Paris - Roubaix 2024, one day monument, April 7

[staubsauger]

How much Jägermeister you need to drink to come to the conclusion of increasing safety by additional danger!?

 

[Netserk]

All the dudes who do Roubaix also did RVV and spent an equal amount of hard labour. I don't think it matters that much a week later, whether you did a 50km solo in front or slogged it out in the groups behind

Philipsen didn't.

 

[ice&fire]

The most radical solution would be to use the chicane between the train tracks and the cobbles, forcing the riders to an almost stand-still.

They can do that 20 times in the parking at the left before the train tracks

 

[search]

the sector ratings are out now as well:

 

[Volderke]

Favourite secteurs for me:
27. Saint Python. Just because it's long.
20. Haveluy: great, nervous run in, muddy halfway, often carnage before Arenberg.
17. Hornain: The iconic views of the water towers at the beginning of the stretch, and the fact it's neverending. Always a great piece of the race. Too early to go but some can't just hold themselves and will force the pace. This is where the magic happened in 1996 when Tafi ripped open the race:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_2LnJ1esSo

12. Bersee: another long stretch, where many miss the left-hand curve (like those 3 from Ineos some years ago). There is always action as some want to anticipate for Mons-en-Pevele
11. Mons-en-Pevele: the last couple of years you see riders going in this secteur very early as it's hard to make the selection after the last left-hand curve.
5. Camphin-en-pevele: I find this one quite similar to Haveluy: first going West, one 90 degree curve and then going North.

 

[pastronef]

Favourite secteurs for me:

17. Hornain: The iconic views of the water towers at the beginning of the stretch, and the fact it's neverending.

in 2001 or 2002 Tafi's real wheel slipped in that sector and he somehow held it upright I don't know how he managed that

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

How much Jägermeister you need to drink to come to the conclusion of increasing safety by additional danger!?

I think it is possible that slowing for the chicane (they will be fighting hard before that to be in front) will be marginally safer than full throttle into a wet section of some of the worst cobbles. At the speeds they are now riding, full throttle into Arenberg is going to be insanely dangerous. In reality, there isn't a good way to minimize the danger of any of the sectors, except for taking them out. Yay everbody, lets do a Paris-Roubaix on tarmac only!!!??? I'm all for rider safety, but if it rains, the only way to ensure that is to stay on the porch.

 

[AmRacer]

is to stay on the porch

couch

 

[repre]

It'll still be Naesen.
Is Lawrence in the shadow of his brother? Oliver was a fine rider, but I haven't seen much from him for a few years.

Oliver is good this year, top10 at Flanders, also was visible at G-W and got 11th, 4th in Omloop. That's top-level results for him. He just doesn't attack anymore, hiding in the shadows, then striking in the sprint

 

[Tim Cahill]

Someone should put in a big move solo just before the forest so they can rail the chicane alone, lose less speed than the bunch and get a good gap going into a key sector!

 

[topcat]

Oliver is good this year, top10 at Flanders, also was visible at G-W and got 11th, 4th in Omloop. That's top-level results for him. He just doesn't attack anymore, hiding in the shadows, then striking in the sprint

Old news

Oliver was 4th in Omloop, 11th in GW and 7th in RVV last Sunday and one of the strongest in his group leading the chase. He should be excellent in Roubaix but it hasn't shown for several reasons. I feel he's more or less back where he lost it (in the corona years). The competition ofcourse has improved but he's still a solid cobbled-classics rider.
I had him twice in my list as I was thinking of separating sub-favourites from favourites (besides the one and only top favourite) and wasn't sure where to place Naesen and some other riders. Every year, you see one or several strong riders having an excellent race in PR, but it's hard to predict who will last the longest.

And I would only trust a Belgian on this.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

It mostly seemed to me, as an armchair fan,

On behalf of myself, @armchairclimber and @AnotherArmChair, thank you for your support

 

[Armchair cyclist]

The most radical solution would be to use the chicane between the train tracks and the cobbles, forcing the riders to an almost stand-still.

There's a level crossing there! Can you imagine the fighting and pushing while waiting for the train to pass through, and then the maddest 50m sprint ever once they go up?

 

[proffate]

There's a level crossing there! Can you imagine the fighting and pushing while waiting for the train to pass through, and then the maddest 50m sprint ever once they go up?

yes, I can. It's pretty much a cyclocross holeshot

 

[Netserk]

There's a level crossing there! Can you imagine the fighting and pushing while waiting for the train to pass through, and then the maddest 50m sprint ever once they go up?

They should paint the TdF grid there.

 

[red_flanders]

Sounds like there's at least some rider agreement on the chicane idea.

"I wrote to the riders, warning them that there would be greater braking before the Trouée," Gouvenou explained.

"They told me that they preferred to brake hard and risk falling on the tarmac rather than entering the Trouée at 60 km/h."

"The riders are a little on edge and are asking us for a little more security to enter the trouée, that doesn't seem illogical to us," Gouvenou said.

 

[Nick2413]

Sounds like there's at least some rider agreement on the chicane idea.

"I wrote to the riders, warning them that there would be greater braking before the Trouée," Gouvenou explained.

"They told me that they preferred to brake hard and risk falling on the tarmac rather than entering the Trouée at 60 km/h."

"The riders are a little on edge and are asking us for a little more security to enter the trouée, that doesn't seem illogical to us," Gouvenou said.

There’s also usually agreement on shortening races in the rain and taking unnecessary climbs out of already hard mountain stages, neutralizing certain descents and of course making sure no Giro stages are over 200km.

 

[Sciatic]

Sounds like there's at least some rider agreement on the chicane idea.

"I wrote to the riders, warning them that there would be greater braking before the Trouée," Gouvenou explained.

"They told me that they preferred to brake hard and risk falling on the tarmac rather than entering the Trouée at 60 km/h."

"The riders are a little on edge and are asking us for a little more security to enter the trouée, that doesn't seem illogical to us," Gouvenou said.

It’s a 180-rider peloton and you heard this “preference” from how many?

 

[red_flanders]

There’s also usually agreement on shortening races in the rain and taking unnecessary climbs out of already hard mountain stages, neutralizing certain descents and of course making sure no Giro stages are over 200km.

Yep. I'm just passing along info, not saying I'm excited about it. I am interested in what it might do to the racing, as I think Volderke's points about the speed are good ones.

It’s a 180-rider peloton and you heard this “preference” from how many?

"I" didn't hear anything. I quoted an article which I linked. Spoiler: Exactly to your point, they don't say, which is why I said "at least some".

Folks, this ain't Twitter. Everything doesn't have to be a battle.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

couch

I'm from the South, porch.

 

[Nick2413]

Just think of the opportunities of other ways to nerf the race if Arenberg goes down (obviously not there yet but they’re pulling out the Jenga blocks)

 

[Armchair cyclist]

So are they talking about some big soft obstructions to make for a thinner (but not much slower) peloton, or divert them off Av Michel Rondet onto one of the parallel roads (Rue de Croy or Rue Lambrecht)? (sorry, couldn't get the screenshot of Google maps to paste)

 

[DenisMenchov]

Chicane idea is terrible, just imagine being in the 50th wheel on the exit of the corner, that's like 30s behind the leaders already and about to hit the hardest sector in the race, you may as well just park it there.

 

[rallybanana]

So are they talking about some big soft obstructions to make for a thinner (but not much slower) peloton, or divert them off Av Michel Rondet onto one of the parallel roads (Rue de Croy or Rue Lambrecht)? (sorry, couldn't get the screenshot of Google maps to paste)

Rue de Croy has a big hard obstruction

Google Maps

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www.google.com

 

[sam6]

Ok, last night I had a dream where Alexander Kristoff won this race from the breakaway. It was very vivid actually and MVDP was solo and catching him fast but not fast enough. MVDP also was involved in a huge crash earlier and that held him back and let Kristoff win, but a win is a win and it's going to happen! I just saw the future