Paris-Roubaix 2026, one day monument, April 12

[dobrien]

It's my favourite monument hands down.

Same!! Look forward to this one every year; I live in the US (unfortunately) so the start is around 4AM…I host a gathering of a few Roubaix crazed buddies every year, and we drink Belgian beer and go bananas! I live in an apartment in a quiet house where all the neighbors are quite considerate of one another, and on rare occasions when someone has a party they’ll warn everyone it might be loud a bit later into the night. Not me though, no, I’m the guy in Apt 2 who has to warn people about drunken shouting around 8 in the morning…🤣😜

 

[rghysens]

[1.WT] Paris-Roubaix (12.04) - Page 3 - Cyclisme sur route : Professionnels - Le Gruppetto - Forum de Cyclisme

[1.WT] Paris-Roubaix (12.04) -

legruppetto.fr

Assessment of the real difficulty of the cobblestone sectors (in french).

 

[dobrien]

In an era of watts-fests, do we really need races to become even harder and more attritional? It's not like anybody finishes Paris-Roubaix with energy to spare. Adding 30km would make it as long as Milano Sanremo and multitudes harder.

I see your point re the break, but I think what is more likely is that the makeup of the break is weaker as big teams will be more cautious, or that the break goes after a very, very extended fight (making Paris-Roubaix even more attritional). Back in the days of Terpstra attacking out of a fifteen man group maybe that made sense, but nowadays? Wouldn't it just lead to even longer solos and tactical battles than end after the first hour?

I think the length is generally ok, but what I have really felt is that the race needs one more really hard section of cobbles after the Carrefour, say a 4 star with about 8k to go. (Not sure that’s feasible, it’s just what I think the race needs.) I just feel like the air kind of goes out of the race a touch once they come of the Carrefour and take that right turn, though I accept that 2016 was one of the most exciting finishes ever and most of that happened in the last 15k. A contradiction perhaps, but I just recall being really ticked off that Sep was the strongest on the Carrefour but was not rewarded for that.

If nothing else I would for sure like to see more effort put into keeping the riders on the cobbles by preventing/discouraging/blocking the riders from riding the packed dirt on the side of road; that stuff is like riding fresh tarmac compared to the cobbles and really reduces the effort massively.

Anyway, I’ll be tuned in at the start, can’t wait for this one. Heart says Wout, but head says Pog. I think Pog has the momentum, hes on a quest to make history, and I think barring disaster he will find a way to win this one.

 

[vappa]

Wind from SW, right? If so we might have crosswind in all 5 stars sectors

Yes, SW to NE, at least according to the forecasts I checked