An air of “all that for that”. In addition to the ability of the big favorite, the Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel, to respond to the hopes placed in him, a second question had animated this week of Paris-Roubaix.
Was the chicane hastily installed by the organizers to try to slow down the speed of the runners entering the Trouée d'Arenberg having an impact on the race? All week, the peloton had debated this decision, sometimes criticizing this installation. Van der Peol himself asking if this chicanery was “a joke”.
Ultimately, the race decided otherwise, the wind this Sunday carrying with it the controversy since the passage of the runners went without incident, apart from the fall in the third group of latecomers of Emil Herzog (Bora Hansgrohe).
A result partly due to the pace imposed, from the first cobbled sectors, by Van der Poel's teammates and the strong gusty wind. Two elements which had made the race much harder, splitting the peloton into three. Without a large peloton having to squeeze through this chicane, the risk of an incident was much reduced. On the contrary, with a record crowd, the courageous people of Paris Roubaix will have been able to benefit from greater encouragement from a crowd, worthy of a stadium entrance.
Passage without difficulty for the leading group (much reduced) at the #ParisRoubaix chicane pic.twitter.com/GDowFe74UY
— Elie Julien (@elie_julien) April 7, 2024
Because there were more spectators than usual this Sunday. And everyone began their installation with a video of this “curiosity” of the route. The chicane was almost more photographed than the arch announcing the entrance to one of the most famous cobbled areas. The photographers asked the police which way the runners would pass, to have the best location.
Arms crossed, “Hell of the North” beers in hand, Wobbe and Pepign, two young Belgians, were racking their brains from midday. “I think they're going to have to dismount here, it's going too hard. The peloton is going to be in difficulty,” they anticipated, to the sound of the local fanfare. “It’s better for the show, at least we could see the runners go by. That’s why we didn’t go to the Trouée this year,” smiles Louis, placing himself just at the exit of the hairpin, with his friend Logan.
“It breaks the charm of the place a little”
If many think that it was necessary to act for the safety of the riders, who can arrive at 60 km/h at the entrance to this extremely demanding downhill sector, the feeling that this chicane was not the right solution predominates. “It’s nice for photos but it breaks the charm of the place a little,” say Xavier and Maryline, who came by mountain bike from a neighboring village.
🚴🏻♂️ The leading peloton enters the Trouée d’Arenberg! 😈
🚴🏻♂️ The leading peloton enters the Trouée d’Arenberg! 😈#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/M58kwZzQEH
— Paris-Roubaix (@parisroubaix) April 7, 2024
“Most dangerous, bad idea,” only Patricio, an Italian fan, jabbers. “The angle is too tight, we're going to enjoy ourselves but we'll get hit by a runner on the nose,” fears Carl, a young retiree who is taking advantage of his free time to attend his first classic and make a “childhood dream” come true. His neighbor under the arch in the cobbled sector, Bruno, retired for a while and a regular here, remembers “the crazy speeds reached here”.
“It’s better for security, but it will create a huge bottleneck,” predicted Xavier, who lives 300 m away. Those in 40th position will lose Paris-Roubaix.” Finally, the peloton was already very small.
For this neighbor of the Trouée, which some do not hesitate to call the trench because crossing it is such a feat, there “was another solution”. “There is a road that passes behind the mining site, just before the Trouée. This would allow you to make two or three 90° turns over a hundred meters while reducing speed,” suggests the father.
This Sunday morning, at the start, “a more lasting solution” was promised by the race director, Thierry Gouvenou for the next editions.