paris roubaix

No more Arenberg forest. That really sucks. That's the best part of the
whole race.

Rick


--
We dont slow down because we get old. We get old because we slow down.

"Rick Roof" wrote in message
...
No more Arenberg forest. That really sucks. That's the best part of the
whole race.


Horrifying. The next thing you know, they won't start in Paris anymore.

Why is that? It will always be the same riders who end up in front in
a race like that. The only thing that will be different is the amount
of broken knees and broken legs.

Kenny

Kenny wrote:

Why is that?
Subsidence in the old mine shafts means it isn't just a matter of
relaying the pavé.
All the best
Dan Gregory

On 13 Jan 2005 23:37:34 -0800, "Kenny" wrote:

Why is that? It will always be the same riders who end up in front in
a race like that. The only thing that will be different is the amount
of broken knees and broken legs.

Kenny

As much as I like to watch the tapes/DVDs, every once in a while the
question of why people would race a course where some of the best bike
handlers in the world go down with no particular urging or
intervention from anyone else crosses my mind. And the strips of grass
that some of them ride right next to the crowd seem as dicey as the
pave.

I watched two very different bike races, one after the other a few
onths ago. One was last year's P-R race on DVD and the second was a
MTB race on OLN, where rider aftrer rider went down in the same S
curve, and it suddenly hit me that P-R was like that S curve stretched
out over a lot of kilometers.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Aside from that, Arenberg was what? 2.5k of the entire course??
They're replacing it with some other cobbled sections, it's no big
deal people. Maybe it'll make the race better I dare say?

Tom

It will be back. If you look at the news article, they are going to fix
the problem. For the purists, this may mean new cobbles but at least
the forest will be included in subsequent editions.

Being the best part of the whole race is subjective. I saw the race
last year from a few places including the Forest and the longer
sections take a toll no matter what. Also, they did not shorten the
route by removing the Forest, I believe it is actually longer this year
and they replaced the Forest with another cobbled section.

Like some of you, I rode the Forest cobbles 3-4 times last April and
the condition of the stones and the spacings between were pretty
horrible. You might argue that this is what makes the race what it is,
but I would disagree that the P-R is not made by the Forest alone.
After 10km of cobbles in general the average person will say, "OK,
that's it, I get it" and not want to ride any other for the rest of
their lives, proving how hard the race is.

This is echoed by S. Wesemann in a recent Pez interview:

PEZ: Yes - it was my first time there, and I really wanted to see the
great races, and ride on the cobbles of Roubaix...

Steffen: (laughing at me) What's the reason to do this...??? Except
to race...??? On these dirty roads, in bad conditions - 260km, all on
the cobblestones...??? It's crazy!

PEZ:Because we're true fans - we want to be right in the heart of
our sport!

Steffen: Hey - once a year for me, as a professional to do the race
- is more than enough - I can't understand some of these people
- they train - like 100km a day or something just so they can go
and do Paris-Roubaix cyclotourist ride! No way for me - I can't
understand it ... but it's okay...

For us during the race - we have a special bike with special tires,
but for them going on a normal bike with normal tire and it hurts so
much man...!


PEZ:Well, for me I don't know when I'm going back, so I'm really
glad I did it once.

Steffen: Yeah okay I understand that is maybe part of it to do, to say
"now I know what it's like on the cobblestones."





Rick Roof wrote:
No more Arenberg forest. That really sucks. That's the best part of
the
whole race.

Rick


--
We dont slow down because we get old. We get old because we slow
down.

My opinion is that the race will be better without the Forest. Too many
Paris-Roubaix have been LOST on that section instead of won. I don't
think that a bicycle race should have a crap shoot in the middle of it
where you can destroy your entire season and perhaps career because you
happened to ride over a cobblestone that moved.

I've ridden on cobblestones and they are difficult enough without the
crap being passed off as "road" in the Arenberg.

On 14 Jan 2005 07:55:46 -0800, "Clot Felter"
wrote:

It will be back. If you look at the news article, they are going to fix
the problem. For the purists, this may mean new cobbles but at least
the forest will be included in subsequent editions.

Being the best part of the whole race is subjective. I saw the race
last year from a few places including the Forest and the longer
sections take a toll no matter what. Also, they did not shorten the
route by removing the Forest, I believe it is actually longer this year
and they replaced the Forest with another cobbled section.

Like some of you, I rode the Forest cobbles 3-4 times last April and
the condition of the stones and the spacings between were pretty
horrible. You might argue that this is what makes the race what it is,
but I would disagree that the P-R is not made by the Forest alone.
After 10km of cobbles in general the average person will say, "OK,
that's it, I get it" and not want to ride any other for the rest of
their lives, proving how hard the race is.


I wonder if it's the cobbles or just the scene itself in the forest,
the fans screaming, waving flags, etc and wondering who is going to
fall. It's like a war- someone isn't going to make it out alive.

I was under the impression though, that during the rest of the year,
only pedestrians are allowed to go through the forest, no cars or
bikes. Is that true?

I can't imagine anyone wanting to drive through there either, since I
remember how the team cars jounce up and down. I think german tanks
probably went on that road- maybe THEY would be able to handle it.
Greg Lemond described the cobbles as looking like little tombstones,
which is pretty good description actually.