Spire

I don't know how anybody can claim that this is a real bike race. Its ludicrus.

Dannihilator

What pic is that from?

Spire

And another one, this one of Museeuw.

Spire

It seemed obvious to me, its from Paris-Roubaix 2001. I guess I should have said.

webist

I don't think the sponsors with logos are getting their money's worth. That's for sure.

Xavier

It is a race in all its meaning.

I do not have any regrets by not making it in a top pro team to have the chance to do the Paris Roubaix event.

Honestly that would be one of the few races I would beg to do.

I did have a chance to do the 'amatuer' race, but it is not nearly the same.

Paris Roubaix is much more than a race. It is hard to explain. It is an honour to be present and it carries a personal prize that cannot be explained in words.

Dannihilator

Sorry I'm not a roadie by nature.

Spire

I guess I should explain a bit more thourally. In Paris-Roubaix, it often happens that the race is won/lost because of Tschmile won in (94?) partly because the favourite and second favourite both flatted out and had to wait minutes for a tire, and even then it was a neutral service motorbike. Museeuw had 5 flats in 2001 (year from which the photos are taken) and finished 2nd by a few meters. He probably could have won by minutes without the flats! There are endless other examples like those.

fubar5

Stupidity?? Whatever dude, I'd love to do that race.

In all seriousness, I would truly like to do the Paris-Roubiax

wabbit

Roubaix is my fave spring race- it's just WILD! I often think of it as the cycling equivalent of the downhill at Kitzbuhel. Anyone who finishes in one piece, it's real feat. If you finish, congratulations! (I think maybe 56 finished the 2002 race). If you finish in the top ten, incredible! if you win, you're a hero, if you win more than once, you're just superhuman! In france, anyone who wins Roubaix is elevated to the status of god.

brent_dube

Just because it isn't a typical everyone-ride-in-a-nice-pack race doesn't keep it from being a bike race.

VegasCyclist

for one, it's tradition (not sure how many years?) and the cobbles are still there.. secondly riding the Paris-Roubiax would take not only the regular endurance and racing skill that any spring classic would take, but it also takes a tremendous amount of bike handling.

I think it was Greg Lemond who said "when I saw the cobbles it looked like little tombstones sticking out of the road"

maybe it also has a little luck infulence (more so then other races) but it surely seperates the skilled from the unskilled.

Dutchy

I would love to see Cadel Evans have a go at this race. As MTB World Champion, his bike handling skills should be the best in the peleton.

CHEERS.

Mark

Spire

It appears that I am in the minority for this one. Which I expected. I respect the fact that it is a hard and enduring race which does have a lot of respect. What I have trouble with is the amount of luck that can be involved on this one. It is almost impossible to control if you flat out or not. The examples cited before are a prefect reason why I formed the opinion I did. If somebody can't finish it because they don't have the mental effort, okay, but if somebody is put out of contention because of something that was out of their control, that I can't understand.

brent_dube

They could have used extra heavy-duty tires

MeHT

Well, no one forced them to race. They decided to race, so they were determined to finish.

velocipedio

Spire, Servais Knaven won the 2001 Roubaix by 34 seconds. The race was won not by luck, but by Domo-Farm Frites' absolutely brilliant team tactics. Almost all of the top riders, in fact, finished within three minutes of Knaven which, after a 6:45 race, is an indication of how close the competition actually was.

Bicycle racing on the road is an enormously complex sport. At it heart is the idea that the racer is not simply competing against the othet guy, but against a whole range of adversaries, none of which he or she can control. She or he is racing against other teams, against the surface of the road, against the grade of the hills, the direction of the wind, the condition of her equipment, hunger and fatigue after three weeks, and the weather.

What makes the Spring Classics, and Roubaix in particular, great races is that the racers have to overcome so many variables to win. They have to adapt their tactics to many, many conditions, and they have to be strong. Most importantly, Roubaix is always won by the smart and canny racers.

Look back at the history of the race. The winners have been the tacticians of the sport: Vlaeminck, Merckx, Museeuw, Moser, Madiot, Duclos-Lassalle. This is a thinking man's race because you have to be able to make plans, revise plans, make new plans, react and think on your wheels to win. That's what makes it great.

Is Roubaix all about luck? No. If it was, you wouldn't see the greats repeat as often as they did: Museeuw has won three, so did Moser and Merckx, and Vlaeminck won four. A whole lot of others, like Tafi and Duclos-Lassalle won twice. Luck doesn't favour repeats.

I love Paris Roubaix because the racers have to make their own luck; they have to impose their wills and intelligence on all of the variables.

If what you're looking for is a straightforward, controlled, competition where it's just racer against racer, with no external variables to contend with, then look no further than indivisdual pursuit on the track... But that's a different kind of race.

Incidentally, Bernard Hinault would agree with you... But he won the race in 1981... and now he's on the P-R organizing committee.

roadwarrior

You mean like when Sevilla had to change bikes twice due to mechanical failures in the final time trial in the Vuelta, thus eliminating him from a podium finish? On a nice warm day with no cobbles?

Or Jalabert flatting in the first TT in the TdF?

See my point?
That's why they call it racing...

wabbit

The cobbles do kind of look like little tombstones! I remember reading that description of LeMonds first Roubaix, which he didn't finish after crashing in the Arenberg forest. Most grand tour riders, like Armstrong and Ullrich tend to avoid Roubaix because of its dangers- one crash and you can be out for months. Bernard Hinault hated doing Roubaix, he said it was ridiculous! But he did the race when he was world champ because he felt he had to race as much as possible that year and not just do the grand tours. He hated the whole thing but he did it and won, in spite of crashing about ten times.

velocipedio

... and running over a poodle.

Rotifer

You were serious?! I thought you were making a statement with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Sorry man, Paris - Roubaix is my favorite race and those images make my heart beat faster ... thanks for the great pics! I remember Armstrong saying that he wants to repay Hincapie for his hard work by helping him win the Paris-Roubaix at some point.

[edit] Great article I found. https://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=359

gmason

This race, and many others over here, are called Classics for a reason. I guess it all depends upon whether you want perfect weather, smooth paved streets swept just before the race, and all the other creature comforts available to you.

I suspect that someone who does not appreciate (and perhaps love) these cycling classics would also prefer current motor racing over the (mostly defunct) classics such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, etc.

From my perspective, that is the real racing. Much more identifiable with real life, and what we have to put up with when driving, riding, etc.

To each his own, however.

Cheers...Gary

wabbit

Paris Roubaix is my fave but I also love the Ronde van Vlanderen. I just watch them going over those cobbles and I think OUCH OUCH OUCH! I am hoping to get a tape of this year's Ronde because they did the Koppenberg. Frankly, if I were a pro racer in Europe, I'd be a classics rider. I am not a climber and can't see myself barfing up my lungs in the alps. As for Armstrong, I really wonder if he'd actually do Roubaix, he hasn't done it in years and I wonder if he'd risk crashing and ruining his chances at doing the tour.

roadwarrior

in case you are looking for a tape..
https://www.worldcycling.com/merchant...ct_Code=FLNV02

they also have it in DVD, and both are on sale. I think it's about 3 1/2 hours of racing action.

Lance Armstrong

Yeah, it is stupid, that's why I don't do it. I let George go for it, he's so hungry for fame. Poor little lemming, he's not going anywhere until I leave.