strong side-winds.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara starts out with the leader's yellow jersey having won Saturday's prologue.