As we rely all the way down to Sunday and the Hell of the North, we glance again at Ed Hood’s 2007 Paris Roubaix and the way the below canine, Stuart O’Grady, left the highest riders in his mud (it was dry that yr). As a daily to the Queen Traditional, Ed and his friends at all times examine the cobbles of Arenberg, the mechanics at work, the Roubaix velodrome and, in fact, an area French bar.
“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Pricey Readers – Our beloved colleague and good friend Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t anticipate Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the total submit right here – and please think about donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a number of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
Cancellara and Boonen have been on 5 stars; Hoste, Van Petegem, Flecha, Gusev, Ballan and Pippo on 4 with Backstedt, Guesdon, Burghardt, Nuyens and Steegmans on three.
Approach down the rankings on two stars with Van Bon, De Jongh, Hammond. . . was a sure Australian gentleman, Stuart O’Grady by title however it might be he who hoisted that coveted cobble stone above his head, not his 5 starred CSC staff mate, Fabian – who duly made an affordable job of not wanting disgusted with nineteenth place.
However we’re forward of ourselves, let’s return to the Friday earlier than the Sunday in Hell. . .
On the ultimate sector of cobbles exterior the velodrome there’s the title of each winner etched into the stones – we took photos of some however absolutely Il Campionissimmo has to take satisfaction of place?
Grand Tour Maestro, pursuiter supreme, chronoman, Classics Man and winner over the Hell of the North – really, a Legend .
We bought to look at that strip of white paint which males will and have carried out something to cross first – limitless kilometers within the rain coaching, crashes, endured starvation and thirst, bribes given and brought, and naturally, all method of chemical help. However only one man annually will get to that inch of white paint first – and when he does, he turns into a part of the Legend.
And there’s the bell – the harbinger of pleasure or doom relying on how a lot is left in your legs and thoughts.
After our wander around the velodrome with Dave reminiscing about his VC Roubaix days, we headed out onto the parcours the place the ‘pavement artists’ have been already busy – an enormous Tom Boonen win in Belgium is particular however alas the ‘Twister’ needed to accept sixth that day.
There was one sector we simply needed to go to; it has completely different names, the Forest of Arenberg however also called the ‘Tranchée d‘Arenberg’ – the ‘Arenberg Trench’ as a result of it’s virtually at all times moist in there because of the overhanging bushes. We have been fortunate, it was a wonderful spring day.
The unique route is alleged to have been pioneered by The Romans – it’s definitely straight sufficient to have been engineered by the Legions – and was used to move coal by horse and cart out of the colliery which sits at the beginning of the forest.
Former World Street Race Champion, Jean Stablinski it was who launched the Arenberg cobbles to the organizers – Polish by delivery he was naturalized as a Frenchman at 16 and labored within the mines under Arenberg earlier than he turned an expert rider boasting that he was the one man who’d walked on and beneath the infamous units.
As we stated in de Ronde preview, it wouldn’t do to assume an excessive amount of about what you’re going to be using over on dash rims and fragile tubular tyres simply over an inch broad.
On a gentle spring day with the birds singing within the woods and locals out for a stroll or to train their horses it’s a pleasant place to be – however that’s an phantasm, this can be a vicious sector, a spot the place Johan Museeuw virtually misplaced his leg after a nasty crash.
If Friday is ‘examine our Arenberg day’ then Saturday is ‘bug the mechanics day.’
There’s the standard 28 mil. tyres, cyclo-cross bikes full with cantilever brakes and extra levers on the flats of the bars but additionally little issues – just like the pop rivet via the seat tube into the seat submit on Ballan’s bike to forestall any slippage.
Race day and we have to see what the papers say – and a beer, earlier than we head into the ‘secteurs.’
The wee nation bars in Northern France are cool; when you’re an ‘outsider’ when the locals are available in they arrive throughout, say ‘bon jour’ and shake your hand – civilized.
It was a gentle day with a little bit of a warmth haze and many mud because the string hammered into out sector, using on the crown the place the cobbles are usually not fairly so damaging to the posterior.
The following group via was led by 1995 Gent-Wevelgem winner, Lars Michaelsen for Cancellara with 2004 Roubaix winner Backstedt and 2002 Ronde winner Wesemann in shut attendance. The cream was on the prime already.
It’s really a tough race to observe due to its place to position nature and we narrowly missed them a time or two and needed to scramble ‘final gasp’ photos. That flyover was about as excessive as they needed to climb on the day.
Regardless of the massive Boonen v. Cancellara billing it was the ‘le troisieme larron’ – ‘the third thief’ who stole the jewels. Aussie O’Grady went up the street leaving CSC staff chief Cancellara stranded behind, unable to chase.
Leukemans, Flecha, Wesemann and Petito have been subsequent onto the velodrome; all of them wanting on the rostrum – nonetheless a extremely prestigious consequence.
And it was Buenos Aires best-ever pave rider, Juan Antonio Flecha who beat exhausting man and Pez interviewee, Wesemann into third – the stocky German from Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt received the Peace Race 4 occasions.
Wesemann’s visage as he answered the inevitable post-race questions stated all of it – however not a nasty consequence in any respect for his second string Wiesenhof staff.
Pippo in the meantime had different issues on his thoughts – what the hell was he going to do together with his hair? Gel, mud and chilly water – a nasty mixture, his hairdresser would disown him when he noticed this mess. Pippo completed thirty fifth that day and he’s nonetheless able to a prime ten within the Primavera ten years later, regardless of poking just a little enjoyable on the man’s hair now we have respect for him – a colourful, charismatic man in an more and more ‘gray’ peloton.
French Champion, Florent Brard in the meantime regarded like he’d stopped off on the Arenberg Colliery and loaded a few tons of black gold onto the wagons.
The 2004 winner, massive Magnus Backstedt was philosophical about his forty seventh spot; ‘you possibly can’t win yearly. . .’
And that was ‘The Queen of the Classics for an additional yr, historical past made with an Aussie winner.
# Keep PEZ for the ‘Race Report’ on Sunday and all of the information in ‘EUROTRASH’ on Monday. #
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