2012 Paris – Roubaix

April 09, 2012

Chasing a bike race can be hard work. You need to be prepared with your timing, figure out the spots you'll be stopping at, and know the back roads that will put you in front of the race while keeping away from the traffic jams. Fortunately we didn't need to think about any of that thanks to our Bikestyle Tour guides who flawlessly shuttled us to different points around the roads of Paris-Roubaix to see all the action.

Racing around the backroads of Northern France today chasing Paris-Roubaix was an absolute cracker. It’s just one more thing that makes cycling so unique. We managed to see the race come by three different sections of pavé. In between we jumped in the van where we watched the race on the in-board television and then made it to see the finish in Roubaix Velodrome. The racing was intense right from the gun and we got to feel rumbling beneath us and tasted the dust as all the vehicles and peloton came rushing by without missing a beat.

We made it to Roubaix Velodrome before the finish where you can walk around freely, have a beer, and soak it all in. While it held a good crowd, it wasn’t so packed that you couldn’t move around and enjoy the race. The atmosphere was electric while all eyes were glued on the big screen TVs. When Boonen arrived 1:39 ahead of the pack there was a roar so loud that it sounded like a footy grand final.

It was extraordinary to see Boonen put a minute and a half into Flecha, Boasson Hagen and Hayman (SKY) who were chasing their guts out but making no ground. The situation with Boonen and Terpstra looked to have been created by a simple acceleration rather than an attack and I thought Boonen was crazy for riding his own teammate off his wheel with 52km to go. Only Cancellara has proven that he can time trial away from a chasing bunch like that and I didn’t think Boonen would have it in him. Boonen simply floated over the same cobbles that smashed us to bits the other day and made the rest of the peloton look like a bunch of juniors.

There’s no doubt that Boonen rode a spectacular race but it would have been a thrilling finish if Cancellara and Pozzato were there in the final 50kms. I doubt the outcome would have been any different but it would have made for an exciting race. I do however love watching a dominating performance like this and I now see this race with a totally different perspective after tasting the cobbles and understanding what it takes to pedal over them. It’s a well deserved win for Boonen as it’s his tenth win this season after dominating the Spring Classics winning E3 Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and now his 4th Paris–Roubaix.

This concludes a sensational 11 days in Belgium. The weather was perfect, the riding was tough, and the food was fantastic. I can’t speak highly enough for the superb job that BikeStyle Tours has done with planning and organising this trip and our guides David Stanton, Eric de Clerc, and Vincent Aujogues for executing it flawlessly. It wouldn’t have been the trip it was without having this great group of guys to share it with. Heaps of riding, loads of laughs, and all without any major incidents. Thank you to each an every one of you and I can’t wait to do it again.

I’ll probably be offline for a couple days as I’ll be travelling and have some work to catch up on, but I hope you enjoyed escaping for a few minutes each day while we had our fun at the Spring Classics. Thanks for reading.

Photos

: Tomas Vaitkus

: Greg Henderson spent a while out in front but didn’t have good luck today. He said on twitter, “That was over before it began for me. Crashed then punctured trying to come back. Frustrating to say the least.”

: In the team bus with Vincent explaining our chase route

: We bumped into the Velomonati guys doing the same thing as us today

: Terpstra unable to keep up with Boonen on the 5-star pavé section 11 of Auchy-les-Orchies – Bersée.

: Pozzato misjudges a corner on the cobbles and crashes into Stijn Devolder on 5-star pavé section 11 of Auchy-les-Orchies – Bersée

: Boonen’s fourth victory at the Roubaix Velodrome

: The group after Bonnen arrives and begins marking each other for the sprint for 2nd. Notice Sébastien Turgot’s (Europcar) position and how he fought back on to get his spot on the podium.

: Bonnen’s plaque has a few dates missing

Race Results