Paris Roubaix 2008 - Live Coverage

Published: Apr. 14, 2008

03:54 AM: Good day and ...

... welcome to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 2008 edition of Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North.
The skies were gray, but conditions dry, as the 198 starters left Compiègne at 10:55 local time. The slight wind was from the south, encouraging attacks from the start. The pace averaged 52 kph in the opening kilometers with Frenchman Mattheue Ladagnus taking a solo 30-second lead after 15km, but he was caught after five kilometers on his own. We've seen several attacks and by 90 kilometers, three men - Alexander Serov (Tinkoff), Jan Kuyckx (Landboukredit) and Matthe Pronk (Collstrop) - have moved ahead with an advantage of 1:45.
04:34 AM: The escapees

Have reached the 116km mark and now enjoy an advantage of nearly five minutes. Yup, that's a big chunk of time, but there are still more than 150km remaining in today's race, so you probably shouldn't bet the rent on any of their chances of victory.

Meanwhile back in the main field, we've seen the withdrawal of Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) who pulled out in the feedzone. No Norwegian winner this year, but the Scandinavian contingent still has a big favorite in the mix, in Slipstream's Magnus Backstedt.
04:39 AM: Hardcore

This morning, long before the start at 10:55, we spotted Mike Sinyard, the founder of Specialized wandering around the start. He mentioned that his Advanced R&D manager Chris D'Aluisio (yup, he's Carmen's husband) and road product manager Don Langley left Compiegne on their bikes at 5 a.m. with lights on to ride the course before the riders.

"They tried to get me to go with them, I said that's way too hardcore for me" Sinyard

Sinyard is taking a car today, instead, and we'll probably spot him along the cobbles in the Arenberg.
04:41 AM: Frischkorn

We spoke with Will Frischkorn this morning about the pressure of riding his first Paris-Roubaix. He says he's taking it in stride.

"Well, at a certain point you just have to remind yourself that it is just another bike race. That helps ease the pressure."

The team is staying 30km outside of Compiegne in the town of Villers Coters. Frischkorn said that being away from the noise and buildup in Compiegne was good for the team to help riders relax a bit before the big show.
04:43 AM: The escapees

lead is now past five minutes. They have passed through cobble section 24. Since those are numbered in reverse order, they have 23 more to go and just around 138km ahead of them.
04:45 AM: Faking it?

This morning, Roger Hammond spoke with us about his teammate, George Hincapie, and the American's apparently calm demeanor over the past few days.

"George is dealing with pressure. We all are. He is getting older, which means he's just better at covering it up."
04:48 AM: Weather

There was overnight rain, so the roads were wet two hours before the start. The black clouds have rolled out temporarily and clear skies have followed. Its a brisk day, maybe 45 degrees at the most. It's cloudy out there, again, but the rain really hasn't done much beyond a slight drizzle now-and-then. One team hoping for a bit of surly weather, though, is the Slipstream crew, riding in support of 2004 winner, Magnus Backstedt. Team director Johnny Weltz said that "in our situation rain would be an advantage. Maggy likes it when it is like that. When it rains some guys lose it and snap; you eliminate 25-percent of the guys on the starting line. We are so focused on this that it doesn't matter. It won't be against us. Let it rain!"
04:55 AM: Rough roads and risk

The three leaders - Alexander Serov (Tinkoff), Jan Kuyckx (Landboukredit) and Matthe Pronk (Collstrop) - are holding on to their five-minute lead. So far, we haven't seen any major mechanical issues and only one crash, that of Saunier Duval's Emanno Capelli, who hit the deck at around 30km. He didn't resume racing.

Weltz told us this morning that the team has been working hard to prepare for the tough sections of the route.

"It's very important when you go into the first section of Pave that you know how to get into it. It is extremely fast, like 60km an hour because you are descending. We practiced that and tried some wheels two days before the race. We played around with pressure in the tires and wheels, I think we have a good setup."

The peloton is well past that first section and all of the Slipstream crew - and most of the rest of the peloton - made through unscathed.
04:57 AM: Dry roads

The wet roads we saw this morning are nice and dry now, and the rain really has not materialized as some had hoped (or feared).
05:01 AM: The leash

looks like it's no more than five minutes. The leaders are still hovering around the five-minute mark as they ride cobble section No. 21.
05:02 AM: The leaders

have an advantage of 5:38.
05:07 AM: The peloton

is powering through section 21, a 2.5km stretch of cobbles. CSC is driving at the front.
05:08 AM: The peloton

is still pretty much together, with all of the favorites - Backstedt, Boonen, Hincapie, Flecha, Hammond, Cancellara - in the mix.
05:10 AM: With 112km

remaining, the leaders are still enjoying an advantage of 5:23. While "enjoy" may not be the right word, they at least have the advantage of avoiding the risk of riding the nasty cobbles in a crowd.
05:12 AM: The peloton

is now driving into section 20, 1.6km of moderate pave'... well, moderate when you compare it to the Arenberg, which is coming up in 22km.
05:14 AM: The weather

is holding with the sun strong enough to cast shadows on the road, although we do have clouds hovering out there.
05:16 AM: The gap

with 108km remaining, is now 5:14. The peloton is still very large and the speed is high, with CSC at the front.
05:18 AM: The cobbles ahead

Just as a reminder, here is a list of the cobble sections still ahead. The parenthetical number indicates the ranking, with (5) being the most difficult.

19 (Haveluy, Km 155.5): 2500 m (4)

18 (Arenberg forest, Km 163.5): 2400 m (5)

17 (Wallers at Helesmes, Km 170): 1600 m (4)

16 (Hornaing at Wandignies, Km 176.5): 3700 m (3)

15 (Warlaing at Brillon, Km 184): 2400 m (3)

14 (Tilloy at Sars-et-Rosieres, Km 187.5): 2400 m (3)

13 (Beuvry-la-Foret at Orchies, Km 194): 1400 m (3)

12 (Orchies, Km 199): 1700 m (3)

11 (Auchy-lez-Orchies at Bersee, Km 205): 1200 m (2)

10 (Mons-en-Pevele, Km 210.5): 3000 m (5)

9 (Merignies at Pont-a-Marcq, Km 216.5): 700 m (2)

8 (Pont-Thibaut, Km 219.5): 1400 m (3)

7 (Templeuve, l'Epinette, Km 225): 200 m (1)

(Moulin de Vertain, Km 225.5): 500 m (2)

6 (Cysoing at Bourghelles, Km 232): 1300 m (4)

(Bourghelles at Wannehain, Km 234.5): 1100 m (4)

5 (Camphin-en-Pevele, Km 239): 1800 m (4)

4 (Carrefour de l'Arbre, Km 242): 2100 m (5)

3 (Gruson, Km 244): 1100 m (2)

2 (Hem, Km 251): 1400 m (1)

1 (Roubaix, espace Charles-Crupelandt, Km 257): 300 m (1)
05:25 AM: Nice!

The authorities have managed to stop a local commuter train, which means the peloton wasn't slowed in its pursuit of the three breakaway riders.
05:27 AM: Sidewalks

The peloton is on a wide stretch of road, but it's not wide enough. We see the Lampre team on the sidewalk, trying to move up in anticipation of the next stretch of cobbles... the last one before the feared section of the Arenberg.

Ag2r's Swiss rider, Martin Elminger has just crashed...
05:28 AM: CSC

The CSC is powering through section 19, the cobbles at Haveluy. It's a 2.5km stretch ranked at (4).
05:30 AM: The wind

Here at Haveluy, the cobbles are very exposed to a strong wind.
05:31 AM: Big Maggy

is up near the front, sitting right on Fabian Cancellara's wheel. We're seeing riders at the back of the field crashing, nothing serious, though. ... it was Yurly Kristov from Ag2r. That does have to hurt.
05:34 AM: Christoph Laurent

is here for Slipstream. He's ridden the race seven times already.

"The other guys are a big motivation for me. I think it is difficult for Paris-Roubaix. It is unimaginable and crazy. I don't tell them this because they could be afraid. My first Paris-Roubaix was in 2002. It was very crazy, a lot of rain and the conditions were very bad for my first. I tell myself it was my last Paris-Roubaix. But two weeks later I told myself the race was magic and I needed to come back. Three years ago I attack at 2km before the finish but it was not good. At 1km to the finish the pack came back on me and I was 35th or so. Agritubel that year, finished only 8 minutes down."

"Magnus is a big favorite and a leader for the team. He can win Paris-Roubaix and can win the race. Big motiavation. Every rider works for Magnus."
05:35 AM: The leaders

are in the Arenberg. They have less than four minutes on the peloton. The peloton is moving fast, mostly in a fight for position.
05:37 AM: The three leaders

are working their way through the Arenberg quite easily.

Back in the field, there has been another crash. And it looks like Flecha has flatted... bad, bad timing for him.
05:39 AM: Into the Arenberg

The peloton is in the forest, just 2:52 behind the leaders. Up front, Alexander Serov (Tinkoff) has faded back as Jan Kuyckx (Landboukredit) and Matthe Pronk (Collstrop) move ahead on their own.
05:40 AM: The pace

in the peloton is high. We see Hincapie, Boonen, Backstedt and the whole CSC crew up there in good position. Flecha, meanwhile is chasing hard... but he may be facing a tough day. He's on the wheel of Pozzato, who was caught in that crash.
05:41 AM: Backstedt

looks like he's losing ground... he may not have it today.
05:43 AM: Huge crowds

as the peloton leaves the Arenberg. Boonen, Enrico Franzoi, Hincapie, Wesseman and a small group of others led the field... but there are still quite a few riders close to the front. Backstedt, too, has fought his way back.
05:45 AM: Lots of splits

The forest sure had an impact. There are several small groups at the front of the field. We're still sorting through the names.
05:46 AM: Up front

the three leaders are back together, meaning that Serov made it back to his two breakaway companions. The gap is just 2:30 to a group led by Boonen and Van Summeren.
05:48 AM: The Boonen group

is just 1:24 behind the three leaders. In the Boonen group, we see about 25 riders and it includes pretty much all the big players... except for Flecha.
05:49 AM: More cobbles

The Boonen group is on section 17, Wallers at Helesmes, a 1.6km stretch rated at (4).
05:52 AM: Pozzato

Ick... he has a big strawberry on his hip, where his shorts used to be. He is chasing hard, but it's not looking good for the Liquigas man.
05:54 AM: The three leaders are

just 50 seconds ahead of a hard-charging chase group of about 25 or 30. We see Hammond and Hincapie in there. Backstedt is in there. Boonen is probably the big fav' in this mix.
05:55 AM: Heading to section

16, the 3.7km stretch of Hornaing at Wandignies. In that big chase group, we also see the big CSC contingent. We see O'Grady and Cancellara, the last two winners of this race. You sure can't count these guys out.
05:58 AM: Closing in

The Boonen group is just 30 seconds behind the three leaders.
06:03 AM: Serov caught

by the hard-charging Boonen group. Actually, it's being led by Hammond and Hincapie.
06:06 AM: Psssssssst

Jan Kuyckx (Landboukredit) has flatted just as he started into the cobbles. So we have just one leader off the front. Hincapie leads the chase onto the cobbles of Hornaing at Wandignies.

Further back, Pozzato has made a bike switch. He's about 1:30 behind the Hincapie/Boonen group.
06:10 AM: 75km

remaining. Pronk continues to lead on his own, but he's not going to be out there much longer. Behind him, he has a powerful group, including Boonen, Devolder, Hincapie, Hammond and others, behind him.

Meanwhile, Pozzato and Flecha are 1:00 behind that group.
06:11 AM: Pronk

is on cobble section 15 - Warlaing at Brillon, Km 184: 2400 m (3) - and is just seconds ahead of the chase group.
06:13 AM: Pronk is caught

So we have an elite group, including Boonen, Hincapie, Baden Cooke, Devolder, Ogrady, Nuyens, Quinziato... and the Pozzato chase is just 50 seconds back.
06:15 AM: One rider

we don't see in there is Backstedt. We thought he was in there, but he had a tough time in the Arenberg.

Meanwhile the leaders are on the 2.4km section of cobbles of Tilloy at Sars-et-Rosieres, rated at (3).
06:15 AM: Dusty

The wind is blowing and the absence of rain means that the dust is kicking up.
06:17 AM: Hammond

faded out of the Hincapie group and is caught by Flecha, who appears to be closing in on the leaders.
06:19 AM: Hammond and Flecha

have rejoined the lead group. Flecha's been chasing for more than 20km after that flat heading into Arenberg. He's a dangerous player in this group.
06:21 AM: Pozzato

is closing in the lead group as things appear to have eased up in the front. He has Baden Cooke and Servais Knaven with him.
06:25 AM: Section 13

The lead group of 30 is entering section 13 - Beuvry-la-Foret at Orchies, Km 194: 1400 m (3) - and Pozatto is back in the group. We see Boonen, Devolder, Pozzato, Hoste, Ballan, Flecaha, Hincapie, Wesemann, Nuyens, Hammond and Quinziato
06:31 AM: Kuycx

who was in the original three-man break, has latched on to the back of the lead group of 35.

CSC has O’Grady, Breschel, Cancellara, Johansen and Ljungqvist

Rabobank has Flecha and Langeveld

Colstrop has Wesemann

Silence Lotto has De Voght, Roelandts, Van Summeren

Liquigas has Pozatto and Fischer

Quick Step has Boonen, De Jongh, Devolder, Huslmasn and Weylandt

High Road has Hincapie, Eisel and Hammond

Lampre has Ballan

Gerolsteiner has Krauss

Milram has Grabsch

Scheirlinckx (Cofidis)

Mengin (FDJ)

Clerc and Martias (Bouygues Telecom)

Cooke (Barloworld)

Maaskant (Slipstream)
06:32 AM: CSC

with five riders in the mix, the CSC team is putting on the pressure and sending Ljungqvist off the front. They are clearly the strongest group and we can expect to see the CSC team attack out of the group all the way to Roubaix.
06:36 AM: Crash

Clerc, Ljungvist and Langeveld have crashed.
06:37 AM: Guesdon

O'Grady and one other rider are now on the attack, but the High Road team has pulled them back. The remaining riders are heading into section 11.
06:38 AM: With 56km remaining

the lead group is mostly back together. Hincapie has had a flat... he's trailing.
06:40 AM: Hincapie

has a slow leak and is not getting help from the team car. He's been dropped and is hoping for a wheel. He's finally getting a wheel, but the gap is big. He's got a big, big job ahead of him.
06:41 AM: Liquigas's Fischer

also gets a wheel. He and Hincapie are both working their way through the team cars.
06:42 AM: Hincapie

Despite his initial panic, he's making his way back. He's only 16 seconds off the back, but now we see an attack out of the group as they make their way on to section 11. Off the front, it's Van Summerern for Silence-Lotto.
06:44 AM: Van Summeren

only has about 20 meters. Behind, Hincapie is having a time of it. The speed up front has really picked up as riders realize that one of the favorites is in trouble. Boonen and Devolder and others are driving hard at the front. Van Summeren is caught.
06:46 AM: Things shaking out

The lead group is now down to just eight, including O'Grady, Cancellara, Boonen... three former winners with just 50km to go. We also see Devloder (QuickStep), Ballan (Lampre) and Maaskant (Slipstream) Van Summeren (Silence Lotto).

Hincapie is now about 30 seconds back, chasing with the survivors of the group.
06:49 AM: Here comes a toughy

The leaders are on Section 10 - Mons-en-Pevele, Km 210.5: 3000 m (5) - That's three km of (5) difficulty pave'.

Up front, Devolder is on the attack. He won Flanders this way.
06:51 AM: Devolder is

really pushing it on this tough section of cobbles. Hincapie has a lot of company, but that group is still 25 seconds back.
06:53 AM: Huge crowds

This tough section of cobbles has more people lining the road than did the Arenberg.

Back on the pavement, O'Grady attacks and tries to bridge up to Devolder.
06:55 AM: O'Grady

is looking good, especially when you remember the horrible crash he had in last year's Tour de France. Those "HTFU" wristbands really do have the right ju-ju.
06:57 AM: O'Grady joins up

with Devolder. With 42km remaining the two leaders are on the cobbles of Merignies at Pont-a-Marcq. With all of the action up front, it looks bad for Hincapie. We're looking for a time gap.
06:59 AM: The two leaders

are cooperating. They have about 20 seconds on the chase led by Hoste and Van Summeren
07:02 AM: More cobbles

The two leaders are now on the Pont-Thibaut, cobbles, they are 1400 m long and ranked at (3). Van Summeren is now trying to bridge up.
07:04 AM: O'Grady, Devolder

are about to be caught, not only by Van Summeren, but also by Cancellara, Hoste, Boonen, Ballan, Maaskant.
07:05 AM: Up front

We have O'Grady, Devolder, Van Summeren, Cancellara, Hoste, Boonen, Ballan, Maaskant. The last time-check to the Hincapie group is now up to 1:15.
07:07 AM: Section seven

the leaders are heading into section seven, made up of two small parts totalling 700 meters. Van Summeren has been dropped from the lead group.

The time gap to the Hincapie group is at 1:35, with 36km remaining.
07:07 AM: Boonen attacks

with 35km to go and Cancellara and Ballan join him.
07:10 AM: The leading trio

are building up the gap. We see Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara and Alessandro Ballan. O'Grady, Devolder, Maaskant and Hoste are just ten seconds back.
07:11 AM: 15 seconds

The Boonen/Ballan/Cancellara trio has 15 seconds on the group of four, two of whom - O'Grady and Devolder - have teammates in the lead. That will hurt the chase.
07:13 AM: 32 seconds

the leading three have 32 seconds with just around 30km to go. Meanwhile, it looks like Hincapie is now more than two minutes behind the leaders.
07:14 AM: The leaders

are heading to the cobbles of Cysoing at Bourghelles, a 1.4km Class 4 stretch of pave'.
07:16 AM: On the cobbles

let's see how the chase effort forms on the Cysoing at Bourghelles cobbles. O'Grady and Devolder are simply sitting at the back of the chase, so the duties are on the shoulders of Maaskant and Hoste.
07:17 AM: The leaders

have 46 seconds on the chase group. The Hincapie chase is now at 2:32, with just 27km remaining.
07:19 AM: On the pave'

O'Grady takes a dig and brings Devolder with him, leaving Maaskant and Hoste in the dust.
07:20 AM: Hoste is fighting back

Maaskant is dropped.
07:21 AM: With 25km to go

The leading trio has 54 seconds on the chase group.
07:22 AM: O'Grady again

He takes off, with Devolder on his wheel again. Those other two are having a tough time maintaining the pace.
07:23 AM: Devolder

moves ahead of O'Grady... and Hoste is fighting to regain O'Grady's wheel.
07:24 AM: O'Grady catches back

Hoste and Maaskant are dropped. Up front, the leaders are taking their last feeds, as they approach the 20km-to-go mark, after which such feeds are illegal.
07:25 AM: The gap

The leading three have 1:03 on Devolder and O'Grady.
07:28 AM: This race is always

amazing. Considering the risk of mechanicals and the cobbles, you'd think it would be a crapshoot at times, but the three men up front right now were the ones who made the podium in 2006. They are entering section 5, the 1.8km of (4) cobbles at Camphin-en-Pevele.
07:28 AM: Lots of fans

their flags suggest a reasonably brisk cross-wind from the left side of the road.
07:29 AM: Just 19km

to go and the gap to Devolder and O'Grady is now up to 1:20. The Hincapie chase is so far back that none of those guys will be a factor at this point.
07:30 AM: Maaskant and Hoste

have fought their way back to O'Grady and Devolder.
07:34 AM: Cancellara

is putting on the gas. On the Carrefour de l'Arbre cobbles. Boonen fights back and brings Ballan with him.
07:34 AM: HUGE crowds!

The crowds are massive on this the last of the most difficult pave' sections.
07:35 AM: With 15km to go

the leading three have 1:35 on the four-man chase group.
07:36 AM: The remaining cobbles

3 (Gruson, Km 244): 1100 m (2)

2 (Hem, Km 251): 1400 m (1)

1 (Roubaix, espace Charles-Crupelandt, Km 257): 300 m (1)
07:37 AM: The four

chasers are fighting their way across the cobbles of section four.
07:38 AM: Ballan

Seems to be the smart one in the group. He's letting Boonen and Cancellara fight it out.
07:40 AM: Boonen and Cancellara

continue to attack as the race rockets toward Roubaix. The leaders are just 11km from the finish.
07:42 AM: With 10.5km

to go, the three men up front are still together. The gap back to the chasing foursome is now up to 2:17. One of these three will win Paris-Roubaix.
07:45 AM: You can see

the edge of town in Roubaix. These guys can smell the finish. Just 8.5km remaining.
07:45 AM: Cobbles

this is the 1.4km stretch of easy pave' at Hem.
07:46 AM: Ballan is setting tempo at the front

Boonen and Cancellara are sitting on his wheel and calculating their chances with just 7.25km remaining.
07:48 AM: Off the cobbles

With 6.5km remaining, the only pave' remaining is that little 200-meter stretch outside of the Roubaix velodrome.
07:49 AM: Six kilometers

to go.
07:49 AM: The chasers

are more than three minutes behind the leaders.
07:50 AM: With five kilometers

remaining, we still can't call this one for certain. Is anyone willing to gamble or are they going to leave it to the velodrome?
07:52 AM: Four km to go

The three leaders are heading toward the finish and still working together.
07:53 AM: Boonen

is really eyeing Cancellara, but the three are still sharing the work.
07:54 AM: 2km to go

still together.
07:55 AM: On the streets of Roubaix

the crowds are five deep on the final 1.5km before the finish.
07:56 AM: Off the cobbles

and 1km to go. The three men are heading toward the velodrome.
07:56 AM: In the velodrome

One lap to go!
07:57 AM: Ballan in front

Boonen attacks and he's WAY clear. BOONEN WINS IT! Cancellara comes in second.
08:01 AM: Boonen

is thrilled and celebrating his second win in Roubaix.

1. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, 259km in 5:58:42

2. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC, at 0:01

3. Alessandro Ballan (I), Lampre, at 0:01

4. Martin Maaskant, (Nl), Slipstream-Chipotle, at 3:39

5. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), CSC, at 3:57

6. Leif Hoste (B), Silence Lotto, at 3:57

7. Stijn Devolder (B), Quick Step, at 3:59

8. Johann Van Summeren (B), Silence-Lotto, at 4:35

9. George Hincapie (USA), High Road, at 5:12

10. Fabio Baldato (I), Lampre, at 5:12

And that's a wrap, folks. Thank you for checking in with us today. We'll be back with Live up-to-the-minute coverage of the Tour de Georgia, which begins Monday, April 21. See you then.

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