A smoking article for an aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an aerosol-forming substrate disposed at an extreme upstream end of the article; and a support element disposed immediately downstream of the substrate, the substrate including a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations extending along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the article, the tobacco material being penetrable by a heating element of the device having a diameter of between 40 percent and 70 percent of a diameter of the substrate without bending of the article by more than 7 degrees relative to the axis and without tearing or ripping of an outer wrapper of the article, and the support element abuts the substrate and is configured to resist downstream movement of the substrate during insertion of the heating element into the substrate.