Paris-Roubaix, la deuxième partie (part two)

   Organizers of professional bicycle races sometimes like to vary their courses to keep things interesting, but the Classics are a bit different in that they usually maintain the same route year after year. In fact, a big controversy arose this season when the Tour of Flanders eliminated a few of its most famous climbs in order to include a more crowd-friendly three lap finishing circuit. I see these changes being made more for the benefit of the sponsors, whose V.I.P. tents will be along the circuit, and, while I understand this happening in today’s market conditions, I hate for tradition to be abandoned just because of money.
   While most pro cyclists race where they are told and are happy to win anywhere, some past champions and veteran riders have spoken out harshly against alterations to “The Monuments”, as the oldest Classic races are called. I suspect, however, that we may see the peloton revolt if changes were made to two of the most iconic features of Paris-Roubaix, the route through the Trouèe d’Arenberg (Arenberg Trench) and the finish in the Roubaix Velodrome.

   The 1½ mile section of pavè through the Raismes Forest-Saint-Amand-Wallers (pictured above), officially called La Drève des Boules d'Herin, was originally proposed by former professional cyclist Jean Stablinski, who worked in the mines under the woods of Arenberg. Until 1998, the approach to the forest was slightly downhill, leading to a dangerous sprint for strategic position. The route was reversed in 1999 to reduce the speed, directly in response to the crash of Johann Museeuw, who nearly lost his injured leg to gangrene. Below is a picture of Museeuw pointing to his knee as he won the 2000 race, proving those who doubted his comeback wrong.

   Because of deteriorating conditions, some due to subsiding of the abandoned mines, the Trench was left out of the race in 2005, but regional and local councils spent 250,000 euros to repair the section for re-inclusion. If you haven’t seen any of the video (click here to see it) Trek has put out recently to promote their new Domane bicycle, it features Fabian Cancellara bouncing along the Arenberg Trench on the company’s latest machine. You can also see that another danger of this section is the growth of grass and moss in between the pavè, since it is closed to traffic most of the year. As the peloton entered the Trench during this year’s race, a couple riders lost control on the slippery road and went down hard (click here to see video).
   The race also features a finish of 1½ laps on the smooth concrete of the Roubaix Velodrome. For all but three years, when the finish line was located outside the offices of the race sponsor, the race has finished in the stadium since 1943. One would think this arrangement could lead to confusion when cyclists enter the stadium with others on the track, but due to the nature of the race, with the field fragmented into small bunches, there has rarely been any problem of note. The largest groups that enter together are usually no larger than that seen in a velodrome points race, and a trailing bunch of riders would be steered clear of a sprint, should one be contested while they enter. I have seen crashes on rainy days as the riders negotiate the sharp turns into the wet, slippery track, although I don’t recall them ever involving a winning move.

Johan Museeuw (I told you he was my favorite) leads two teammates through the Roubaix Velodrome during an amazing team sweep at the 1998 race.

   If you ever have the chance to pedal on cobbles anywhere, give it a shot, and imagine doing that for 32 miles with another 112 of road riding tacked on. The full Paris-Roubaix distance on smooth roads at professional pace would be hard enough, but when you add in the pounding pavè, you get a whole different level of appreciation for the fitness and pain threshold of these athletes!