Paris- Roubaix is like no other road cycling race. How to watch it, if you never seen one before?
A newbie for road cyclig races
Everyone is a newbie at one point in time, and everyone has a different story, why they started watching cycling races. For instance, my father, having a severe illnes, which prevented him to travel, used to watch road cycling because of the beautiful landscape of places he never visited. One day I sat down and watched the race with him. It was the day, when Marco Pantani won the Tour de France stage finished on the top of Alpe d’Huez in 1997. And I thought, I’d probably watch the next stage too. So, I know very well, what is like to watch a race, when you sense something extreme enthusiasm about that particular event, but you don’t understand the reason entirely (yet).
Eddy Merckx on the cobbles of Arenberg in 1969. Merckx is three-time Paris-Roubaix winner (1968, 1970, 1973)Now, first thing to know, that Paris-Roubaix, unlike the beforementioned Tour de France, is a one-day race. A rather long one, with 255 km to go. Basically a road race, using the normal roads from Compiégne to Roubaix, but there are 29 shorter sectors with cobbled (thus quite uneven) surface.
This is where the fun, and sometimes the horror begins.
Both in dry and wet weather, there is always a big chance of crash, which makes the race extremely unpredictable. Also, because of the different surface, riders have to ride more carefully, which incrases the possibility, that the peloton splits into several small groups very early.
Usually, in modern road cycling, the peloton, the main bunch of riders are riding together for the most part of a race (especially in flat stages of three-week -long races) which is why sometimes people, without the routine how to watch a cycling race, just can’t understand what’s to watch on this (seemingly ) boring sport. But at a one-day race, especially at Paris-Roubaix, the peloton can be totally shattered very early.
The big turning point, one of the most anticipated sector is the Arenberg Forest (Trouée Arenberg) with still almost 100 km to go. It’s a 2,3 km long and straight cobbled road. This is the one part of the race riders have to survive, possibly in a good position at the front of the peloton (if there is still a main bunch) or in one of the front groups. Basically only after this part of the race is worth to think about any kind of tactic.
Usually cyclists are riding in groups ( small or big) because it’s more efficient, makes the rider faster. But it’s often told, that
on cobbled roads it is more safety and therefore most faster to ride alone.
If there is a solo rider who could maintain his position around 50 km to go, (or 30, or 25 km, but usually 50 is somehow a magical distance) for someone, who is watching a cycling race for the first time, this can make easier to get involved emotionally. Because that’s what human nature is like, we just like to cheer this kind of individual achievements.
If there is a well established smaller group at the front of the race, heading to the velodrome in Roubaix, the sprinting abilities will play a significant role in their tactics. Cyclists have different bodytypes, they are good in different aspects of this sport. Those riders, who are less excellent in sprint situation, most likely try to escape from the others, because entering the track of the velodrome alone would be their (almost) only chance to win the race.
If riders have to prepare for the final sprint, that’s a real killer, the tension will be high, and photo finish might decide, who would be the race winner.
Either way, the winner will be celebrated, while all th riders will look like warriors coming from the hell.
If you’ve seen one (or a few) Tour de France(s) before
Tour de France is the best known road cycling race of the world, little wonder, that people have their first encounter with this sport through this particular event. Especially in the recent few years, when the new golden generation of road cycling turned everything upside down at a race, which, let’s be honest, sometimes, especially in the first decade of the new Millenium seemed a bit boring.
So, it’s quite possible, that people who fell in love with road cycling because of Tour de France, want to discover other races. For example Paris-Roubaix. Especially after last season, when Tour de France visited the famous cobbles for a day.
Well, as I mentioned before, the main difference is, that Paris-Roubaix is a one-day race riders don’t have to care about tomorrow, or next week, everything will be decided on this particular day.
Other very important detail, that
many riders used to be the main protagonist of Tour de France won’t attend this race.
Because of the danger of gettig seriously injured, those riders, those cyclist, whose main season aims are to achive the possibly best result at a grand tour (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France or Vuelta a Espana), usually skip Paris-Roubaix.
Paris-Roubaix in 1985 was extremely wetAlso, it’s easy to imagine, that for example Tadej Pogacar, who finished 2nd in that Roubaix-stage of Tour de France last year, might be able to play a main role at the Hell of the North, but the reality is a bit harsher. It’s easier to get a better result in cobbles, when someone’s main rivals (like for example Jonas Vingegaard for Tadej Pogacar) just want to survive the day, hopefully without a crash and a serious injury, than competing in a peloton, where the main rivals of the day are palying no shit, they go for the victory. (Nevetheless, soon or later we’ll see Pogacar at Paris-Roubaix.)
Started watching road cycling only this year
Now, that’s a though nut.
All the seasoned cycling fans knew from the moment Tadej Pogacar won his first race of the year in February, that the road cycling season 2023 will be extraordinary. One of the biggest name of the sport curretly, he is racing kind of unleashed (in the most possible positive meaning of the word) since the beginning of the year, winning race after race. Only last weekend he crowned his spring with a sensational victory at Ronde van Vlaanderen.
But Pogacar won’t attend this race, so if he is the reason why you like watching road cycling (by the way, I can totally understand you, he is really something extraordinary), you might have to find some other motivation to watch Paris-Roubaix.
But you won’t be disappointed.
I promise that.
PelotonTales blog is created and written by Anita Pethő, and focusing on the historical aspects of road cycling races.
Currently, the main focus of the blog is on tTHE EARLY YEaRS OF TOUR DE FRANCE (1903-1914) , but you can find interesting stories or fun facts from every time period in the history of road cycling races.
FACES FROM THE PELOTON category is about riders with less successful career, but with some memorable moments, like Jules Deloffre, “the acrobat cyclist”, Franco “Crazy Heart” Bitossi or Fausto Coppi’s little brother Serse
Posts in the VINTAGE CYCLING IMAGE OF THE DAY, help you to learn the stories behind some iconic famous vintage cycling pictures like “the smoking cyclists”, the iconic picture of Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali on a mountain road at Tour de France 1949. Robert Jacquinot’s lunch at Tour de France 1922 , or Federico Bahamontes on the Galibier at Tour de France 1954.