Recently on Cyclingnews.com
|
Dauphiné Libéré Photo ©: Sirotti
|
|
|
105th Paris-Roubaix - PT
France, April 15, 2007
Live report
Live commentary by By Hedwig Kröner
This Sunday Cyclingnews will be covering the 105th Paris-Roubaix live.
Coverage begins around 10:30 local European time (CEST)/ 4:30 (USA East)/ 19:30
Australia (EST) - also on WAP-enabled mobile devices at http://live.cyclingnews.com/wap/
10:31 CEST Hello all you cycling lovers around
the world, and welcome back to Cyclingnews Live coverage, this time coming
to you from the Hell of Northern France! A beautiful day has dawned upon
us, with bright clear skies and very mild temperatures here at the start of
the 105th Paris-Roubaix. The riders have gathered on the Place du Palais
to sign in, and "the voice" of the Tour de France, speaker Daniel Mangeas, presents
them one by one to the crowd in front of the podium. As many of you
know by now, today's "Queen of the Classics" will be raced under unusual weather
conditions, with temperatures predicted to reach 27° Celsius in the afternoon
- the last time this happened in France during the month of April was in 1949...
There won't be any wind to break the field up, either, so the race could unfold
in a quite tactical way. Instead of rain and mud, it will thus be the heat and
the dust that will make this year's Paris-Roubaix a special one.
10:45 CEST If everything goes as planned, the
riders will kick off the race through Hell at 10.50, with the official start
scheduled for 11.00am. 259 kilometres, of which 52,7 cobbled, await the riders.
There are 28 pavé sections that will make the peloton's life miserable on the
road to Roubaix, and nine railway crossings which could also slow it down...
It feels like a morning of the Tour de France here in Compiègne; spectators
abound and the air smells like a summer's breeze instead of the usual grey "spring"
humidity so typical for Northern France.
10:59 CEST For a detailed breakdown of the 28
dreaded cobblestone sectors, follow Ben Atkins from CN, who set off with
camera, notepad and bicycle to provide you with a precise
rundown of the nasty rocks that make up the myth of this race.
While waiting for the race action, you can also take a look at some of the interviews
Cyclingnews has done these last few days. Brecht Decaluwé spoke to Steffen
Wesemann, who is going
for Roubaix glory, as well as with Leif Hoste, who has spent Saturday in
a very calm mood and wondered, is
that good or not? Bernhard Eisel of T-Mobile told Gregor Brown
that his team had a
lot of possibilities at the race, and CSC's Stuart O'Grady revealed that
contrary to public opinion, there were never
big surprises in Paris-Roubaix.
11:07 CEST Four kilometres away from the Place
du Palais, the riders have strolled through the streets of this beautiful
old town, getting massive applause from the crowds. All of the announced riders
having taken the start, the bunch is 187 riders strong, and all of them are
eager to shine in one of the greatest one-day races in the world.
It's already 23° warm this morning... And the flag has been lowered to signal
the official departure of the race! Let's see what the 105th edition of Paris-Roubaix
has up its sleeve for us.
11:10 CEST An early attack: It's Anthony Ravard
(Agritubel) who is the first to take his chances. Angel Gomez (Saunier Duval)
joins him. They have small gap. But the bunch is not willing to let them go
this early. At km 5, it's peloton groupé again.
11:17 CEST Stéphane Poulhies (AG2R) and Hans
Dekkers (Agritubel) now try to get away, as did Mathieu Heijboer (Cofidis) and
Alexandre Pichot (Bouygues) just minutes ago, but no luck. The race is fast
already, and all breakaway attempts are bound to fail.
11:22 CEST 15km/244.5km to go A short update
on the anti-doping front: 38 riders of Saunier Duval, Gerolsteiner, Euskaltel,
Skil-Shimano and Wiesenhof Felt received a visit of the so-called 'UCI vampires'
this morning. But all were declared fit to start. Mathieu Claude
(Bouygues) and Albert Timmer (Skil), followed by Tristan Valentin (Cofidis)
and René Mandri (AG2R)had a six seconds gap at km 12, but they, too, were swallowed
by the bunch two kilometres later.
11:31 CEST Now it's Sébastien Chavanel (Francaise
des Jeux) and Eric Berthou (Caisse d'Epargne) who have made a move. Some chasers
wanted to bridge up to them, but only led the bunch out to catch them again.
It looks like it's going to take a while before a group breaks clear...
11:42 CEST 29km/230.5km to go The bunch is still
riding together through the blossoming countryside. This could be a perfect
day out, if there weren't the honours of a Spring Classics Monument at stake,
making the riders nervous as they are heading for the dusty cobbles. Still,
this looks much more enjoyable under sunny sky! Along the parcours,
it's party time as many visitors have parked their RV's at their favourite spots
since yesterday. The beer will flow...
11:47 CEST A group of about 30 riders has emerged
off the front of the peloton. They have 15 seconds. Alessandro Ballan,
winner of the Tour of Flanders one week ago, explained to L'Equipe that
he might have some trouble with the dust whirled up on the cobblestone sectors.
This will decrease the visibility for all riders, but as the Italian wears contact
lenses, it might be especially difficult for him. "I will keep my glasses in
the team car, in case I don't support the lenses during the race," he said.
They should be disposable ones, come to think of it...
11:47 CEST A group of about 30 riders has emerged
off the front of the peloton. They have 15 seconds. Alessandro Ballan,
winner of the Tour of Flanders one week ago, explained to L'Equipe that
he might have some trouble with the dust whirled up on the cobblestone sectors.
This will decrease the visibility for all riders, but as the Italian wears contact
lenses, it might be especially difficult for him. "I will keep my glasses in
the team car, in case I don't support the lenses during the race," he said.
They should be disposable ones, come to think of it...
11:54 CEST 35km/224.5km to go The front group
now has 50 seconds: It's Breschel, O’Grady, Roberts (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe
(Quick-Step), Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), B. Grabsch,
Hammond, Klier (T-Mobile), Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor), Valentin (Cofidis),
R. Grabsch (Milram), Bacquet, Lhotellerie (Skil), Putsep (Bouygues), Bileka
(Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas), Portal, Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne), Fothen,
Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean (Crédit Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau
(AG2R), Iriondo (Euskaltel), Gajek, and Pollack (Wiesenhof). This
could be it!
11:56 CEST Goesinnen (Skil) bridged up to the
breakaway, while Fothen has been dropped.
12:02 CEST 45km/214.5km to go We have a first
rider to abandon: Francisco Ventoso (Saunier) crashed a little earlier in the
race, and has now decided to drop out. The breakaway is official
- the group of 32 riders is now 3 minutes clear. It's a nice little group, in
which all the teams are represented. Still, the favourites should watch out,
as one of these guys could be dangerous, too!
12:07 CEST Errata: Engoulvent of Crédit Agricole
is also in the break, while Wiesenhof's Gajek didn't make it. The full composition
of the group is thus: Breschel, O’Grady, Roberts (CSC), Tosatto,
Van Impe (Quick-Step), Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), B.
Grabsch, Hammond, Klier (T-Mobile), Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor), Valentin
(Cofidis), R. Grabsch (Milram), Bacquet, Lhotellerie, Goesinnen (Skil), Putsep
(Bouygues), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas), Portal, Rojas (Caisse
d'Epargne), Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean, Engoulvent (Crédit Agricole),
Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Iriondo (Euskaltel), Pollack (Wiesenhof).
12:12 CEST Wiesenhof's Olaf Pollack also has
another teammate with him: Robert Wagner. They are thus 33 riders in front.
Sorry about the confusion, but with such a big group, it can take a while to
figure out who they are!
12:18 CEST 60km/199.5km to go 47.5 kilometres
have been raced in the first hour. Teams CSC and T-Mobile are particularly
well-represented in this lead group, with Stuart O'Grady enjoying the support
of two teammates, and a very fit and experienced Roger Hammond accompanied by
Classics specialist Andreas Klier, as well as Bert Grabsch. Predictor's Tom
Steels may also play his cards out, and Lampre's Enrico Franzoi, three times
Italian Cyclo-Cross champion, has enough skills to make it happen, too.
12:21 CEST Mikhailov (Astana) was sent up the
road by his directeur sportif earlier, and has joined the breakaway now. Good
move. Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile), winner of this week's Gent-Wevelgem,
was involved in a crash, but is now back in the bunch - doesn't look hurt.
12:39 CEST 73km/186.5km to go The gap is being
kept stable by the bunch, currently 2.50 minutes back. Ballan, Boonen et al.
had better watch out, as O'Grady and Hammond clearly are contenders for the
final victory if they are given too much of a lead!
12:50 CEST We have news on Marcus Burghardt,
who crashed earlier in the race: According to his directeur sportif, the German
only has a bit of skin scraped off his shoulder, and will be able to continue
the race. "He hasn't really hurt himself, we treated him for a couple of minutes
and his said he felt himself able to continue without problems," Tristan Hoffman
explained. "We're very happy to have three riders in front, as this was one
of the objectives for today. Moreover, Hammond feels very much in form..."
12:55 CEST 84km/175.5km to go CSC's director
Alain Gallopin also said that the current race situation looked very promising
for the Danish team. "In any case, I note that all the big teams have placed
riders in this break, so for the moment we will follow this move. It certainly
looks very good for us, even if it wasn't Stuart O'Grady among our three riders
in front!" The lead group now has an advantage of 3.15 minutes. In
about 12 kilometres, they will hit the first of the 28 cobblestone sections:
Troisvilles to Inchy, 2,2 km long.
13:03 CEST Alessandro Ballan's team Lampre has
reacted now. They're pacing in front of the bunch to reduce the gap a bit, which
has grown to 3.25 minutes. The winner of the Tour of Flanders was
happy he didn't take part in Gent-Wevelgem this week. "After all the congratulations
I worked further on my form back home," Ballan told Cyclingnews at the
start this morning, looking lean and ready for another feat!
13:07 CEST Filip Meirhaeghe - the former MTB
world champion - also talked to Cyclingnews this morning in Compiègne
and predicted a fast start. "I wouldn't be surprised if we ride more than 50
km during the first hour," Meirhaeghe said. "The first heat is always hard but
I should go fine. I think Paris-Roubaix is 50 percent form and 50 percent luck.
The (Arenberg) forest is all important, actually that is the end of it, because
if you're not in front there you can forget about the win."
13:12 CEST This season, Marcus Burghardt proved
his a pure talent in the Spring Classics, he should do well on the cobbles although
the distance might be a problem. "This is a new situation for me but I'm happy
to be regarded as a favourite. I'll need a lot of luck but I'll try to follow
the best riders, that is Boonen and Cancellara," he said. Liquigas'
Filippo Pozzato commented: "I'm good but not super. This week I felt a little
better maybe it will be enough? Paris-Roubaix is war, a fight from man to man,
far away from glamour and glitter." The stylish Italian might find out that
this is not his cup of tea... The bunch has arrived on the first
cobble section of today, four minutes behind the leaders. In the breakaway,
Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) punctured on the pavés but got a quick wheel change
and is still in the group.
13:18 CEST "The weather is beautiful, we will
see, it will be a good race," said Italian Angelo Furlan (Crédit Agricole) at
the start in Compiègne. "I think that there will some riders going into the
red became of the heat, and this is strange for Roubaix, which is normally colder.
"I am here to help Thor Hushovd and that's it," he confirmed when asked of his
form. "This year my legs are going really well, already with two wins, which
almost could have been four but I have missed out by two centimetres. I am very
content for this new life for me in France. "The favourites for today
will be Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen and Alessandro Ballan," he added.
His teammate Laszlo Bodrogi, as well as Gert Steegmans (Quickstep) also punctured.
13:19 CEST Another puncture in the lead group:
it's Luke Roberts (CSC). He gets a rear wheel change.
13:24 CEST Andreas Klier, as well as Nicolas
Portal and Fabien Bacquet are slowly getting dropped by the leaders. The tempo
is high... Too bad for T-Mobile, they might be losing an important helper for
Hammond. The gap is still over four minutes, 4.10 to be exact. Looks
like Lampre's chase isn't working, or maybe they are still waiting a bit before
the crucial difficulties of the day begin.
13:28 CEST This morning, Discovery Channel's
Steven Cummings talked to Cyclingnews about his feelings in view of Paris-Roubaix.
"I'm still carrying bruises as souvenir from the 3-days of De Panne-Koksijde.
This is my first Paris-Roubaix but I did race on a few pavé'd sections before.
The Forest of Arenberg was hard." We also asked his teammate Matthew
White how he was going before the race. "Well, I'm still in one piece," the
Australian rider said, referring to Gent-Wevelgem. "They should take the Kemmelberg
out, it would still make a hard race. Do we have to wait until someone dies?
It's just like we waited to wear helmets until Kivilev died," he commented on
the many crashes that occurred in the descent of the famous 'Kemmel'.
13:34 CEST 115km/144.5km to go While the bunch
is now on the sector #25, Saint-Python, T-Mobile's Roger Hammond has re-joined
the breakaway after a mechanical. Still, that chasing must have cost him some
forces. The gap is still growing: 4.30 minutes now. That escape group
is working well together!
13:38 CEST Saunier Duval's Jesus Del Nero did
well in Flanders but wasn't confident for Paris-Roubaix this morning. "There
are more cobbles here, actually there are *too many* cobbles. Our leaders are
Ventoso, Belohvosciks and myself," he told Cyclingnews. Ventoso
abandoned after 37km, he was spotted by our man at the start spraying products
on his taped wrist. His teammate 'Litu' or Ángel Gómez Gómez explained that
his teammate had crashed in Gent-Wevelgem, after leading the peloton over the
Kemmelberg twice, finishing fourth at the line. At the feed zone,
the leader's advantage has grown to more than five minutes. This is starting
to get really dangerous for the favourites back in the bunch.
13:49 CEST The lead group has definitely lost
Andreas Klier, as well as Luke Roberts (both T-Mobile and CSC are one man down),
Nicolas Portal and Fabien Bacquet. There are thus 30 riders still
in the front: Breschel, O’Grady (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe (Quick-Step), Franzoi
(Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), B. Grabsch, Hammond (T-Mobile),
Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor), Valentin (Cofidis), R. Grabsch (Milram), Lhotellerie,
Goesinnen (Skil), Putsep (Bouygues), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas),
Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne), Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean, Engoulvent
(Crédit Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Iriondo (Euskaltel), Pollack,
Wagner (Wiesenhof), Mikhailov (Astana).
13:57 CEST 140km/119.5km to go Bert long shanks
Roesems (Predictor) predicted the same race like the Ronde van Vlaanderen. "The
whole team wants to ride strong again. The main thing is to be in front in the
forest (of Arenberg) because if you look to the top-10 from last year, then
you see they are the same guys who were in front in the forest."
The breakaway is now on sector #22, Verchain-Maugré to Quérénaing, only 22 kilometres
to go before the Arenberg forest. Now, what does this mean for the outcome of
the race? The gap has decreased a bit to 4.40 minutes.
13:59 CEST In the bunch, Aaron Kemps (Astana)
crashed, but didn't hurt himself and immediately got on his bike again. The
peloton is led by Lampre and AG2R riders, but they don't seem to chase flat
out.
14:07 CEST Pozzato punctured, and is chasing
back up to the bunch now. Andreas Klier (T-Mobile), who got dropped
out of the lead group earlier, still hasn't been caught; he's sandwiched in
between the two groups at 2.50 off the break. Still not one cloud
in the sky, as the peloton enters sector 22. It *is* dusty!
14:12 CEST Klier is finally caught; he sat up.
Florent Brard (Caisse d'Epargne) is the next to puncture. He's on his own now,
trying to chase back on the bunch within the team cars. Off the front
of the race, Ralf Grabsch (Milram) has attacked.
14:16 CEST 145.5km/114km to go Grabsch has 20
seconds over the chase group, and 4.30 over the bunch. In 10 kilometres, he
will hit the famous Tranchée d'Arenberg, a crucial point in the race.
14:21 CEST In the 29-men group, it's the four
riders from T-Mobile and CSC who are leading the chase. Bad luck for Laszlo
Bodrogi and Jimmy Engoulvent: they just punctured on the cobbles, and are now
left to themselves. Grabsch is able to extend his lead to 50 seconds.
The peloton is over five minutes back.
14:27 CEST 152.5km/107km to go Grabsch is looking
strong, he's forcing a big gear. Behind, QuickStep, Predictor and Discovery
Channel riders are leading the peloton, but they're not really chasing, just
keeping the gap around five minutes.
14:29 CEST Peter van Petegem is holding on to
his team car while a mechanic is fixing something on his bike.
14:35 CEST Grabsch is now getting the vibrations
of the sector #19, from Haveluy to Wallers, the pavé stretch preceding the Arenberg
forest. He's riding on the right hand side of the path, on the dry earth which
provides a bit of a smoother surface.
14:41 CEST Wouter Weylandt (Quickstep) is also
the victim of a puncture in the peloton. He has to chase back on now. If Quickstep
thinks they can make it come down to a sprint today, he will not be at a 100
percent to help Tom Boonen... Just ahead of the Arenberg sector,
the situation is unchanged: Grabsch leads with 5 minutes over the bunch, and
1.25 minutes over the chase group.
14:46 CEST Grabsch has entered the Arenberg
sector! The spectators abound here, and cheer him on. This sector is particularly
difficult, the cobbles are very uneven.
14:49 CEST Now, the bunch is also there. It
seems they're picking up the pace now. Crash in the bunch! Two AG2R, three Predictor
riders are trying to pick their bikes up or get new ones. Grabsch
has left the section.
14:51 CEST Boonen leads the bunch over the Arenberg
section, with Michaelsen (CSC) on his wheel, while O'Grady gets dropped from
the chase group. The sector is over now, and has created some damage.
14:53 CEST The gap to the leader has sunk to
2.50 minutes. The chasers are at one minute behind Grabsch. This sector held
its promises and finally got things moving!
14:57 CEST Boonen led a group of about 25 riders
out of Arenberg, accompanied by Van Petegem and other favourites such as Ballan,
Bäckstedt, Flecha, Hoste. Cancellara has just joined this group, after having
punctured. They're 2.35 from the leader now - all set.
14:59 CEST 174.5km/85km to go Grabsch will be
caught soon, he is already sitting up.
15:04 CEST We haven't seen the riders open their
jersey often in Paris-Roubaix... It's hot today. David Kopp (Gerolsteiner)
is the first to make contact with Grabsch, and he jumps right away.
15:06 CEST 177.5km/82km to go Tom Steels gets
a front wheel change by the Mavic neutral car, while Kopp is now leading the
race on sector 16.
The current race situation is:
- David Kopp (Gerolsteiner)
- Ralf Grabsch (Milram), Breschel, O’Grady (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe (Quick-Step),
Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), B. Grabsch, Hammond (T-Mobile),
Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor), Valentin (Cofidis), Lhotellerie, Goesinnen
(Skil), Putsep (Bouygues), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas),
Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne), Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean, Engoulvent (Crédit
Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Iriondo (Euskaltel), Pollack, Wagner
(Wiesenhof), Mikhailov (Astana) at 0.10
- Favourites' group with Boonen, Ballan, Cancellara etc. at 2.55
15:14 CEST 183.5km/76km to go The favourites'
bunch of about 35 riders is strung out now. They're 1.45 minutes away from the
leader. O'Grady is there, too, while Hushovd just got dropped.
15:17 CEST Bäckstedt punctured, too. His mechanic
gives him a big push after changing his front wheel. The favourites
are now in sector 15. Hushovd has made it back to the group.
15:23 CEST 187.5km/72km to go Kopp has been caught
by the chasers, so we have two groups again. Predictor riders are
leading the bunch out, while Gregory Rast (Astana) punctures. All the favourites
have at least four or five teammates with them.
15:26 CEST The gap is closing down on the leaders:
1.10 now, while the bunch is torn apart under the incredible pace of the Predictor
riders. Leif Hoste has put in an attack now, taking Lars Michaelsen (CSC) with
him in his wheel, and they're passing dropped-off breakaway riders now.
15:26 CEST The gap is closing down on the leaders:
1.10 now, while the bunch is torn apart under the incredible pace of the Predictor
riders. Leif Hoste has put in an attack now, taking Lars Michaelsen (CSC) with
him in his wheel, and they're passing dropped-off breakaway riders now.
15:30 CEST Boonen and the others came back on
Hoste and Michaelsen at the end of sector 14. The real race has started!
15:33 CEST 194.5km/65km to go O'Grady, Cancellara,
Burghardt, Ballan, Boonen, Steels, Hoste, Hammond are all there together amongst
others, at 45 seconds off the front.
15:35 CEST CSC's Michaelsen is giving it everything
today, too. It's his last race as a pro... He's leading the bunch out now, working
for Cancellara.
15:40 CEST 199.5km/60km to go There are only
40 seconds left for the leaders. They're getting nervous, and a Liquigas rider
is trying to get away. Now it's Kopp who attacks again. Vansummeren
crashed! He's standing up, but in pain. His left leg seems hurt.
15:44 CEST Three riders broke clear: Kopp, Van
Impe and Pollack have a gap over the chasers, which are about 15 riders strong.
The bunch is on the Orchies sector, whirling some dust into the air.
15:48 CEST 203.5km/56km to go The favourites'
group accelerated again in the Orchies sector, and dropped off some riders.
There are about 18 men left with Boonen and the others. They are racing at one
minute behind the leaders. The trio of Kopp, Van Impe and Pollack have 15 seconds
over the chase group. Pozzato is one of the riders who just got dropped
off the favourites' group. Lars Michaelsen puts in another attack...
15:51 CEST Rosseler, Leukemans and Flecha are
chasing Michaelsen down; they've caught him at the entrance to the sector #11.
15:57 CEST 211.5km/48km to go Kopp (Gerolsteiner),
Van Impe (Quickstep), Pollack (Wiesehhof) still have 50 seconds on the favourites's
group led by Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Lars Michaelsen (CSC), Sebastien
Rosseler (Quickstep) and Björn Leukemans (Predictor).
16:05 CEST Behind the leading trio, there are
seven riders with Michaelsen now, followed by another 11 men-group before the
favourites. All of these are within 1.35 of each other, as they have left behind
sector #10.
16:10 CEST 219.5km/40km to go The next cobble
section has again changed the face of the race: Petito (Liquigas), Flecha (Rabobank),
Michaelsen and Breschel (CSC), Leukemans (Predictor), Grabsch (Milram), Franzoi
(Lampre) are 32 seconds behind the leading trio, with the favourites' group
1.24 minutes off the front.
16:13 CEST Pollack got dropped, they are now
two riders leading the race: Kopp (Gerolsteiner) and Van Impe (Quickstep). But
the chasers are putting some pressure on the pedals at sector #8, which is again
very dusty.
16:16 CEST Imagine a 20-men sprint in the velodrome...
what would that be like? We might see it in a while... It could come down to
that if nobody puts down the hammer soon.
16:19 CEST 225.5km/34km to go T-Mobile is leading
the favourites' group with three men now. They're about 25 riders, at 1.10 minutes
behind the leaders. Preparing for the next cobblestone section in Templeuve.
They pass a huge ancient windmill.
16:22 CEST Wesemann attacks out of the favourites'
group! The Wiesenhof rider powers away over the cobbles.
16:26 CEST 229.5km/30km to go Boonen leads the
chase, with Burghardt, Hoste, Baldato, Devolder. They've dropped Cancellara.
This could be a decisive moment!
16:30 CEST Boonen throws in another attack to
test his rivals. He gets a gap as he enters the pavé sector of Cysoing.
Current race situation
- Kopp (Gerolsteiner), Van Impe (Quickstep)
- Pollack (Wiesenhof), Petito (Liquigas), Flecha (Rabobank), Michaelsen and
Breschel (CSC), Leukemans (Predictor), Grabsch (Milram), Franzoi (Lampre)
at 0.17
- Boonen (Quickstep), Baldato (Lampre), Devolder (Discovery), Burghardt (T-Mobile),
Hoste (Predictor), Scheirlinckx (Cofidis)
- Favourites' group at 1.13
16:36 CEST The group around Stuart O'Grady just
caught Kopp (Gerolsteiner), Van Impe (Quickstep), and the Australian countered!
O'Grady leads the race now! Behind, Devolder attacks out of the group
around Boonen, he has 30 metres now.
16:38 CEST 238.5km/21km to go O'Grady looks good;
incredible as he's been in the break all day. Wesemann, Flecha, Hammond (9 riders)
are behind him, but O'Grady has 25 seconds. Boonen, Hoste, Burghardt
etc. don't get on. They are still one minute behind.
16:43 CEST O'Grady leaves sector #5 behind him.
He has 51 seconds over the Flecha group, and 1.35 over the Boonen group! Amazing!!
16:45 CEST 242.5km/17km to go Boonen leads his
group, with Hoste right behind him. It looks like they've missed the right train...
and with no teammates left in his group, his chase looks bad.
16:49 CEST 244.5km/15km to go The crowds are
huuuge, bordering the pavé section #4, the Carrefour de l'Arbre. O'Grady powers
away like hell, while his teammate Michaelsen in the back crashes in a curve.
Doesn't look too bad though.
16:53 CEST 246.5km/13km to go Tom Boonen attacks
again and drops his companions. He passes Michaelsen. There is still 40 seconds
between him and the chase group of Flecha, Leukemans, Wesemann and Petito. He's
bridged up to Franzoi and Hammond now.
16:56 CEST 249.5km/10km to go 56 seconds for
O'Grady! This could really be it, if he holds this pace until the velodrome!!
This is what the race looks like with 10k to go: Stuart O'Grady (CSC) leads,
with Petito (Liquigas), Flecha (Rabobank), Leukemans (Predictor), Wesemann (Wiesenhof)
chasing at 0.56, and Boonen (Quickstep) Franzoi (Lampre), Hammond (T-Mobile)
behind at 1.26.
16:58 CEST 252.5km/7km to go O'Grady is on the
penultimate pavé sector. Allez, allez! He has one minute over his chasers. Let's
hope he stays lucky until the end...
17:01 CEST 254.5km/5km to go O'Grady gets a last
bidon from his team car. That'll get him a fine, but who cares!!
The four chasers start looking at each other. Two podium places are at stake.
17:04 CEST 256.5km/3km to go The Australian has
dust all over his body and face, but still pedals well - and he has a little
grin on his face despite the pain. These last few minutes of this race will
always remain in his memory. What a win!
17:06 CEST The Boonen group can see the chase
group now. They might catch them yet, but Flecha et al. have seen them coming
now and put in an extra effort.
17:07 CEST O'Grady is on the very last cobblestone
sector in Roubaix. 1.5 km to go! And he gets a huge cheer from the crowd.
17:07 CEST He's in the velodrome now. Applause!!
17:08 CEST He rides the last lap.. and throws
his hands into the air. Stuart O'Grady wins Paris-Roubaix!!!
17:10 CEST Leukemans leads Flecha and Petito
in the velodrome. Flecha starts the sprint, with Wesemann trying to come round
him. But Flecha takes second, with Wesemann third and Leukemans, Petito and
Boonen behind in that order.
17:11 CEST Cancellara and Michaelsen lead the
next group inside the velodrome. They must be happy for their teammate! Baldato
starts a sprint, and wins it.
17:12 CEST Wesemann congratulates O'Grady in
the oval, where Scott Sunderland awaited him. O'Grady's wife gives him a big
kiss, who cares about the dust!!
17:13 CEST Cancellara and Michaelsen give him
a big hug... Michaelsen is very touched, and can't hide his tears.
17:15 CEST That's all from us here in Roubaix
now - thanks for following our Live coverage. We'll post the full results and
rider reactions as soon as we can. Keep it movin', and until next time!
Provisional Results
1 Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Team CSC 6.09.04
2 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank
3 Steffen Wesemann (Swi) Team Wiesenhof Felt
4 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Predictor-Lotto
5 Roberto Petito (Ita) Liquigas
6 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
7 Roger Hammond (GBr) T-Mobile Team
8 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
|
|