A Sunday in Hell
April 13th, 2007 by Ricky Blayney
“This is a race that suits me when I’m having a good day. On the other hand, if you don’t have the legs, this is the worst place you could possibly be.” - Jo Planckaert, 2004
This weekend cyclings toughest single day race will take place in Northern France. Yes, it’s mid-April, it’s the rain season and that means it’s time for the Paris-Roubaix aka The Hell of the North aka Queen of the Classics, a 260km nightmare of a race across all sorts of terrain, including 54kms of cobblestones culminating with 750 meters on the Roubaix velodrome. Conditions are usually treterious as the picture above suggests with riders crossing the line looking like they have just completed a mountainbike race in January. This is what a classic race is all about.
Background
Held annually in the mid-April rainy season, over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France’s coal-mining region, La Pascale leaves riders caked from head to toe in mud and grit. However, this is not how this race earned the nickname the Hell of the North. The term was first used to describe the race when it was run immediately following the end of the Great War, or World War I. The race course closely followed the front lines of the war, and hence passed through many of the ruins, craters, and destruction along the way, earning it the name l’enfer du Nord, or the Hell of the North bestowed by the journalists.
The most ironic part of the race is the finish, after such a tough battle across extreme terrains the race concludes on a smooth 750m veledrome track. If your lucky enough to get to that stage in with a shot of the win you know it’s going to be a fast finish compared to what you have just put yourself through.
The route of the race does not always stay the same, it’s changed slightly from time to time as roads are maintained and new cobbles are laid in keeping with the races tradition. Everything else remains the same and no matter what the route you know they are in for a battle.
Winners
Josef Fischer was the first winner of the race in 1896, the German remains the one and only German rider to have won the race. The most victories in the race is held by the Belgian cycling legend Roger De Vlaeminck, who between 1972 and 1977 took first place four times. It’s very rare you’ll get a finess rider that can win the Tour De France winning this one, or even entering it for that matter but the great Eddy Merckx won it three times in 68, 70 and 73. Ireland’s Sean Kelly has also won the race, on two occasions between 1984 and 1986.
Last 10 Winners:
2006 - Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
2005 - Tom Bonnen (Belgium)
2004 - Magnus Backstedt (Sweden)
2003 - Peter Van Petegem (Belgium)
2002 - Johan Museeuw (Belgium)
2001 - Servais Knaven (Netherlands)
2000 - Johan Museeuw (Belgium)
1999 - Andrea Tafi (Italy)
1998 - Franco Ballerini (Italy)
1997 - Frederic Guesdon (France)
In the words of Chris Boardman speaking before the race start on British Eurosport, “It’s a circus, and I don’t want to be one of the clowns.”
This, however is one entertaining circus so check it out on Sunday on EuroSport.
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