- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
Prepping on the cobbles
- Article Extras
- Photos
- Race Index
Sean Kelly once said that “a Paris-Roubaix without rain is not a true Paris-Roubaix.”
Although now reporting from the sidelines, the two-time winner of the Hell of the North may get at least some satisfaction on Sunday as forecasts call for a 30-percent chance of scattered showers throughout the day when riders embark on the 259.5-kilometer (161 miles) route from Compiègne to the northern French city of Roubaix.
Sunday’s route will feature 27 sections of pavé totalling 52.9 kilometers, the most notorious of which is the feared 2.4km Trouée d'Arenberg, which will put riders over cobbles that date back to the rule of Napoleon.
In an era during which average speeds for the grand tours continues to increase on an almost annual basis, Paris-Roubaix remains a rare event in which the fastest race on record occurred some 45 years ago, when Peter Post covered a 265km ride at an average speed of 45.12kph.
Post’s record shattered the prior mark of 43.612kph, established by Rik Van Steenbergen in 1948. The latter remains No. 2 on a list of top five speeds, only one of which – Tom Boonen’s 2008 ride – occurred since Post’s record was set in 1964.
Cobbles, dust, wind, rain, mud and even the occasional freight train all conspire to make what many call the Queen of the Classics one of the most unpredictable events on the calendar.
Riders have been testing themselves and their equipment for the past few days, preparing for the race many consider to be the most important of the year.
Photographer Graham Watson has been riding the cobbles, albeit on the back of a motorcycle, getting ready for one his toughest days of the season.
Be sure to join VeloNews.com on Sunday morning for Live Coverage of Paris-Roubaix, starting at 7:30 Eastern Daylight Time (U.S.).
