It’s Paris – Roubaix time, one of the most well-known races all over the year, both for the all-season fans and the occasional fans. Paris – Roubaix is a special race, and as a special race it deserves an special treatment, much more detailed than the normal one from any other race, so after a first general analysis in Cobbles&Hills we want to run away from the usual copy and paste which can be found anywhere on the net during these days with all the cobbled sections copied from the race website. We want to go a step further, so we’ve analyzed this data repeated again and again. Length, difficulty and kilometer spot. And just with these three parameters we’ve created our own C&H Coefficient based on a simple algorithm.
QC&H = 100 * l^2 * E^2 / (D – d)
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This coefficient takes in account, and a lot, both length and difficulty, but also the place the cobbled sections are placed on the race, its distance from Roubaix’s Velodrome. We can analyze that simple, from a objective point of view the real importance of each and every cobbled section which will be ride next Sunday when they riders cross the cobbled paths from Nord-Pas-de-Calais. That’s our aim, finding new data and drawing our own conclusions, some of them really interesting beyond the obvious increase of difficulty and importance as the candidates to the win get closer to the finish line on Roubaix Velodrome.
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Arenberg, more about mysticism than about importance
Sages of cycling often say in the Forest of Arenberg it’s never won Paris – Roubaix but it’s often lost. Many have suffered this hellish 2400-meters-straight-line’s consequences, either a crash like Johan Museeuw in 1998 or a mechanical failure like Tom Boonen in 2011 there are some cycling myths whose options have been blown there, in the most famous forest in the little world of cycling. When Arenberg arrives it’s always stimulation for the fans, one of the season’s most beautiful moments, but in practice, its importance it’s never that high, as placed almost 100km from the finish line it’s not really relevant for the race even though lately some 4* cobbled sections as Wallers a Hélesmens y Hornaig a Wandignies have been placed after it in order to prevent massive regrouping.
Hornaig a Wandignies, real start of the action
Arenberg is a symbol and it will always be, there is where Paris – Roubaix starts for real. However, for practical purposes, the Forest of Arenberg is just the prelude of the section from Hornaig to Wandignies, which becomes the bisector of the first demanding group of sections, where in just 26 kilometers there will be more than 12 medium-high-difficulty cobbled kilometers before the toughness reduces before Mons-en Pévèle arrives.
Mons-en-Pévèle, a colossus wihout continuity
There are three 5* cobbled sections over Paris – Roubaix parcours, and Mons-en-Pévèle is the one with the lowest recognition by cycling fans. Placed 50km away from the finish line it would be an ideal moment for the main candidates to start battling more than one hour before the end for the victory, but it has a really big contra, there’s no real difficulty after it. It’s true that before Mons-en-Pévèle cyclists go through the difficult cobbled section Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée, the third longest section of the whole race which reduces the main groupe’s number of riders, so the team could play their moves to take advantage of the situation, but as there’s no continuity is worthless, the closest difficult cobbled section is Cysoing à Bourghelles, more than 20km away.
Le Carrefour de l’Arbre, a judge needs help
Every year pages and pages are written about the importance of Le Carrefour de l’Arbre. There is where the race is decided but the best riders. The ‘Café de l’Arbre’ and the famous railway barriers are witnesses every year of a very unique spectacle over the cobblestones, to continue a solo adventure or to split the leading group, but its real toughness it’s not its simple nature but its situation, right after the double cobbled section from Cysoing à Bourghelles and Camphin-en-Pévèle section, more than four high-difficulty cobbled kilometers which start just 10km before the last 5* section. Those ones do the ‘dirty job’ and finally the Carrefour de l’Arbre is the one which becomes the judge of the race.
The Velodrome awaits after Le Carrefour de l’Arbre
Because being realists, everyone who survives the last 5* cobbled section is capable to fight until the Velodrome… if the leading group is not broken, paradoxically, on the asphalt. That’s simple, the two 2* cobbled section and the testimonial Espace Crupelandt in Roubaix rated as 1* are not tough enough to blow the options to win one of the most special races for any contender on the leading group after Le Carrefour de l’Arbre.
The importance of the 4* cobbled sections
Before the race everyone focus on the 4* cobbled sections, there is where stories and history are written, but it’s easy to forget about the importance of the 4* cobbled sections. We’ve said it before, but it’s never bad to emphasize on the importance of Wallers a Hélesmens y Hornaig a Wandignies which prevent regrouping after Trouée d’Arenberg, Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée which function is to reduce the number of riders on the bunch before Mons-en-Pévèle or Cysoing à Bourghelles y el sector de Camphin-en-Pévèle which prepare the final selection before Le Carrefour the l’Arbre takes the final decision.