The word on everyone’s lips the past few days in cycling? Chicane. That’s because Amaury Sports Organization officially announced that chicanes will be installed prior to the Arenberg forest section. This segment spans a grueling 2.3 kilometers of unforgiving cobblestone, renowned for its brutality and dangers. Approaching this stretch, riders often hit speeds of up to 60 km/h, with teams orchestrating leadout trains to propel their leaders to the front lines. This intense showdown carries high stakes and is frequently marred by numerous crashes.
It’s not really a chicane, either. There are a few bends, but then riders will basically make a U-turn to a grinding halt before then going onto the cobbles just a few hundred metres later.
“Not the right method”
When videos of the new curves were posted online, world champion Mathieu van der Poel minced no words. “Is this a joke?” was his comment on X. Naturally, in the press conference on Thursday, that’s all journalists wanted to ask him about, the damn chicane.
“It’s good that people are trying something, but I don’t think it’s the right method,” van der Poel said. “Introducing this the week before the race is also not a good thing. I don’t feel very comfortable in the peloton towards the forest, but change for the sake of change is not always the best thing to do. “
The added measures were the brain child of former pro cyclist, Adam Hansen, head of the CPA (Cyclistes Professionnels Associés), the union for riders.
CPA requested the chicane
ASO’s Thierry Gouvenou said Hansen requested it. “For safety reasons and following a request from the CPA, The Paris-Roubaix organization is modifying the approach to the Trouée d’Arenberg,” the organizers posted. “The route will take a chicane just before the entrance to the sector in order to slow the speed at which the riders enter the sector and limit the risk of crashes on the cobbles.”
Hansen was put on the defensive after van der Poel’s post on X. “It’s been a topic since last year and there are a whole bunch of riders who say the Arenberg is way too dangerous and should not be part of the race. I’ve had team directors say to me that the section should be taken out and we have been talking about possible ways of slowing down dangerous sections because high-speed crashes aren’t good,” Hansen said in an interview with GCN.
“A couple of weeks ago, as the race came up and was back in riders’ minds, they…
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