Paris-Roubaix

Infobox Cycling race
name = Paris-Roubaix
current_event =


date = Early-April
region = Northern France
english = Paris-Roubaix
localnames = Paris-Roubaix fr icon
nickname = The Hell of the North
Queen of the Classics
The Easter race
A Sunday in Hell
discipline = Road
competition =
type = Monument one-day race
organiser = Amaury Sport Organisation
director =
first = 1896
number = 106 (as of 2008)
last =
firstwinner = flagicon|GER|empire Josef Fischer
mostwins = flagicon|BEL Roger De Vlaeminck
(4 wins)
mostrecent = flagicon|BEL Tom Boonen

Paris-Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the Belgian frontier. Famous for rough terrain and cobblestone roads, it is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' or Classics of the European professional cycling calendar and carries the nickname "The Hell of the North", "A Sunday in Hell", "Queen of the Classics" or "La Pascale": the "Easter race". [cite web
title = I'm talking total cobbles
publisher = www.guardian.co.uk
date = 5 April 2006
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1746888,00.html
accessdate = 2007-09-01] The race is organised by the media group Amaury Sport Organisation and held annually in the mid-April rainy season. The winner of the 2008 edition of the race was Belgian Tom Boonen.

History

Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest races of the professional road cycling calendar. First run in 1896, it has been stopped only by the two world wars. It was created by two Roubaix textile manufacturers, Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez, who were hoping the race would become training for the more famous Bordeaux-Paris. They suggested the idea to Paul Rousseau, director of sports newspaper Le Vélo, who sent his cycling editor Victor Breyer to research a route between Paris and Roubaix. [cite web
title = The real Hell of the North
publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
date = 16 April 2006
url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/features/2006/woodland_hell_of_the_north
accessdate = 2007-09-05]

The first race was on April 19, 1896, receiving the nickname of "La Pascale" ( _en. The Easter race). A total of 188 competitors left Paris from the Bois de Boulogne park for almost 300km to Roubaix. [cite web
title = Paris-Roubaix 1998
publisher = uci.ch
date = 12 April 1998
url = http://www.uci.ch/english/road/world_cup/pre_2000/pr98/pr1_98.htm
accessdate = 2007-09-10] Josef Fischer, the winner of this first edition, received 1000 francs.cite web
title = 102nd Paris Roubaix Preview
publisher = www.dailypeloton.com
date = 9 April 2004
url = http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=5951
accessdate = 2007-09-01]

The race usually leaves riders caked in mud and grit, over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France's former coal-mining region. However, this is not how this race earned the nickname "l'enfer du Nord", or "Hell of the North". The term was first used to describe the route of the race when it was run immediately following the Great War, or World War I. The course followed the front lines of the war and passed through the ruins, craters and destruction, earning it the name "l'enfer du Nord", or the "Hell of the North" from journalists. [cite web
title = WWIII: La Trouée d'Arenberg is back
publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
date = 9 April 2006
url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/
accessdate = 2007-09-01]

Originally, the race was from Paris to Roubaix, but in 1966 the start was moved to Chantilly, 50km north of Paris, to be moved in 1977 to Compiègne, 80km north of Paris. [cite web
title = Roubaix @ Roubaix - Specializing in cobbles
publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
date = 21 June 2006
url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2006/features/specialized_roubaix_launch
accessdate = 2007-09-01] Famous for rough terrain, the route is adjusted slightly from year to year as older roads are resurfaced and the organisers seek other challenging cobbles, to maintain the character of the race - in 2005, for example, the race included 54.7km of cobbled sections. [cite web
title = Paris-Roubaix 2005
publisher = www.letour.fr
date = 4 April 2005
url = http://www.letour.fr/stf/roubaix/2005/us/
accessdate = 2007-09-05]

Formerly third of the ten UCI Road World Cup races, the race was part of the UCI ProTour from 2005 to 2007. Following disagreement between UCI and the organisers, the race was withdrawn from the ProTour calendar.

Controversies and disqualifications

In 1936 controversy erupted when Belgian Romain Maes appeared to finish first but judges declared French Georges Speicher the winner and Maes second. [cite web
title = 37th Paris-Roubaix 1936 (France)
publisher = cyclingrevealed.com
date =
url = http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/timeline/Race%20Snippets/P-R/P_R1936.htm
accessdate = 2008-02-25]

The result of the 1949 Paris-Roubaix took several months and two international conferences to sort out. André Mahé was first but his win was challenged on the grounds that he took the wrong course. Mahé was in a break of three that reached Roubaix velodrome in the lead, but he was misdirected by officials and entered the track by the wrong gate. Mahé was declared winner but a few minutes later other riders arrived using the correct route and Serse Coppi, brother of the more famous Fausto, won the sprint for what was assumed to be the minor placings. After a protest and several months, Serse Coppi was placed ex-aequo winner along with Mahé. [Bouvet, P. Callewaert, P. Gatellier, J. Laget S. (2006), p.102.]

Some riders have been disqualified. In 1930 Jean Maréchal finished 24 seconds ahead of Belgian Julien Vervaecke but was moved to second because while Maréchal was trying to pass Vervaecke, the Belgian lost control and tumbled into a ditch. According to some, Maréchal delivered a blow to the Belgian shoulders, causing his fall. In 1934 Roger Lapébie was disqualified for changing bicycle, which wasn't permitted. Second placed rider Gaston Rebry was awarded the victory once officials discovered that Lapébie's bike was missing a race sticker. [Bouvet, P. Callewaert, P. Gatellier, J. Laget S. (2006), p.100-102.] Leif Hoste, Peter van Petegem and Vladimir Gusev were disqualified for riding past a closed train crossing during 2006 Paris-Roubaix after finishing behind the winner, Fabian Cancellara. This led Tom Boonen and Alessandro Ballan to take the remaining places in the podium.

Cobbled races

Records

Since 1964, the record speed of 45.129kmh has been held by Dutch cyclist Peter Post. The record for most victories is held by the Belgian Roger De Vlaeminck, who won four times between 1972 and 1977. Octave Lapize, Gaston Rebry, Rik van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser, and Johan Museeuw have each won three times. The nations with most victories are Belgium (52) and France (30). The record for most races completed is 16 by the Belgian rider Raymond Impanis between 1947 and 1963, while the oldest winner was Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle in 1993 at 38. Eddy Merckx beat Roger De Vlaeminck in 1970 by the largest winning margin, 5 minutes and 21 seconds.

The bicycles of Paris-Roubaix

Due to its course, often compounded by poor weather, Paris-Roubaix presents a technical challenge to riders, team personnel, and equipment. Special frames and wheels are often used for Paris-Roubaix. Many of these modifications are borrowed from cyclo-cross, using wider tires, cantilever brakes, and dual brake levers. Many teams disperse personnel along the course with wheels, equipment and even bicycles in case of equipment failure in locations not accessible to the team car.

Some top riders receive special frames to give more stability and comfort. Different materials make the ride more comfortable. Tom Boonen, winner in 2005, used a TIME frame with longer wheelbase, built for him. In the same edition, George Hincapie was given a frame featuring a 2mm elastomer insert at the top of the seat stays. The manufacturers claimed this took nearly all the shock out of the cobbles. Hincapie's Trek bicycle fared less well in 2006 as his aluminum steerer tube snapped with 46km to go, the crash leading to his withdrawal with a shoulder injury.

The bad roads lead to frequent flat tires. In recent years, motorbikes follow riders to provide wheels to anyone in need, independent of their team. The service fleet includes four motorbikes and four support cars. [cite web
title = Special Rules
publisher = www.letour.fr
year = 2007
url = http://www.letour.fr/2007/PRX/LIVE/us/100/reglement.html
accessdate = 2007-09-01]

Films

*"A Sunday in Hell"
*"Road to Roubaix", an upcoming documentary of the 2007 Paris-Roubaix race

Various comments on Paris-Roubaix

* "A Paris-Roubaix without rain is not a true Paris-Roubaix. Throw in a little snow as well, it's not serious." - Seán Kelly [cite web
title = Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly are names etched into the psyche of cycling aficionados.
publisher = Irish Examiner
date = 1999-12-31
url = http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1999/12/31/spage_1.htm
accessdate = 2008-02-25]
* "Let me tell you, though - there’s a huge difference between Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. They’re not even close to the same. In one, the cobbles are used every day by the cars, and kept up, and stuff like that. The other one - it’s completely different ... The best I could do would be to describe it like this - they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That’s Paris-Roubaix. It’s that bad - it’s ridiculous." - Chris Horner [cite web
title = Chris Horner: Back to the Big Leagues - Part Two
publisher = dailypeloton.com
date = 2004-12-29
url = http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7385
accessdate = 2008-02-25]
* "This is the one race that I dream of all year long, and look forward to all year long." - George Hincapie in various interviews.
* "When you attack in Paris-Roubaix, you don't have to think. It doesn't take five minutes to work it all out. You just do what feels right at the moment." - Johan Museeuw in an interview with "Cycle Sport Magazine"
* "Thousands line the road in this annual rite of spring cheering their larger than life heroes. Urging, at times, even helping them victory. They ride in the tracks of bygone legends dreaming of distant fame and glory. But glory is not without a price. These bloodied and battered warriors struggle through the rain, the cold, the mud, on roads better suited to oxen cart than bicycles. But for the victor there is glory, immortality and a place in history amongst the giants of the road. Since 1896, the greatest bike racers on earth have come to test their very souls in this brutal and beautiful spectacle". CBS Sports - 1987
*"This is a race that suits me when I'm having a good day. On the other hand, if you don't have the legs, this is the worst place you could possibly be." - Jo Planckaert, 2004 [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/worldcup04/roubaix04/?id=livecomp 102nd Paris-Roubaix - CDM] ]
*"It's a circus, and I don't want to be one of the clowns." - Chris Boardman (Speaking before the race start on British Eurosport).
* Bernard Hinault on the arrival line he had just passed first in 1981: "Paris-Roubaix est une connerie" translating "Paris-Roubaix is bullshit" or "Paris-Roubaix is damned rubbish". [ [http://www.humanite.fr/popup_imprimer.html?id_article=651658 LA FAUTE A MACADAM] ]
* "It's a pile of shit, this race, it's a whole pile of shit ... You're working like an animal, you don't have the time to piss and you wet your pants ... You're riding in mud like this and you're slipping and ... it's a pile of shit, you must clean yourself otherwise you will go mad ... " Dutchman Theo de Rooy speaking to John Tesh of CBS Sports after his breakaway during the 1985 race. Tesh asks, "Will you ever ride it again?", to which De Rooy responds, "Sure, it's the most beautiful race in the world!" to which Tesh and his crew and De Rooy burst out in laughter.

Notes and references

*Bouvet, P. Callewaert, P. Gatellier, J. Laget S. (2006). "Paris Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell", VeloPress.

Further reading

* Philippe Bouvet, Pierre Callewaert, Jean-Luc Gatellier, Laget Serge: "Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell" (ISBN 1934030090), VeloPress. The inside story of the race, its great riders, its traditions, and its secrets

External links

*Official|http://www.letour.fr
* [http://www.lesamisdeparisroubaix.com/ Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix] fr icon
* [http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/apr07/roubaix07/?id=/features/2007/roubaix_secteurs07 Description of Paris-Roubaix cobbled sectors by cyclingnews.com]

Winners

Winners by country