News for April 14, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

100th Paris-Roubaix

Cyclingnews' Live coverage of the 100th Paris-Roubaix has commenced. Coverage started at 10:40 local Europe time (4:40am USA eastern time, 1:40am USA west, 6:40pm Australian east).

Can Lefevere do it again?

2001 Photo © Tim Maloney

The defending champions of Paris-Roubaix are the Domo-Farm Frites squad, who will be directed by Patrick Lefevere in pursuit of their second successive win in the Hell of the North. Last year they finished 1, 2, 3, and 5, giving no other teams a look in. They are more evenly matched this year with Mapei, but Lefevere might tip the balance again.

Since 1995, he has guided six riders to win, including four "clean sweeps" such as last year. This year he is counting on two time winner Johan Museeuw to do it again, as of all the squad he is the man in form and with the experience to win. There will be no Wilfried Peeters to set the pace again after forest as he did last year, forcing the other teams to chase themselves into the pavé while the Domo riders could sit behind (and chase back on due to punctures).

Some think that Peeters should have won this race twice in his career, but it was not to be and he will drive the car tomorrow as part of the Domo team.

Lefevere said that "The tactics are to race so that the others follow us." He will need every ounce of strength from his team, which has been weakened by injuries this year to Romans Vainsteins and Leon van Bon. However, Fred Rodriguez has been riding extremely consistently this season, and Enrico Cassani figured in the final move last weekend. Add last year's winner Servais Knaven and the Lefevere factor and it should be a great battle.

Knaven trains at home

Servais Knaven Photo © Sirotti

Last year's Paris-Roubaix winner Servais Knaven did not join his Domo-Farm Frites teammates training over the parcours on Friday. The Dutchman decided to remain at home, after injuring his left elbow in a fall in training this week. He will certainly be present in Paris-Roubaix, as he was at the team presentation in Compiegne this afternoon.

Hincapie the first US rider on the podium?

George Hincapie Photo © AFP

George Hincapie (US Postal) has finished fourth twice and sixth once in Paris-Roubaix, and tomorrow is his best chance yet to climb onto the podium in the Roubaix velodrome. The tall, powerfully built American has been in excellent form for the classics, making every break and always being in contention to win. Last week in Flanders his team helped him up to the Koppenberg, where he escaped with four others including eventual winner Andrea Tafi. Hincapie finished fourth - can he go one better tomorrow?

To win Paris-Roubaix would be a "childhood dream" come true for Hincapie, who said that only this race and the Tour de France are really well known in the United States. "I know that I don't have the capacity to win the Tour, but I can perform in a one day race. So, my dream refers of course to the Hell of the North...I have a good feeling that I can be the first American rider to win in Roubaix".

He's hoping for "A little luck. It is imperative to have some. It is an impossible factor to get around through the success of your efforts. In this race, you can have three punctures and come back. Only the other hand, you can have one bad moment and the race is suddenly finished. But I am confident, feeling as good as last year. I hope to be able to play the role of favourite that I share with others."

Andrea Tafi comments

"This year will be totally different for me, because I have already won on Sunday. Alone or in a group, that does not change anything. In all ways, the best will always win."

Finot out

Frederic Finot (Jean Delatour) has had to pull out of Paris-Roubaix due to a fall in yesterday's Pino Cerami. He will be replaced by Samuel Dumoulin.

Fassa with only six

Giancarlo Ferretti's Fassa Bortolo team will only start with six (out of a maximum of eight) riders. Baldato, Loda, Petito, Zanette, Ivanov and Konyshev are the riders. There were talks of the team forfeiting, but they decided to race with six men.

Peers, Gaumont out

Both Chris Peers and Philippe Gaumont will not race in Paris-Roubaix for Cofidis. Peers feels he has still not regained his form after crashing in De Panne and taking several days off the bike. He trained for four hours yesterday at home before making the decision not to start in Paris-Roubaix.

Gaumont, who was badly injured in the Arenberg Forest last year, will not start due to ongoing allergy problems, that forced him out of the Circuit de la Sarthe on the first stage. Cofidis will be represented by Jo Planckaert, Tom Flammang, Rob Hayles, Claude Lamour, Nico Mattan, Jean-Michel Tessier, Janek Tombak and Mederic Clain.

Foret D'Arenberg

A look at the crucial pavé section

By Jeff Jones

Of the 26 cobbled sections (pavé) in this year's Paris-Roubaix, the most important, talked about and feared is the Foret D'Arenberg. In the scheme of things, it's known as Sector 15, is 2,400 metres long and comes at 97 kilometres to go. It is rightly feared, as it has been the scene of some terrible accidents over the years and often causes a crucial split in the race.

Why is it so bad? To find out, I joined a few of the folks on the Scott Sunderland-Bikestyle Classics tours today to ride it and a few other selected sections.

We started in the fairly small coal mining town of Arenberg where there happened to be a bakery open and even a cafe. Unfortunately, the latter did not serve coffee today it seemed, as we were greeted with "pas de café" by the matron out the back.

Quelle blow. How are we ever going to get on out bikes without at least two cups in us, given it was rather chilly outside? Luckily we had partaken of the fabulous brew in the Quick roadside restaurant on the way down. A highly recommended establishment for the finest in French coffee.

The Arenberg forest is being run in the downhill direction this year. The approach is over a railway line - I hope they've thought of the timetable - and past several beer tents. This section of forest is cordoned off to cars but there were plenty of mountain bikers and walkers cruising along it. There were also eight lunatics (us) led by Scott Sunderland trying to get across on road bikes. It was a foolish endeavour, and only a cyclist would contemplate it.

The start of the forest is the worst part (as well as the middle and the end), and after 100 metres I was contemplating stopping in order to get Lawrie's water bottle that had ejected itself from its cage rather quickly. I didn't, as I told him afterwards it was "only 2 km back that way" to get it. And I figured that it would make his bike light enough so he could literally float over those cobbles.

That 2.4 kilometre section of road is easily the worst I've ever encountered, although I'm admittedly a wimp when it comes to cobbles. Riding them slowly is a killer, as you feel every single contour of every cobble, and fall into every hole, all the while being shaken up so much that you're not sure which part of you (if any) is actually attached to the bike. Fast is good, but not flat out or you'll run out of legs a lot quicker than you would think.

There are some pretty serious holes along that section, and they are sure to cause at least a few punctures, hopefully nothing worse. The "trench" gets slightly better in the final half, with smoother sections on the left and right hand sides, as long as the crowd doesn't encroach too much. On the way back, several of us took dirt track on the side (the riders used to be able to use this), and it was far more pleasant, like riding a mountain bike.

Combine it with another 47 km of pavé, and you've got a bike race. Despite the lack of rain and mud tomorrow, the Arenberg will be a decider.

Weather forces change to start time

The 100th Paris-Roubaix will start 20 minutes earlier than advertised, at 10:40am local time rather than 11:00am. The organisers recalculated the time schedule due to the steady north wind that has been blowing for the past few weeks. It has shown no signs of abating, meaning that the riders will be into a headwind for most of the 261 kilometre race.

This year's edition will not be the mud bath that it was last year, as only light rain is forecast tomorrow. It has been quite dry for the past few weeks, and all of the cobblestone sections are free of mud. There is plenty of dust and grit though, and you can be sure that the famous Roubaix showers will be well utilised at the finish.

Paris-Roubaix Full Preview
Course map & profile
Start list.

Cyclingnews' Live coverage of the 100th Paris-Roubaix will start at 10:40 local time (4:40am USA eastern time, 1:40am USA west, 6:40pm Australian east).

Laurent Jalabert back on April 24

Laurent Jalabert will make a German return to competition, beginning with the International Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt (April 24-28) followed by the Rund um den Henninger Turm (GP Frankfurt) on May 1. He then hopes to ride in the Four Days of Dunkirk from May 8-12, which is not German. Jalabert has been absent from competition since Milan-San Remo, where he pulled out due to a virus.

Lindberg back in three weeks

Madeleine Lindberg will rejoin the peloton in approximately three weeks from now, according to her team Farm Frites-Hartol. Yesterday the doctors told her that after her three crashes (Giro, Holland Ladies Tour and Tour de Snowy), there is no risk for her health anymore. The national champion of Sweden was in doubt about whether she would continue cycling. Because there was no medical risk, she decided to join Team Farm Frites-Hartol.

She will stay for another three weeks in Sweden to work on her condition before she returns to Holland.

Ljungskog out of Flèche Wallonne

Sweden's Susanne Ljungskog, winner of two World Cups last year and recently second in the Trophée Féminin Méditerranéen, will not start the Flèche Wallonne, the next round in the women's World Cup next Wednesday, April 17. Ljungskog is suffering from pneumonia, being diagnosed in hospital on Friday. There is a slight chance that she can start the World Cup in Valladolid, Spain on April 21. She is currently in 6th place overall in the World cup standings.

Courtesy of Klas Johansson

McCann signs with Volksbank-Ideal

The Irish National Champion David McCann has signed with the Volksbank-Ideal division III trade team. David is currently competing in the Cinturon Tour of Mallorca with the Irish Team and after that he will join Volksbank-Ieal and move to the western part of Austria, the team base, where many of his friends are located. The next target for the Volksbank team will be the Tour of Greece from April 22-28.

French team for Mexico Track World Cup

The first round of the track World Cup will take place from April 19-21 in Monterrey, Mexico. The French team will be led by kilo world record holder Arnaud Tournant, who will dispute his specialty event as well as the Olympic sprint.

The Mexico World Cup will for the first time feature the men's and women's scratch race, as well as the women's keirin event.

French team

Men

Kilometre TT: Arnaud Tournant
Individual sprint: Arnaud Dublé, Franck Durivaux
Olympic sprint: Arnaud Tournant, Arnaud Dublé, Franck Durivaux
Keirin: Arnaud Dublé
Individual pursuit: Damien Pommereau
Team pursuit: Franck Perque, Cyril Bos, Damien Pommereau, Fabien Merciris
Points race: Franck Perque
Madison: Franck Perque, Damien Pommereau
Scratch: Benoît Genauzeau

Women

Sprint, 500 m and Keirin: Céline Nivert
Pursuit, Points and Scratch: Cathy Moncassin