Paris-Roubaix Recon: Stolen Cobbles, Banned Tech, Pogačar Sends Warning

Tadej Pogačar barreled onto the fearsome Arenberg forest during a wild Paris-Roubaix recon ride with a smile plastered across his face.

The reigning world champion was like a kid in a playground on cycling’s most horrific roads as UAE Emirates-XRG rode key sectors of Sunday’s Hell of the North.

And he was just flying Thursday, topping 50kph on some sectors in the final countdown to Sunday’s rumble at Roubaix.

“Back to the cobbles again, and then for a while not,” Pogačar said before riding off.

Velo was out on the cobbles Thursday, and UAE was among the earliest teams to get a real-time preview.

A brigade of motorbikes and team cars heralded his arrival, and Pogačar led the team onto the notorious Arenberg trench at full speed.

Teammates were overheard yelling, “No crash! No crash!”

Pogačar is the five-star favorite on Sunday, along with three-time champion Mathieu van der Poel.

If Thursday’s full-bore recon ride was any indication, the Slovenian won’t be holding back.

“I’m going to enjoy it, regardless of the result,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a good race weekend. We have such a strong team with guys who have already reached the podium here, so I’m not the only one who can achieve a result.”

Pogačar is on track to complete cycling’s historic monument sweep if he wins Sunday, and Thursday’s joy ride was his final preview of the building hype for the season’s biggest and baddest race.

Last year, he defied convention to start Roubaix and nearly won. Many see Van der Poel as the only rival who can stop him. Bad luck, of course, counts for a lot in a race like Paris-Roubaix.

“It is no secret that Paris-Roubaix is one of the big goals at this stage of the season. The few races I have ridden so far have gone perfectly,” he said Thursday. “So the motivation is very high, but the pressure is low.”

Forecasted cross/tailwinds could make for a fast and furious race on Sunday that would favor Pogačar and increase his odds of becoming the first Tour de France winner to win Paris-Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981.

Fans are stealing Paris-Roubaix cobbles

If Paris-Roubaix isn’t dangerous enough, officials say that thieves are snatching away the famous stones and are leaving gaping holes in the most dangerous sectors of the race course.

Crews were out Thursday and Friday across northern France to finalize race fencing and signage, and Belgian media reported that emergency teams were doing last-minute repairs on the damaged stretches of pavé.

Course director Thierry Gouvenou told De Telegraaf that theft of cobbles has become a growing problem over the past few years, as super fans are digging up and stealing their own chunk of granite for a souvenir.

“It’s something we’ve been dealing with for several seasons, but now it’s reaching a critical point,” Gouvenou said.

On Thursday, Velo spotted several gashes in the Arenberg Forest where it appeared stones had been removed.

Het Laastse Nieuws photographed a member of the volunteer group “Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix” working to replace one stolen chunk.

Crews fill the holes with a mix of sand and cement in a temporary fix to at least make sure that cycling’s most dangerous race won’t be contested with a few extra divots in the already brutal roads.

Final prep, last touch

Other teams out on the stones Thursday included Cofidis, men’s and women’s Lotto, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and Tudor Pro Cycling. Most of the other teams were heading out on Friday.

Dozens of fans converged on sectors like the Arenberg and Carrefour de l’Arbe to wait for hours for the passing teams.

At the Carrefour, fans used binoculars to spot approaching riders. “Lotto!” a fan would yell out as dust billowed behind a trail of riders. A few moments later, the pros would rattle past.

Riders and teams focused on the choice sectors to have one final equipment check and inspect the cobbles in person.

Conditions on Thursday were dry, smooth, and fast. Forecasts are calling for a chance of light showers overnight Saturday, with mostly cloudy and cool conditions on race day, and increasing afternoon winds.

Teams were flying over the Arenberg, hitting top speeds of 50kph in the fast downhill run into the notorious 2.3km stretch.

At the Carrefour, riders who made it that far were showing fatigue from the effort.

Not all of the teams rode all the way to the velodrome, but Pogačar and his crew delighted fans with their arrival.

Riders and teams are already bracing for Sunday’s throwdown over the stones.

“The opening cobbled sectors have been slightly modified compared to last year, returning to the version used two years ago. There are four sectors back-to-back with almost no tarmac in between, followed by an additional sector with an uphill section,” said Bahrain Victorious sport director Michał Gołaś.

“A tail-crosswind will make the first part fast and demanding, increasing the risk of splits,” he said. “These early sectors will be even more dangerous due to the wind direction, which can accelerate the race significantly.”

If the recon rides and weather forecasts are any indication, the racing will be fast and furious from the gun.

Setback for Van Aert? UCI bans tire pressure device

Perhaps in what could be a setback for Wout van Aert, the UCI will not allow Visma-Lease a Bike to race Sunday with the Gravaa tire pressure system.

Team officials confirmed they received notice that they cannot use the real-time tire pressure adjustment system, which was the latest technological innovation to hit cobbled racing.

“We received a letter two weeks ago with the message that the system will be banned until the end of the season,” Heijboer said on the Dutch cycling podcast “In De Waair.”

The system allows riders to adjust tire pressure mid-race via handlebar buttons. Riders can lower tire pressure for better grip and comfort on cobbles, and then increase it again for speed and better rolling resistance on pavement.

Visma deployed it widely last spring, including at Roubaix, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot winning Paris-Roubaix Femmes last year.

The UCI’s regulations require that any product used in competition must be commercially available to the public. Gravaa, the company behind the device, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, but Heijboer said it is now up and running again, and the product is back in stock.

That’s not enough for the UCI, and Visma-Lease a Bike was out on reconnaissance on Thursday, noticeably without the device.

Also Thursday, Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed that Marianne Vos will race Paris-Roubaix Femmes after missing the Tour of Flanders following her father’s death.

Defending champion Ferrand-Prévot will also start Sunday after changing her mind with a strong showing at Flanders.