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104th Paris-Roubaix - PT
France, April 9, 2006
A route to 'Hell': The Paris-Roubaix parcours
By Anthony Tan
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Like its Belgian half-brother, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, racing does not commence for real until almost 100 kilometres of racing has been covered. Beginning at Compiègne's Place du Palais, approximately 80 kilometres north of the nation's capital, the official start time is 1100 hours Sunday morning, although the Départ fictif is 10 minutes beforehand.
Heading direction nor'-nor'-east, the first of 27 cobbled secteurs comes after 98 kilometres at Troisvilles à Inchy, a 2,200 metre-long stretch of pavé to loosen up the legs... and pretty much everything else on the bike and body! Inspecting each of the secteurs last Monday, race director Jean-François Pescheux rated each based on three criteria: length, state of repair (or in some cases, disrepair) and its position in the race (see classification below). Troisvilles was awarded 3 out of 5 stars, or medium difficulty.
Then in descending order, the remaining 26 secteurs of pavé follow in quick succession with little respite. As mentioned in the preview, the first key secteur comes almost 66 kilometres later as the riders enter secteur 17, or La Forêt d'Arenberg at km 163,5, the 2,400 metre stretch not the longest but awarded 5 out of 5 - the severest of all.
The next key secteur arrives after 210,5 kilometres. 3000 metres in length, Mons-en-Pévèle is the second longest, and coupled with its position in the race, roughly 50 kilometres from the Roubaix velodrome, Monsieur Pescheux has also given it the five-star treatment.
If the race has not taken a definitive shape after Mons-en-Pévèle, it will by the time the riders exit Le Carrefour de l'Arbre, the fourth last secteur and the only other to receive a five-star rating. When one reaches Le Carrefour de l'Arbre, it is the culmination of 242 kilometres' racing and a trio of four-star pavé secteurs only 10 kilometres before it. Numbness, frailty and exhaustion are likely outcomes.
But for one man, after 259 kilometres, six hours' plus on arguably the most gruelling cycling terrain on earth and two laps of the Roubaix velodrome, the pain will all have been worth it.
Unfortunately, our ProTour parcours man and Chief Online Editor, Dr. Jeff Jones, is still been nursed from the mental scars he suffered after riding the full distance in last weekend's 270 kilometre-long Ronde van Vlaanderen, insanely completed the day before the actual event. However, the good news is that he's already aboard the recently refurbished Hindenburg V, and perched on a triple-sprung chair with the creature comforts of gas heating (naturally) and home-made Belgian waffles, 'Doc' will be ready to provide live coverage to our viewers this Sunday.
Les secteurs pavés
Secteur Km mark Place Length Rating
27 98 km Troisvilles to Inchy 2,2 km ***
26 104,5 km Viesly to Quiévy 1,8 km ***
25 107 km Quiévy to Saint-Python 3,7 km ****
24 112 km Saint-Python 1,5 km **
23 119,5 km Vertain to St-Martin-sur-Écaillon 1,9 km ***
22 126,5 km Capelle-sur-Écaillon - Le-Buat 1,7 km ***
21 138 km Verchain-Maugré to Quérénaing 1,6 km ***
20 141 km Quérénaing to Maing 2,5 km ***
19 144 km Maing to Monchaux-sur-Écaillon 1,6 km ***
18 155,5 km Haveluy to Wallers 2,5 km ****
17 163,5 km Trouée d'Arenberg 2,4 km *****
16 170 km Wallers to Hélesmes 1,6 km ****
15 176,5 km Hornaing to Wandignies - Hamage 3,7 km ***
14 184 km Warlaing to Brillon 2,4 km ***
13 187,5 km Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières 2,4 km ***
12 198,5 km Orchies 1,7 km ***
11 205 km Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée 2,6 km ***
10 210,5 km Mons-en-Pévèle 3,0 km *****
9 216,5 km Méringnies to Pont-à-Marcq 0,7 km **
8 219,5 km Pont-Thibaut to Ennevelin 1,4 km ***
7 225 km Templeuve - L'Épinette 0,2 km *
7 225,5 km Templeuve - Moulin-de-Vertain 0,5 km **
6 232 km Cysoing to Bourghelles 1,3 km ****
6 234,5 km Bourghelles to Wannehain 1,1 km ****
5 239 km Camphin-en Pévèle 1,8 km ****
4 242 km Carrefour de l'Arbre 2,1 km *****
3 244 km Gruson 1,1 km **
2 251 km Hem 1,4 km *
1 259 km Roubaix 0,3 km *
Total length des secteurs pavés 52,7 km
