Paris-Roubaix race organizers, forced by a sinkhole to abandon the infamous cobbles of the Arenberg forest, have unearthed a series of tracks that they say will be just as intimidating in Sunday's Hell of the North.

Roger de Vlaeminck who outrode Eddy Merckx in a series of mighty battles to chalk up record four wins in the 1970s has warned riders to be ready for a day of pain.

“You need to be fairly agile to avoid the bumps and pitfalls but at the end of the day you've just got to accept you're going to take a fall, dust yourself down and get on with it," said the Belgian who also won the world cyclo-cross championship.

Riders will have to tackle a total of 54.7 kilometers of cobbled roads, more than in recent years, and with heavy rain forecast they will be in for a demanding day of 259km.

Sinkholes and deteriorating stretches of cobbles forced organizers to seek at least a temporary alternative to the loved and feared stretch of pavé through the Wallers-Arenberg. Initially, the plan called for the use of the cobbles at Avesnes-le-Sec, but local officials notified the race that there will be construction work in the area, again forcing a route change.

In March, route planners moved the route south of Valenciennes, where four new cobble-stone sections will be covered in Vertain, Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes, Famars and Préseau.

Stuart O'Grady and the Cofidis crew try out the new stretch of pavé at the Hameau du Buat

Photo: AFP

In addition, the race will now include its first-ever stretch of uphill cobbled road at the Hameau du Buat. The 1700-meter stretch of pavé includes an 1100-meter uphill section. All told, the changes for 2005 mean that the total kilometers of pavé have increased from 51 in 2004 to 54.7 in this year’s race. Officials add, however, that they hope to reintegrate the Arenberg into next year’s race.

Boonen favored
Tom Boonen, unstoppable winner of last week's Tour of Flanders, is the favorite. The 24-year-old was third in 2002 on his debut and is looking for a 51st Belgian victory in the 103rd Queen of the Classics.

But he knows you have to make your own luck in this hazardous race.

"Everyone will get punctured, have a fall. You've got to get in a good position free of the main bunch," he said.

Compatriot Peter Van Petegem, the 2003 winner, Norway's Thor Hushovd and Russia's Vladimir Gusev are also rated.

And Magnus Bäckstedt, who entered the history books by becoming the first Swedish rider to win last year, appears to be in top form coming into his favorite race.

Lance Armstrong and the rest of the Tour de France favorites have, as usual, steered clear of this trap.

But the Texan's Channel Discovery team-mates Viacheslav Ekimov of Russia and fellow American George Hincapie, who has reached the top-ten five times in his career, are among the favorites.

Hincapie believes his predilection for Roubaix was formed over years of rough-and-tumble weekend racing in Central Park. "We raced whether it rained or snowed. It was pretty scary," said the New Yorker who is looking for a first American win.

Hincapie’s British teammate, Roger Hammond, third last year, said he’s ready to race despite having suffered a broken thumb in Ghent-Wevelgem on Wednesday. Hammond is awaiting an all-clear from his Discovery Channel team.