Proper Paris-Roubaix Discussion

[MattTuck]

Rather than keep the Bradley Wiggins PR thread going, figured a more general thread would be good.


Plowing up the ground next to a sector to prevent 'cheating'.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCEidaAWAAA6Hxd.jpg

Sweeping Arenberg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCALdTnVEAAj4pK.jpg

The sector before Arenberg, yesterday.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CB-7cdiWEAAoIy1.jpg

[45K10]

Sweet, last time I checked it was supposed to rain on Saturday. Looks like it is already wet hopefully we get a muddy race.

[deechee]

Thanks for the pictures! I had no idea they had guys rip up the sides of the road. Eeesh that's rough.

[Lionel]

Almost ready to go

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7619/17075861021_a5a533c977_h.jpg

[David Kirk]

I see that NBC sports is giving 3 hours of airtime to the race Monday evening. My listing shows it being 5pm - 8pm mountain time.

dave

[guido]

Fine roads to run a bike race on. What's the problem?

[thwart]

Sweet, last time I checked it was supposed to rain on Saturday. Looks like it is already wet hopefully we get a muddy race.
We haven't had a wet P-R for awhile. Yeah, I remember last year's TdF stage, but that wasn't the whole deal.

While I'm sure the riders hate it, that kind of a spectacle makes 'epic' kind of an understatement.

[joosttx]

The Roubaix bike is ready and packed. I am relaxing at the airport. Next stop Paris then onto Roubaix.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16667706101_fea8b2e2ca.jpg

[572cv]

Great pics. The Kubby with harrows doing its thing, gee, I didn't know they did that.. Borrowing from another recent thread on bike cartoons, this looks like it would be a good muddy race to put a few bucks on Calvin's Dad, if he were there ! :)

[choke]

The sector before Arenberg, yesterday.And today....

[MattTuck]

And today....

Is this what the striking Air Traffic Controllers in France are doing to keep busy?

Looks much improved, I'm sure the cobbles will be in good (you know what I mean) shape for the race. I read that the carrefour de l'arbre sector was going to be very hard this year.
Govenou says the Carrefour de l'Arbre is even worse than last year. "With time, the Carrefour de l’Arbre has got harder and harder. In terms of difficulty, it’ll be right up there with the Arenberg Forest this year. Over the whole sector, I don’t think there’s a single level cobblestone."
http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2011/11/16/1/03b_600.jpg

Also, this is from Ted King's Tips for Riding the Cobbles (http://roadbikeaction.com/training/ted-kings-5-tips-for-riding-cobbles?utm_content=buffer3cbdd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)
3- Be alert. Keep your eyes and ears open for the minefield of cobbles in front of you, as well as riders who will make drastic, darting movements—intentionally or not. Focusing up the road allows you to look for the smoothest line, which most often is the crown in the center of the road. (“Smooth”, you’ll find, is a very relative term. In fact, so is the word “road”.)

[Lionel]

Carefour de l'arbre is also made much more difficult because it comes close to the end.

[enr1co]

Carefour de l'arbre is also made much more difficult because it comes close to the end.

I felt the Arenberg was more rough and uneven although could be that I was just numb towards the end when hitting the Carrefour de l'Arbre :p

[Lionel]

Arenberg is definitely harder atmo

[enr1co]

Arenberg is definitely harder atmo

+ on your atmo. Seemed to have more of the jagged/uneven edge stones
with gaps to eat up your rim. As much as you are looking forward, they are difficult to see until you hit them so you are just hoping you have enough speed to go over them unscathed.

[Red Tornado]

The conditions should make for some pretty good crash photos. Not that I want to see riders crash; just making an observation.
Although we are probably overdue for a true "epic" P-R.

[old fat man]

Lionel, the tape job on your Lobster is hurting my eyes. Please be sure to address that before the start.:fight:

Also, show us post ride pictures please

[MattTuck]

The conditions should make for some pretty good crash photos. Not that I want to see riders crash; just making an observation.
Although we are probably overdue for a true "epic" P-R.

When I first learned about Paris-Roubaix, and saw the pictures and video from the really wet/muddy editions, I was of the opinion that rain @ Roubaix = epic race.

I read something recently that suggested a dry Roubaix led to less random chance, and thus a more honest race that was won with tactics and fitness. I'm sort of in this school of thought, but maybe not with both feet. The riders make the race and I consider Boonen and Cancellara's long distance victories to be some of the most dominant and epic performances of this century.

I still think the rain can make for some epic conditions, but I wonder if epic conditions necessarily translate to epic racing. Vandenbergh and Stybar were with Cancellara and Vanmarcke near the end of the 2013 version (both on Quickstep, in fact) and would probably have figured heavily into the finale. They were separately taken out by spectators. I'm not sure that losing riders due to exogenous events like that makes the race or exciting or not -- certainly more unpredictable, though.

I guess I come down in the camp that epic conditions are great for the romantic side of the race; but the cobbles are already so epic that it almost seems like bad weather would be overkill, sacrificing the nuance and finesse of the racing for cool images to go in the coffee table book.

There are so many ways to win Roubaix though. On the cobbles, from distance, team tactics, solo, small group sprint in the velodrome, etc. that maybe poor weather just plays into the variety and diversity of this race.

Either way, the riders have a hard enough day in the saddle in good weather. I'm not sure I could WISH bad weather on them purely for my entertainment. Ok, maybe I could. But not every year.

[carlineng]

I think Greg Van Avermaet finally gets the top step of the podium here. Stybar and Sep Vanmarcke to round it out. Kristoff is in ridiculous form but I think he'll be far too closely marked. If he's in the selection, and someone else takes a flyer, everyone's going to be looking at him to close the gap.

[1centaur]

And that's a formula for a non-favorite to win, since Kristoff knows he won't win if he is looked at to close gaps to non-favorites. Which then opens up each of the top few to take turns, but that type of coordination is unlikely, so everyone waits for the "right" move from the final selection and then the "wrong" move wins because nobody follows the wrong move. GVA and SVM are not the wrong move.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Almost ready to go

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7619/17075861021_a5a533c977_h.jpg

If it is I think you're gonna be hurtin on those cobbles!

BBD

[MattTuck]

Apparently they never washed Knaven's PR winning bike and now it is at Rapha's store. epic. (http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/velolife/knavens-roubaix-winner-a-bike-too-good-to-wash_365829)

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/04/Knaven2-329x440.jpg

[Ruimteaapje]

Is that a tubular or clicher Neutron/Ultremo combo?

[jlwdm]

Lionel and the others who are riding Saturday have a great ride - what a wonderful experience.

Lionel, are you riding the full distance?

Jeff

[bicimechanic]

Can't wait for this race. I shouldn't be excited for rain but I am! If anyone is in the Baltimore area feel free to stop by the shop Sunday morning for our annual P-R Party. I'll have a feed up on the big TV starting around 8am plus food, coffee, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1561103304134333/

[joosttx]

Lionel and the others who are riding Saturday have a great ride - what a wonderful experience.

Lionel, are you riding the full distance?

Jeff

Thank you. We, Lionel and I, are riding the full sportive distance which covers all cobble sectors and is about 100 miles or so. Ought to be fun.

[oldpotatoe]

Almost ready to go

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7619/17075861021_a5a533c977_h.jpg

Dear me..need to go to the handlebar wrap class.

[Lionel]

Is that a tubular or clicher Neutron/Ultremo combo?

The neutron/ultremo 28 clinchers are the backup wheels for Houston and I. My brother in law will be on the course. I plan to ride the nemesis with FMB. These clinchers are just here in case of a problem :)

[Lionel]

Lionel and the others who are riding Saturday have a great ride - what a wonderful experience.

Lionel, are you riding the full distance?

Jeff

Thanks!

Here is the menu basically the sportive starts 13km before the first cobble section and takes the entire pro course after that.

http://www.sport.be/parisroubaix/2015/fr/parcours/

Every other year (not this year) the VC Roubaix also organizes an event that covers the full 250k distance.

[Lionel]

Dear me..need to go to the handlebar wrap class.

This is a thick gel tape double wrapped above my regular fizik. I wrapped it around the shifter on purpose as I do not want the hoods to become too big.

This is function over form.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

Apparently they never washed Knaven's PR winning bike and now it is at Rapha's store. epic. (http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/velolife/knavens-roubaix-winner-a-bike-too-good-to-wash_365829)

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/04/Knaven2-329x440.jpg

They get a lot of heat, but that is off the charts cool.

Agree, Paris-Roubaix is the best, most entertaining race on the calendar. No proper PR bike (C40/50 or Time) yet, but will be running proper (imo) wheels (Campy) in my ode to PR ride this weekend, which will be a laugh riot as I'm easily 50 lbs over weight.

[rwsaunders]

The neutron/ultremo 28 clinchers are the backup wheels for Houston and I. My brother in law will be on the course. I plan to ride the nemesis with FMB. These clinchers are just here in case of a problem :)

Good luck to you two and hats off to your brother in law for providing support. A lifetime of stories from a day of riding for sure. :beer:

[Ruimteaapje]

The neutron/ultremo 28 clinchers are the backup wheels for Houston and I. My brother in law will be on the course. I plan to ride the nemesis with FMB. These clinchers are just here in case of a problem :)
Excellent choice, enjoy the ride and best of luck!:)

[sandyrs]

If it is I think you're gonna be hurtin on those cobbles!

BBD

That Merckx is aluminum too... well, scandium, but you know what I mean!

[Nooch]

Lionel,

Why did I think you were riding a Crux for PR? Or was that the original plan and you've opted against?

[rwsaunders]

Lionel,

Why did I think you were riding a Crux for PR? Or was that the original plan and you've opted against?

He knew that he risked facing a Belgian firing squad at dawn if he appeared in Arenberg on a disc equipped bike...

[Lionel]

Lionel,

Why did I think you were riding a Crux for PR? Or was that the original plan and you've opted against?

Yeah, the Crux was an option in case of rain but it is in CA and I got lazy to bring it back. The Rock Lobster it is :)

[Lionel]

He knew that he risked facing a Belgian firing squad at dawn if he appeared in Arenberg on a disc equipped bike...

where is the "like" button

[wildboar]

Apparently they never washed Knaven's PR winning bike and now it is at Rapha's store. epic. (http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/velolife/knavens-roubaix-winner-a-bike-too-good-to-wash_365829)

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/04/Knaven2-329x440.jpg





2001 Paris-Roubaix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTZkWuP07qA

[MattTuck]

this article (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/benoot-i-dont-know-what-to-expect-from-paris-roubaix) on Tiesj Benoot is interesting. 21 year old Belgian with the Belgian press looking to fill a Boonen sized hole in the classics coverage.

5th place at RvV, the kid is still a student and living with his parents. He's clearly on some amazing form to do so well this past Sunday, but Paris-Roubaix is a different, as they say, kettle of fish.

Still, an interesting story. If he's there at the end, he may be the type of rider who could get away without eliciting a chase.

[nooneline]

In the past 50 years, nobody has won Paris Roubaix their first time riding the race - and on average, winners have raced it 4+ times before winning it.

Benoot is an interesting rider and I'll be sure to watch him next year. But Sunday, he's got no chance of winning.