The Classics

[tombeej]

Paris-Roubaix Preview

 

 

Cycling Weekly magazine (UK)

 

Hell may traditionally be associated with fire and brimstone, but for professional cyclists it is the miles of cobblestoned roads between the cities of Paris and Roubaix.

 

“The Hell of the North” is the nickname given to Paris-Roubaix, the third monument of the year and the final northern classic. Such a devilish pedigree has been established over the 111 editions since the race’s inception in 1896, with the its treacherous cobblestones, excessive length and occasional adverse weather conditions all making this arguably the most difficult race of the year.

 

Though it may only arguably be the hardest race, it is indisputably the most unique. Unlike the other spring classics, the cobblestoned sections do not feature on short climbs like, for instance, the Paterberg, Koppenberg and the Kemmelberg, but instead on flat sections. As a result, there are lighter riders who flourish in Flanders that struggle in this race, while many diesel engines enjoy a rare parcours that rewards brute power over climbing and sprinting.

 

But there’s more to winning Paris-Roubaix than simply bludgeoning your opponents into submission; if that was the case Fabian Cancellara would win every year. Luck plays a huge role in determining who wins, with the total of fifty kilometres spent on unpredictable cobblestones ensuring that punctures and crashes are even more frequent than in the other classics. Tactics, positioning and teamwork are also important, and occasionally a less fancied rider – like Stuart O’Grady in 2007 and Johan Vansummeren in 2011 – can surprise the favourites with a well-timed move.

 

The weather can also give each edition its own distinct character. A rainy day can turn the race into a lethal mud bath with crashes and retirements galore, while on a hot, dry day, the dust flicked up from the riders’ wheels on the pave casts an atmospheric cloudy haze over the peloton.

 

Another unique factor of Paris-Roubaix is how the difficulty of all 28 of its pavé sections are determined by a star rating out of five. The three sections assigned five stars each mark a vital stage in the race, the first being the mythical Arenberg Forest. Situated roughly 100 kilometres from the finish and containing particularly uneven cobblestones, this is the first major sort of the race that sees all the favourites battle to be at the front, while the overhanging trees create an eerie, ominous atmosphere.

 

Next is the Mons-en-Pévèle section, around 50kms from the finish and, at 3kms, one of the longest on the route. It was just before here that Fabian Cancellara launched his attack to win in 2010, and it was the first of the ten sections Tom Boonen completed alone in his epic 2012 solo victory.

 

Finally, the Carrefour de L’Arbre rounds off a series of difficult back-to-back sections towards the end of the race. After this just twenty kilometres and three relatively simple pavé roads are left, meaning any decisive final moves are usually made here. The L’Arbre also often witnesses tired riders making mistakes and dramatically crashing out, as in 2009 when Thor Hushovd fell, and last year when Stijn Vandenbergh and Zdenek Stybar both collided with spectators.

 

Even the finish of Paris-Roubaix is idiosyncratic, with a lap and a half around the Roubaix velodrome which usually either plays out as a thrilling sprint finish or a procession for the lone escapee. And, for one final quirk, the winner is then given an actual cobblestone for a trophy, which must, after around six hellish hours on the saddle, be very difficult to hold aloft.

 

There’s nothing quite like the spectacle of Paris-Roubaix, and the 2014 edition will surely provide much of the same.

[kosmonooit]

Guess who?

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVCEGHxfZdg/UL1vQ6CMpyI/AAAAAAAANao/ekc7WShtS1Q/s1600/lemond_1985_pr.jpg

Edited April 10, 2014 by kosmonooit

[kosmonooit]

Being pipped to the line for 3rd by another legend in 1985

 

['Dale]

Guess who?

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVCEGHxfZdg/UL1vQ6CMpyI/AAAAAAAANao/ekc7WShtS1Q/s1600/lemond_1985_pr.jpg

 

Lemond and his legendary facial

[tombeej]

There are two big long-range attacks from completely dominant riders in the modern that really stand out:

Cancellara in 2010.

Boonen in 2012.

 

They were so strong that they literally just rode away from the competition with 50km to go.

 

Below is footage of Cancellara's attack from 50km out in the 2010 race (look for the red jersey from the start of the footage). When he decides to go, that's it. Game over. Boonen was caught sleeping and when he finally woke up to the fact that Cancellara was going, it was already too late.

 

I think he learnt a big lesson that day, using the same tactic 2 years later when he made his big move from about the same place, and won with the same kind of domination.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7xjsPqHg3o

['Dale]

One difference is that Spartacus rode away with Tommeke in the bunch.

2012 - Spartacus absent after crashing at Flanders.

 

 

 

[gummibear]

Not my pics these,stolen off the net

 

[gummibear]

[gummibear]

[gummibear]

[gummibear]

[T-Bob]

 

That just looks like trouble.

[tombeej]

Lotto-Belisol to ride CX bikes at Paris-Roubaix?

 

Ridley have adapted their X-Night cyclo-cross bikes for the cobbled classic

 

Lotto-Belisol riders have been offered the option of riding a modification of Ridley’s top of the range cycle-cross bike in Paris-Roubaix this weekend.

 

Re-appropriated for the 257km cobbled classic, these versions of the X-Night have had cantilevers swapped for V-brakes and been drilled to carry bottle cages.

 

The wide wheel clearances typical of cross machines might prove useful should Sunday’s race be muddy, while a sticker on the head tube announces the bike as “pavé proven”.

 

The wheel, tyre combos may vary from those pictured, as this was a spare bike from the Tour of Flanders.

 

German Marcel Sieberg was the Belgian team’s best finisher in last year’s race, coming in 24th, 3:13 behind winner Fabian Cancellara.

[tombeej]

So Bradley Wiggins says that for him, Paris-Roubaix is bigger than the TDF. Talk about making a statement.

 

Here's an interesting article on his dislike for "little French guys" and his love of the pavé.

['Dale]

So Bradley Wiggins says that for him, Paris-Roubaix is bigger than the TDF. Talk about making a statement.

 

Here's an interesting article on his dislike for "little French guys" and his love of the pavé.

 

Weird statement from a Golden Fleece winner

 

It's like comparing apples to oranges.

 

 

[Speed Racer]

Not sure if this has been posted? Froomedog writes on the Hell of the North. Boy can write.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/100-tours-100-tales/2014/apr/11/chris-froome-hell-north-paris-roubaix-cobbles-cycling-race