Paris - Roubaix 2024, one day monument, April 7

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Yeah, that's true. It was one of the hardest ever races for him, but a week is a long time to get back on your feet. It's not like E3 => Gent-Wevelgem which is only 1.5 days of recovery. This is a full 6.5 days of recovery.

As have been the case for an eternity
The fact that we've had 5 doubles within 15 years might cause ppl thinking it's not "a thing". However, it is something of a very special effort.
And as mentioned earlier, I agree that there may have been an improvement in ensuring the recovery of the riders, but still I would say that De Ronde must have taken MvDP pretty hard - and compared to Philipsen not even participating at all, but on the contrary done everything to ensure optimal preparations on the monument that suits him the best.

 

[Volderke]

All good points @Volderke. I have to say, that shot of them all charging full speed into the forest is one of the best moments of cycling of the year, so exciting and impressive! But I'm interested to see if they can make a change which offers the benefits you list. "More selective and less of a lottery" could be great as well. Very curious to see how it all plays out.


I hope you mean "soft hay bales".

ideally they need a road that is continuously narrowing so they hit the cobbles in one line. The moto shot looking in front and turning the camera to see the bunch of wild toros ready to attack the cobbles is a sight to behold, indeed, but I always hold my breath with the run-in filled with traffic islands and the first 100ths meters of cobbles where any mistake in the front has repercussions for all riders behind.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I hope you mean "soft hay bales".

lol didn't even see what my new phone corrects to - now that sounds almost as bizarre as the suggested chickane.

 

[Netserk]

As have been the case for an eternity
The fact that we've had 5 doubles within 15 years might cause ppl thinking it's not "a thing". However, it is something of a very special effort.
And as mentioned earlier, I agree that there may have been an improvement in ensuring the recovery of the riders, but still I would say that De Ronde must have taken MvDP pretty hard - and compared to Philipsen not even participating at all, but on the contrary done everything to ensure optimal preparations on the monument that suits him the best.

Yeah, I share your view that the toll of Ronde is underestimated. Naturally so, when most contenders in Roubaix goes full tilt there, lessening the differences.

 

[red_flanders]

lol didn't even see what my new phone corrects to - now that sounds almost as bizarre as the suggested chickane.

"Oh the pictures!"

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

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.

Is it impossible to just come from the road on the right?
Seems the best option to me

 

[Netserk]

Not impossible, but quite a detour.

They could also do Arenberg in the opposite direction.

 

[DNP-Old]

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.

Too boring for my taste. Instead, I would like to propose my idea (in green):

 

[RedheadDane]

Too boring for my taste. Instead, I would like to propose my idea (in green):
[The picture is literally just above!]

When are they gonna get onto the tracks?

 

[Volderke]

Is it impossible to just come from the road on the right?
Seems the best option to me

They come from Haveluy *(more exactly going North and going on the main road right here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EicmKQr7E9Xh3ecL8 ) , so including the road on the right would imply a big detour.
And the curve coming from the right isn't exactly the easiest / best to take with a big group.
There is an elevated plateau in the middle and it's designed to only go left. If you want to go right, you have to slow down to snail pace, nearly impossible with a group of riders full of adrenaline going to that curve with 55k/hr.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I just hope that Teddy, having watched most inevitable ToF in years, will be eating cutlets the whole week to show big boys who's the real boss on Sunday!

 

[search]

Sounds like it's a done deal, but there will be no route change, acording to Gouvenu, only talking about a chicane "to reduce the speed to 35 km/h". On request of the Cycling Union, after the crash of van Aert in E3 (edit: Waregem).

VIDEO - Paris-Roubaix : une chicane pour ralentir les coureurs avant la Trouée d’Arenberg - France Bleu

Thierry Gouvenou, le directeur de la course cycliste Paris-Roubaix, a annoncé mardi, lors de la reconnaissance des secteurs pavés, qu’une chicane serait aménagée avant l’entrée de la Trouée d’Arenberg pour ralentir les coureurs. L'objectif est de sécuriser ce passage délicat.

www.francebleu.fr

 

[pastronef]

they'll race Haveluy (the previous sector) at Vingegaard's July TT speed, then approach the new chicane at 67 km/h and fly in some French madame's roses garden

 

[Netserk]

after the crash of van Aert in E3.

Huh?

 

[search]

Huh?

Dwars door Vlaaanderen. You know what I mean

 

[Rackham]

And there will be a huge crash on the chicane. Hoorah. Geniuses at work.

I'm not kidding either (& many others are saying the same).

The road isn't dangerous (neither is Arenberg), but the speed & behavior of the bunch is.

Some people in the sport need to take a look in the mirror (aka at the peloton itself) & stop blaming everything else.

 

[pastronef]

Not impossible, but quite a detour.

They could also do Arenberg in the opposite direction.

they did it for a few years iirc

 

[Ricco']

Will Arenberg lose the 5 star classification with this decrease in difficulty?

It's a shame for me as a spectator. Arenberg's approach is one of the most poetic moments in cycling. The build up, the tension in the last km's before it, holding the breath in deafening silence with the anticipation of them hitting the cobbles with the spectator's roars and the metalic noises of the equipment filling up the ears afterwards.

Not to speak of the fact that introducing a pinch point in the road, narrowing the road from 2 lanes to 1, right after a rail crossing speaks safety just to think about it.

 

[Nick2413]

Now positioning will be arguably even more critical, the risks just moved up a few hundred meters.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Not impossible, but quite a detour.

They could also do Arenberg in the opposite direction.

Not much of a detour. They ride a loop for Arenberg.

I think it would be doable. Especially because the bend from route D40 to the forrest is quite wide.

 

[search]

The road isn't dangerous (neither is Arenberg), but the speed & behavior of the bunch is.

that's true, of course, but unlikely to change anytime soon,I guess.

Last year's Arenberg crash destroyed the race and resulted in one of the worst editions I have ever seen. So honestly, I somewhat support a change. Although not a chicane 4 days before the race.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

It mostly seemed to me, as an armchair fan, the faster you go on Arenberg the less problems you have. Artificially slowing the race up is probably going to cause a problem that didn't need fixing (as well as reducing the overall spectacle)

 

[Nick2413]

that's true, of course, but unlikely to change anytime soon,I guess.

Last year's Arenberg crash destroyed the race and resulted in one of the worst editions I have ever seen. So honestly, I somewhat support a change. Although not a chicane 4 days before the race.

I’m torn. Generally opposed to messing with races but there could be some value in minor modifications at times…maybe. But then again the big thrill of PR is the unpredictability and chaos, and taking that away bit by bit cuts away at what makes it great.

 

[Volderke]

Not much of a detour. They ride a loop for Arenberg.

I think it would be doable. Especially because the bend from route D40 to the forrest is quite wide.

You seem to suggest doing Arenberg from N to S. That has been done before, but you can't do it like you suggest in this map, as you come from the S and Roubaix is in the North. So any N-S Arenberg like you propose, involves left turns in order to get back to the next cobbles (or you have to go very much around Arenberg after Haveluy, go NE from the forest, cross the forest and go out taking right turns).

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It's easier to control a race / break with a headwind.
As you say yourself, a head wind makes it harder to attack, so easier to control affairs and attackers falling back because they are not stronger than the peloton with a head wind.

It's more difficult to 'break' riders with a headwind if you're forcing the pace on cobblestones as the ones that try to hold your wheel will benefit from the draft.

I said it in the RVV topic, and it has turned out to be like this: MvdP was not sure after Koppenberg if he should press on. The team car told him to press on as they saw only Jorgensen and Pedersen were riding behind him and all others were on foot, but MvdP himself was probably not too eager to go solo from this far out, as the wind was, from Koppenberg to Ronse, firmly on his face so he had to work hard to consolidate his gap, and it would have been much easier to e.g. start a solo attack from top of Kwaremont with most of the wind from there in the back.

tbh this sort of decision is always hard. If he waits they wont work with him and there is no guarantee everything holds until the final kwaremont/paterberg.

Like, realistically Mathieu could win these races on easy mode if it's a hard race but the favorites/group stays somehwat together and he doesn't have to work that much until the final 20k. But realistically that is never happening. He'd be suffering from Sagan syndrom so often he's left with no other choice but to go solo from afar. This has become more apparent recently now people figured out he's phrone to weakness in long sprints and by making him work more. So the solution was get stronger and just solo after you drop them...

As have been the case for an eternity
The fact that we've had 5 doubles within 15 years might cause ppl thinking it's not "a thing". However, it is something of a very special effort.
And as mentioned earlier, I agree that there may have been an improvement in ensuring the recovery of the riders, but still I would say that De Ronde must have taken MvDP pretty hard - and compared to Philipsen not even participating at all, but on the contrary done everything to ensure optimal preparations on the monument that suits him the best.

The thing is, everyone that participated in RVV was talking about the hardest Ronde they ever done. Naesen was taken aback when he saw the numbers after the race. If you see how hard Pedersen/Jorgenson collapsed after their attacks... and how Teuns talked about how spent he was after getting caught.

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