Roubaix without Arenberg

greasedscotsman
greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
edited October 2010 in Pro race
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/paris-r ... erg-forest

Good idea or not? I quite like the idea of changing the route every now and again, try some new sectors...

Comments

  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Even though it's iconic and usually splits the race up I don't see the problem in skipping it so long as it get's replaced with other cobbled sectors of similar length.

    I imagnine that part of the rationale for changing is to do with the disorder problems they've had their over recent years.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    inkyfingers wrote:
    I imagnine that part of the rationale for changing is to do with the disorder problems they've had their over recent years.

    I think you could be right there!
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    The race has been run far more often without the Arenberg than with. It only was introduced in the late 60s, omitted between the mid-70s and mid-80s and left out again about 5 years ago due to the state of the cobbles.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    LangerDan wrote:
    It only was introduced in the late 60s, omitted between the mid-70s and mid-80s and left out again about 5 years ago due to the state of the cobbles.

    Well, not quite. According the the article...
    It was omitted only three times since then: in 1976, 1983 and 2005, when it needed to be restored.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    LangerDan wrote:
    It only was introduced in the late 60s, omitted between the mid-70s and mid-80s and left out again about 5 years ago due to the state of the cobbles.

    Well, not quite. According the the article...
    It was omitted only three times since then: in 1976, 1983 and 2005, when it needed to be restored.

    According to wiki

    "Introduced in 1968, the passage was closed from 1974 to 1983 by the Office National des Fôrets."

    I'll have to check out my big bumper book of Roubaix when I get home.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Shame.

    I thought they got the selectiveness of the race about right.

    What will it be replaced with?
    _
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    LangerDan wrote:
    I'll have to check out my big bumper book of Roubaix when I get home.

    OK, fair enough. As I said, I don't see there being a problem with leaving it out, as long as the total length of pave isn't cut down too much.

    Not so sure about leaving out the Carrefour de l'Arbre though!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Actually, that's a massive shame.


    It sets the finale of the race up perfectly. Immediately sorts out those who cannot win, and is a fantastic show of which riders (and their teams) are in for it.

    Lots of mind games played there too.

    Sets the tone for the race proper.

    Big loss. Big big loss.
    _
  • wicked
    wicked Posts: 844
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Actually, that's a massive shame.


    It sets the finale of the race up perfectly. Immediately sorts out those who cannot win, and is a fantastic show of which riders (and their teams) are in for it.

    Lots of mind games played there too.

    Sets the tone for the race proper.

    Big loss. Big big loss.

    +1000

    Crying shame if this true :evil:
    It’s the most beautiful sport in the world but it’s governed by ***ts who have turned it into a crock of ****.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    inkyfingers wrote:
    I imagnine that part of the rationale for changing is to do with the disorder problems they've had their over recent years.

    That was on different sections, though, wasn't it? I know they had problems with people being drunk and throwing beer on the riders, but I thought that was later in the race. Arenberg has had barriers for the whole length in recent years.

    I think it's a shame, because Arenberg always marks when the proper racing begins. Maybe if they replace it with new sections, the peloton will be more cautious and less willing to race from that far out.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    If it rains, we won't miss it at all.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    iainf72 wrote:
    If it rains, some of the riders won't miss it at all.

    Fixed that for you :D
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    afx237vi wrote:
    inkyfingers wrote:
    I imagnine that part of the rationale for changing is to do with the disorder problems they've had their over recent years.

    That was on different sections, though, wasn't it? I know they had problems with people being drunk and throwing beer on the riders, but I thought that was later in the race.
    That was mostly at Carrefour de l'Arbre, the popular party pave
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    A big shame if this is true, even if just for a year. As has been said this is where the real racing starts, or rather it starts about 5km before the sector in an almost bunch sprint to be first to the start of the sector.

    The point every year where Kevin Hulsmans made his money
  • disquieting_museeuws
    disquieting_museeuws Posts: 601
    LangerDan wrote:

    According to wiki

    "Introduced in 1968, the passage was closed from 1974 to 1983 by the Office National des Fôrets."

    According to Pascal Sergent's A Century of Paris Roubaix those dates are correct (by my interpretation), though he doesn't specify why the sector was left out.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Actually, that's a massive shame.


    It sets the finale of the race up perfectly. Immediately sorts out those who cannot win, and is a fantastic show of which riders (and their teams) are in for it.

    Lots of mind games played there too.

    Sets the tone for the race proper.

    Big loss. Big big loss.

    see what they replace it with

    I agree they do need a big 2k+ section to create a selection at about that moment in the race
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    disquieting_museeuws wrote:
    LangerDan wrote:

    According to wiki

    "Introduced in 1968, the passage was closed from 1974 to 1983 by the Office National des Fôrets."

    According to Pascal Sergent's A Century of Paris Roubaix those dates are correct (by my interpretation), though he doesn't specify why the sector was left out.

    According to "Paris Roubaix - A Journey through Hell", it was closed between those dates "out of concern for security".
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    It's a pivotal point in the parcours and leaves Carrefour as the only 5* sector of pave - whilst it won't change the outcome i.e. the strongest rider usually wins, it may change the dynamic and flow of the race - because of it's difficulty, the stronger teams always used it as a means to force a selection. Expect to see a bigger group of riders fight it out next year.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I'd leave it in - the race is only once a year it's not as if you need to shake the route up to keep it fresh. That said if they can replace it with an equivalent section then fair enough - only if an equivalent section existed wouldn't they already have used it ?
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.

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