Paris-Roubaix

andyp

There will be loads of feeds available from www.cyclingfans.com

Monty Dog

I wouldn't put much money on Farrar - regardless of his abilities as a rider, you need to be very familiar with the course, to know to move to the front as you enter each sector and then even choose the right lines through each sector - that's why there's always a full bore gallop particularly on the approach to the 4* and 5* sectors. The likes of Boonen and Cancellara have a big advantage and also the guys driving the team cars like Peeters for QS who probably would of won if he wasn't riding for Museeuw. Then of course you have the unpredictability of untimely crashes and punctures that can effectively take riders out of contention.

stagehopper

Looks like there'll be no earlier coverage on international Eurosport:

British Eurosport Schedule:
13:30 (BST) CYCLING
Live Cycling: Paris-Roubaix (165min)

International Eurosport Schedule:
14:30 (CET) CYCLING
Live Cycling: Paris-Roubaix (165min)

According to race schedule the Trouée d'Arenberg should be reached at:

14:20 (42 km/h)
14:31 (40 km/h)
14:43 (38 km/h)

so cutting it fine for live coverage on the box.

mididoctors

andyp wrote:

Cyclingnews rate the contenders;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/par ... -the-crown

As an aside, why do they perpetuate this 'Flecha can't sprint for toffee' myth? He used to be quite a handy sprinter, and won the Giro del Lazio in 2004 in a sprint from a bunch of 40 or so riders. It's not his sprinting that's seen him miss out on a monument win, that's been due to a lack of aggression, i.e. he waits too long before attacking and ends up racing for a minor placing.

I agree cancellara is not that interested in the win here... I suspect Boonen is wrecked in the head..hopefully he will see a chance and ride...

might be a year for a relative outsider

andyp

It takes a brave soul to bet against a Quick Step win. Teams managed by Leferve have won 10 of the past 15 editions of the race.

RichN95.

For those of you who don't listen to Matt Rendell's podcast, he mentioned a couple of weeks ago that at the beginning of the season several Saxo Bank riders made fairly sizeable bets on Matti Breschel to win this race.

(I'm surpised they're allowed to, but there you go)

mididoctors

RichN95 wrote:

For those of you who don't listen to Matt Rendell's podcast, he mentioned a couple of weeks ago that at the beginning of the season several Saxo Bank riders made fairly sizeable bets on Matti Breschel to win this race.

(I'm surpised they're allowed to, but there you go)

i thought they weren't allowed..

colomers

to Baselbob.
do you come to see PR.
If you want maps or informations ,i'll be in st vaast at 12h00,with my mountain bike,i have a blue and white jersey,(main sponsor CVELO.COM)
Francis

frenchfighter

"I was in top gear and flying over the cobbles, cutting every corner. Coppi gave me the blackest look and then accelerated. I was riding in a black tunnel just focusing on Coppi's wheel. Every time he looked back I tried to appear indifferent, but I don't think I was very convincing. Over and over Fausto accelerated. They weren't explosive jumps, more like fast increases in the tempo until everything was screaming inside me. Then I noticed that he wasn't going so fast, that even he, Fausto Coppi, had human limits."

- Rik Van Steenbergen

frenchfighter

Bring on the cobbles!

blazing_saddles

stagehopper wrote:

Looks like there'll be no earlier coverage on international Eurosport:

British Eurosport Schedule:
13:30 (BST) CYCLING
Live Cycling: Paris-Roubaix (165min)

International Eurosport Schedule:
14:30 (CET) CYCLING
Live Cycling: Paris-Roubaix (165min)

According to race schedule the Trouée d'Arenberg should be reached at:

14:20 (42 km/h)
14:31 (40 km/h)
14:43 (38 km/h)

so cutting it fine for live coverage on the box.

France 2 start coverage an hour earlier. No way they are missing the d'Arenberg.
So there should be a live net feed for you poor souls without France 2 on tv.

takethehighroad

frenchfighter wrote:

Bring on the cobbles!]

Nice to see a convenient change of avatar

msw

mididoctors wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

For those of you who don't listen to Matt Rendell's podcast, he mentioned a couple of weeks ago that at the beginning of the season several Saxo Bank riders made fairly sizeable bets on Matti Breschel to win this race.

(I'm surpised they're allowed to, but there you go)

i thought they weren't allowed..

Did he perhaps mean figurative bets? UCI rules are pretty clear:

"1.2.030 Anyone subject to the UCI regulations may not be involved directly or indirectly in the organisation of bets on cycling competitions, under penalty of a suspension of between 8 days and one year and/or a fine of 2000 to 200 000 Swiss francs."

frenchfighter

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Bring on the cobbles!]

Nice to see a convenient change of avatar

I think he was likely the only one who could have followed Tornado and Goliath had he not been victim of the mechanical.

rick_chasey

frenchfighter wrote:

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Bring on the cobbles!]

Nice to see a convenient change of avatar

I think he was likely the only one who could have followed Tornado and Goliath had he not been victim of the mechanical.

What has he already shown? Winning Dwars door Vlaanderen? That's not comparable with de Ronde or Paris-Roubaix. Had had a little bad luck, sure, but I don't pitty him. Cancellara won't either.


*ahem*

frenchfighter

One man's opinion. The legs tell the tale. I don't see him as a winner although I think he is up there. I don't pick the winner for this race or any other generally.

Flecha, 07

andyp

Rick Chasey wrote:

What has he already shown? Winning Dwars door Vlaanderen? That's not comparable with de Ronde or Paris-Roubaix. Had had a little bad luck, sure, but I don't pitty him. Cancellara won't either.


*ahem*

You are Roger de Vlaeminck and I claim my €5.

frenchfighter

Are the muddy days gone...if this weeks weather is anything to go by, it looks like it is going to be hot and dry.

frenchfighter

Can anyone explain the bike ridden by the guy at 30-35 secs in?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5DktZV ... _embedded#

afx237vi

frenchfighter wrote:

Are the muddy days gone...if this weeks weather is anything to go by, it looks like it is going to be hot and dry.

Rain... mud. Sun... dust. Paris-Roubaix is a hard race whatever the weather. The year O'Grady won was even more brutal than a muddy version.

frenchfighter

Thanks I am aware of that. I would like to see a wet and muddy race. That is all.

Mechanicals...Le Mond lost 2mins and Bauer 3mins waiting for help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_onBx2ZSHA

frenchfighter

Btw, some of you may have seen this French documentary on P-R but if you haven't it is a good 50mins (in two parts)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9qre_ ... part_sport

andyp

That bike in the clip was a Bianchi with suspension ridden by Johan Museuuw. There was a lot of experimentation with suspension ideas from the MTB world in the early to mid 1990s. None of them proved successful and the success of Mapei, riding Colnago C40s, brought it to an end.

My particular favourite was the bike Steve Bauer rode around that time with a ridiculously laid back riding position.

greasedscotsman

greasedscotsman wrote:

greasedscotsman wrote:

With the problems they had with crowds at the Carrefour de l'Arbe at last year's race has anyone heard of any changes that have been made by the organisers to avoid this?

Think this answers my question and may be of interest to anyone else thinking of heading to this part of the race.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/extra-s ... aix-sector

Just been out to the Carrefour and they weren't kidding when they said extra security. They had mounted police there! Not a camper van in sight. Wonder where they've all gone?

crimsondynamo

Is thor worth a punt at 14/1?

I successfully laid £2.50 on Ross County to beat Celtic today at 11/1 and I'm keen to reinvest my winnings!

disquieting_museeuws

andyp wrote:

That bike in the clip was a Bianchi with suspension ridden by Johan Museuuw. There was a lot of experimentation with suspension ideas from the MTB world in the early to mid 1990s. None of them proved successful and the success of Mapei, riding Colnago C40s, brought it to an end.

When Museeuw's suspension bike finally broke his shoes were stuck in the pedals due to the mud, & a mechanic had to run forward & save him from falling off. In the end the mechanic had to give a sizeable sideways whack to the back of a shoe to get it unclipped!

The wet editions have an atmosphere all their own, I think.

colomers

to see video of this great day(with cold wind)
go to you tube and print pgs paris roubaix
to day there is 2 videos,but there will come others next days

Francis

greasedscotsman

OK, some of my photos from Roubaix...


Fans go nuts at Arenberg



Cozza at Arenberg



Hoste trying to run me over at the Carrefour de l'Arbe



Van Emden at the Carrefour de l'Arbe



Klostergaard at Gruson

colomers

hello
very nice photos,the first one remember me David Hamilton design!!

Have a good day

Francis

DaveyL

greasedscotsman wrote:

OK, some of my photos from Roubaix...


Fans go nuts at Arenberg

The old boy's rocking a cracking pair of trainers