FINALLY Paris - Roubaix 2021 **spoilers**

rick_chasey

After 900 odd days the best one day race is finally back on.

Not in its usual calendar spot.










Weather:



The Gods might finally have blessed us with a wet Roubaix, 19 years after the last one….

If it is it’ll be chaos.

Favourites:

It’s been so long since a wet Roubaix - which is a very different proposition - that we are slightly flying blind. And that’s before you get to the calendar position. Usually by now we know exactly how every favourite is going.

Anyway, here’s some favourites. Look out for any cyclo-crosser as they will likely have the necessary skills.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep), 2019 road race World Champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), 2014 winner John Degenkolb (Lotto Soudal), AG2R Citroën's Oliver Naesen and 2018 winner Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Food:

You may be in France but Roubaix is a rough old place and not far from the Flemish border so you’ll be eating Carbonnade Flamande



Drink: Equally, you’ll be drinking beer, not wine. The hipsters there are even good enough at English for an English pun…




Enjoy it!!!

elbowloh

Did that stuff come out of a tin? Looks like the contents of a tinned meat pie without the pastry.

blazing_saddles

Hah!
You won Rick.
Your prize is that you now get to do all the GT stages, next year.

I will bring the bits of my thread that are useful over and then mine can die a gentle death....

blazing_saddles

Secteurs pavés
#30: Troisvilles à Inchy, 2 200 m
#29: Viesly à Quiévy, 1 800 m
#28: Quiévy à Saint-Python, 3 700 m
#27: Saint-Python, 1 500 m
#26: Haussy à Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon, 800 m
#25: Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon à Vertain, 2 300 m
#24: Capelle à Ruesnes, 1 700 m
#23: Artres à Quérénaing, 1 300 m
#22: Quérénaing à Maing, 2 500 m
#21: Maing à Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon, 1 600 m
#20: Haveluy à Wallers, 2 500 m
#19: Trouée d'Arenberg, 2 300 m
#18: Wallers à Hélesmes, 1 600 m
#17: Hornaing à Wandignies, 3 700 m
#16: Warlaing à Brillon, 2 400 m
#15: Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières, 2 400 m
#14: Beuvry à Orchies, 1 400 m
#13: Orchies, 1 700 m
#12: Auchy à Bersée, 2 700 m
#11: Mons-en-Pévèle, 3 000 m
#10: Mérignies à Avelin, 700 m
#9: Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin, 1 400 m
#8: Templeuve, 200 m + 500 m
#7: Cysoing à Bourghelles, 1 300 m
#6: Bourghelles à Wannehain, 1 100 m
#5: Camphin-en-Pévèle, 1 800 m
#4: Carrefour de l'Arbre, 2 100 m
#3: Gruson, 1 100 m
#2: Willems à Hem, 1 400 m
#1: Roubaix (Espace Charles Crupelandt), 300 m

3 Key Sectors:
The Arenberg Forest lies at the heart of the race. Tension usually starts to rise when approaching this so called Trouée d’Arenberg, which is a 2,284 metres stretch which heads straight on through the woods. Riders who aspire to win Paris-Roubaix have no choice – they have to spend energy here, to be at the front, otherwise, they risk getting caught up behind or in crashes.



Next, Mons-en-Pévèle, where the combination of the length of 2,985 metres and the sorry state of the cobbles usually account for the weakest of the group of favourites that have stayed in contention to this point.

Finally, the riders hit the iconic Carrefour de l’Arbre with 16.5 kilometres left. At 2,086 metres, this stretch of pavé is feared for the sloped corners. After 1,200 metres a tricky left-hand bend leads to a slight ascent. Carrefour de l’Arbre is not just their last opportunity, but generally the point at which those who pick up the pave, at the end of the day in the Roubaix velodrome, attack.

In short, bike handling will be at a premium on Sunday as riders slog through muddy roads on lumpy terrain while buffeted by winds.

thegreasedscotsman

Currently smashing it down in Valenciennes.

rick_chasey

Soz BZ - if I’d had known etc

gweeds

Any danger of rain meaning diversions around cobbled sectors?

blazing_saddles

Deep..........literally deep, joy.

https://twitter.com/amantes_cycling/status/1444555526281601025

bianchi_dave

blazing_saddles said:

Deep..........literally deep, joy.

https://twitter.com/amantes_cycling/status/1444555526281601025

That's insane, hard enough riding over wet cobbles when you can actually see them!

thegreasedscotsman

Ahh, it’s OK, just ride down the middle.

To be honest, I can see some sections being cut.

rick_chasey

thegreasedscotsman said:

Ahh, it’s OK, just ride down the middle.

To be honest, I can see some sections being cut.

Flooded?

As much as this annoys me - if the majority of it is under water it’s not really fair to run that section.

takethehighroad

gweeds said:

Any danger of rain meaning diversions around cobbled sectors?

No. Prudhomme basically said "It's not a stage race and the difficulty is what makes it a race"

blazing_saddles

rick_chasey said:

thegreasedscotsman said:

Ahh, it’s OK, just ride down the middle.

To be honest, I can see some sections being cut.

Flooded?

As much as this annoys me - if the majority of it is under water it’s not really fair to run that section.

Not that they could leave a decision that late, but given the overall conditions, I would expect so few riders to be left in contention by Mons, they should be in single file and able to ride the crown, if nothing else.

Given the last really wet race was in 2002, you haven't got much to go on, young Rick.

rick_chasey

Fair fair.

I have watched the full coverage of the last few wet editions on YouTube

bobmcstuff

Is it correct to say the finish will be 3.30-4.30 UK time?

Seeing Bond 4.45 in town so hoping I'll be able to stop in Rapha to watch the end of the race...

No_Ta_Doctor

In Denmark the coverage is free to air and has started with pre race interviews and a weather forecast already (actual weather forecaster, radar etc).
We're finally here!

takethehighroad

Hatch and Lloyd on comms, likely with Maggy and Tom Southam later, as they're in the studio

Pross

You wait 18 months for a spoiler thread and two come along at once! Thanks both, can't wait.

JimD666

takethehighroad said:

Hatch and Lloyd on comms, likely with Maggy and Tom Southam later, as they're in the studio

And Adam Blythe on the back of a moto

takethehighroad

On the way to kilometre 0 and it is absolutely hammering down

johnboy183

Likely anyone on CX bikes and/or tyres?

Pross

Here we go, I'm like a kid at Christmas

Pross

johnboy183 said:

Likely anyone on CX bikes and/or tyres?

Nah, the bikes these days with discs and clearances plus really fat tyres will be fine.

blazing_saddles

Crash already.
Mitch Docker down in his last race.

Oh and commentary bliss too!

Pross

First crash, Mitch Docker in his final race.

blazing_saddles

A few big names already trying an extreme Deignan move.

Pross

Tuens and Trentin get a slight gap. GVA was chasing but now caught. If they stayed away I assume we'll be saying they are lucky and down-rating the race as a result?

TheBigBean

Pross said:

Tuens and Trentin get a slight gap. GVA was chasing but now caught. If they stayed away I assume we'll be saying they are lucky and down-rating the race as a result?

When Johan Vansummeren won, many on this forum thought he was lucky.

Pross

Trentin's luck has run out

blazing_saddles

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

Tuens and Trentin get a slight gap. GVA was chasing but now caught. If they stayed away I assume we'll be saying they are lucky and down-rating the race as a result?

When Johan Vansummeren won, many on this forum thought he was lucky.

How about Matt Hayman?

Pross

Ineos have had a couple of goes at getting someone up to the lead pair. Golas looking to go out in style but brought straight back.