The Pro Road Cycling Thread

JOGAMIGMOG said:
Paris-Roubais today. Anyone watching? For the casual cycling fan this is one of the Spring Classics. It's a one day race of 200+km with several stretches over narrow cobbled paths. Usually results in crashes galore!
Click to expand...

I won't spoil it for those who are looking to watch the highlights later, but it was a great race. This season has been superb.
 
Dreadful news from The Paris to Roubaix race yesterday as Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts dies following a heavy crash on the cobbles.

There are around 15 cobbled sections and anyone who has cycled on cobbles will know how brutal they are.

RIP.
 
manchester blue said:
Dreadful news from The Paris to Roubaix race yesterday as Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts dies following a heavy crash on the cobbles.

There are around 15 cobbled sections and anyone who has cycled on cobbles will know how brutal they are.

RIP.
Click to expand...

There's plenty of cobbles round here. Under most bridges on the Rochdale Canal there are the original cobbles, and there's one bridge particularly where they slope down towards the canal - tight turn, cobbles spread with more than a wheel's width between then! It invites you to cycle through!! And the main street in Rawtenstall maintains it's 'heritage' with cobbles. They are ok if you only measure the stretch in yards but riding miles on them is wretched. I've got a painting of Tom Boonen winning the Paris-Roubaix some years back. He decided that if he got ahead of the peloton for a second he could ride in the gutter and not the cobbles and not have the bone-shaking ride the rest were having.

Sad to hear the news of Goolaerts.
 
Last edited:
Saw the news at work very sad. But its one hell of a race plus French rail were on strike. Fair play Sagan he can pick his moments.
 
Enjoyed this year's race. Was obvious Sagan was going to win when he attacked the peloton at 56k out and nobody went with him. Gotta love Sagan, there's so much to.admire about him, not least his bike handling skills. Deffo put him down as a gifted cyclist unlike some of the one-trick ponies in the peloton. Back to the race, not sure I saw the fatal crash and certainly don't want to see a re-run of it but to die on a flat stretch of pave is a one in a million chance. RIP to the rider concerned such a tragic way to end your life.
 
manchester blue said:
Dreadful news from The Paris to Roubaix race yesterday as Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts dies following a heavy crash on the cobbles.

There are around 15 cobbled sections and anyone who has cycled on cobbles will know how brutal they are.

RIP.
Click to expand...
The cobbles played no part in his death. He had a massive heart-attack, and he subsequently came down. He’d have died on the flattest of tarmac, such was the damage done to his heart.
 
Sagan was simply immense; to ride away from the peloton like that takes an enormous amount of sterngth and guile. Just couldn’t see anyone other than Quick-Step winning it, they had such numbers. Bit disappointed with the way Dillier led him into the velodrome, more or less losing any chance of the sprint there and then. He just seemd happy to be there, which, I guess you can’t argue with, but it would have been interesting to see Sagan lead out. And probably win!

Next up LBL - Hinault’s finest ever win and one of the greatest wins ever in the annals of cycling. 1980 - only 21 finished. 174 started. Hinault claims to this day that his fingers are still affected by the suffering he went through that day. He put ten minutes into the second place guy that day. Then went on to win Giro/Tour double. And, for good measure, won the world champs on the hardest course ever to stage it. What a tough bastard he was.
 
johnnytapia said:
The cobbles played no part in his death. He had a massive heart-attack, and he subsequently came down. He’d have died on the flattest of tarmac, such was the damage done to his heart.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I've not managed to catch up yet. I had understood he had a cardiac arrest due to his fall. Regardless such a sad loss of life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
✖
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.