Following several days of intense debate about the Paris-Roubaix chicane and a wider issue of safety in races, defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and other riders headed out for a final reconnaissance of the cobbles on Friday.
The women opted for shorter rides and avoided the Arenberg forest sector before their race from Denain to Roubaix on Saturday. Arguably the most treacherous sector of cobbles is not (yet) included in the Paris-Roubaix Femmes, with different opinions on if it should be.
The women completed their recon rides on Wednesday and Thursday, when rain soaked northern France and covered the cobbles with a layer of mud. On Friday, the sky was still grey with rain showers and the cobbles were still wet, offering the riders a taste of the worst possible conditions.
Fortunately, a sudden burst of high pressure and heat should create spring-like racing conditions on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures of 25°C forecast for the women’s race and largely dry cobbles for race days. The men should also enjoy dry and warm conditions on Sunday, with temperatures of 18°C during the afternoon when they hit the worst cobbled sectors.
The women can expect a southwesterly 30 kph wind that will be a cross-tailwind for much of their 148.5km race. The men should have an equally favourable 25kph south wind on Sunday. We can expect two fast races that are likely to finish ahead of schedule. Any rain is only forecast after Sunday’s finish.
Cyclingnews spent several hours at the entrance to the Trouée d'Arenberg on Friday and saw several big-name teams carry out their final looks at the key sector.
A gaggle of local residents, suiveurs, sportif riders, media and dog walkers waited for the riders to arrive, while local authority workers laid some last-minute asphalt and gravel in the gaps in the road. Extra barriers were erected to protect the newly introduced traffic island at the entrance and hold back the expected huge crowds that will gather to watch the race in the key point of the race.
There was a real sense of anticipation in the air about how the chicane will change the race. It will surely slow the speed of the riders on the approach to the Forest of Arenberg. They will be forced to break before the speed-calming section as they pass over an uneven level crossing and then swing right and then left into the U-turn before then turning right into the Arenberg sector and accelerating away on the 2.3km-long cobbled sector hidden amongst the trees.
Cofidis and Arkéa-B&B Hotels passed through the Forest in the morning. Movistar, Groupama-FDJ, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL and Israel-Premier Tech came later, with Alpecin-Deceuninck arriving at two o’clock, after Soudal-QuickStep in their new Gabba R rain jackets, EF Education-EasyPost, UAE Team Emirates and Lidl-Trek.
John Degenkolb, who won Paris-Roubaix back in 2015, opted to stop to take a selfie before riding into the Forest of Arenberg. Sadly he later crashed, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL revealed, and so he will race with a sore knee.
Groupama-FDJ’s Laurence Pithie is making his Paris-Roubaix debut and is arguably an outsider after his superb spring and early season. The Kiwi stopped to look at the chicane, and team manager Marc Madiot, who twice won Paris-Roubaix, jumped out of the team to offer him some instructions and advice. Madiot’s passion for the cobbles was easy to see.
The Israel-Premier Tech riders rode into the forest together but did not seem impressed with the chicane, a video posted on the Cyclingnews Instagram account catching their expletives and realisation that a dramatic slowing of speed which will change everything. Israel-Premier Tech will use Factor Ostro gravel bikes, the aerodynamic design of the bike helping them go against the end to use road bikes fitted with slightly-wider tyres.
Tim Wellens rode into the forest with several UAE Team Emirates riders before posing for a photograph. It will be the 32-year-old Belgian's Paris-Roubaix debut.
“Life is full of wonderful surprises,” he told the local French media.
Riding the "chicane"
Van der Poel and his teammate Philipsen spoke about their hopes, ambitions and safety concerns at the Deceuninck headquarters north of Kortirjk before heading to northern France to ride on the cobbles.
The World Champion is expecting his rivals to attack him early in the 260km race. Rather than study the final sectors such as the five-star ranked Mons-en-Pévèle or the Carrefour de l'Arbre, Alpecin-Deceuninck rode from the first of the 29 sectors in Troisvilles until the Forest of Arenberg, with 95km and 18 cobbled sectors to race.
Van der Poel is perhaps confident he has the power and skills to deal with his rivals after the Arenberg forest but was concerned about what will happen before there. The 2.5km Haveluy à Wallers sector, that comes a few kilometres before Arenberg, is expected to spark attacks and perhaps the first selection.
Van der Poel was not happy about the addition of a series of turns the organisers referred to as a 'chicane' (which is actually a much more severe series of turns than a proper chicane) before the entrance to the Arenberg sector but accepted that a majority of riders were in favour of something to slow the speed of the peloton before they enter the thick forest of trees and rough cobbles.
He rode around the 'chicane' with ease on Friday during his reconnaissance ride, using his cyclocross skills to take the corners. Van der Poel is likely to be one of the riders near the front to avoid the impact of the accelerations back up to speed on the early cobbles of the Arenberg forest.
“For sure, the Forest of Arenberg is one of the most dangerous sections we do in the race and in an entire year, even I don't really feel comfortable,” Van der Poel admitted.
“If you go into Arenberg in front, you're still in the race but if you enter the chicane in 20th position, you’ll be standing still and so you’ll lose half a minute in the Forest.”
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