TASTE OF THE TOUR: Mussels, fries and cobbles in Roubaix

AMIENS, FRANCE » After a bumpy ride on the cobblestones to Roubaix, settle your stomach down with some moules-frites (mussels and fries), beer and a cheese dedicated to — what else? — the “pave.” That’s French for cobbles.

The ninth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday might have been only an entree for French fans watching their national team in the World Cup final later the same day, but for the 170 riders still competing in cycling’s biggest race, it was the most significant test of the opening week.

Following a similar route of the Paris-Roubaix spring classic , the road to Roubaix takes riders over 15 troublesome cobblestone sections — the highest number since the 1980 Tour, with nearly 13.7 miles altogether.

The 97-mile leg begins at the 17th-century Citadel of Arras and travels a winding route to Roubaix on the Belgian border.

The citadel is nicknamed “La belle inutile” (the beautiful useless one) since the town was never really invaded, and it didn’t prevent the Germans from occupying the town in both world wars. Still, it’s designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site together with other fortifications in the area designed by Vauban.

An outside wall of the citadel, “Le Mur des Fusilles” (the firing squad wall), is a memorial to the 218 French Resistance members shot to death in a citadel ditch during World War II.

Sunday’s stage is followed by the Tour’s first rest day on Monday.

Here’s a gastronomical, sporting and cultural glance at Stage 9:

BAGUETTE AND BUTTER: Expect a major shakeup in the overall standings and a cobblestone specialist like reigning Paris-Roubaix champion Peter Sagan or 2017 winner Greg Van Avermaet to win the stage. With a dry forecast, the roads might not be as slippery as usual but they will be quite dusty. Van Avermaet will be favored to hold on to the yellow jersey.

PLAT DU JOUR: Moulesfrites. Getting this close to Belgium, mussels and fries make the dish of choice. So grab one of those big metal bowls, and another for the shells, add some mayonnaise to the fries, and dig in.

Another dish made in

PETER DEJONG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The pack rides in Gerberoy during the eight stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 181 kilometers (112.5 miles) with start in Dreux and finish in Amiens, France, Saturday, July 14, 2018.