Paris Roubaix

Now we have something / quite-a-lot to discuss and celebrate.
thirdcrank
Posts: 36764
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Paris Roubaix

Post by thirdcrank »

Thanks to pete75 I know he rode at least once because he's listed as a winner
mattheus
Posts: 5030
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Paris Roubaix

Post by mattheus »

thirdcrank wrote: 7 Oct 2021, 10:58am Thanks to pete75 I know he rode at least once because he's listed as a winner
:lol:

Just thought you might like independent evidence!
(and who doesn't love a dog story??)
User avatar
kylecycler
Posts: 1378
Joined: 12 Aug 2013, 4:09pm
Location: Kyle, Ayrshire

Re: Paris Roubaix

Post by kylecycler »

The Grand National steeplechase has been 'sanitised' over the years and it's lost some of its 'epic' character but of course it's for the sake of safety and even then horses still die. From what thirdcrank explained, Paris-Roubaix seems to have purposely stood still or even gone backwards.

To be honest I've been having reservations about P-R since the weekend, especially about the women's race - we've all watched the Grand National only to find out afterwards that one or two or even three of the horses didn't make it. It's not as bad as that, obviously - more like having concern for the jockeys, not the horses - just a bit unsettling.

One of the casualties, however, has been making predictably remarkable progress after going down on Saturday when two riders crashed in front of her and she broke her pubic bone in two places...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUmkSN7Isjw/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUmoz3hI3yz/

Sadly, however, this poor lass survived Paris-Roubaix - made it to the shower room, so to speak, where the photo was taken - but crashed on the first stage of the Women's Tour on Monday and suffered severe injuries:
“It happened on a straight section of road. It was pretty frightening when we got up to her. She was off the road a fair ways, in a ditch full of nettles, conscious but in a lot of pain. She was complaining about back pain and the diagnosis is a broken rib, broken collarbone that needs surgery, two broken vertebrae, one unstable ... (a 3 column fracture of [fifth thoracic vertebra] and 1 column fracture of [T-6]) and possibly a broken finger.

"She does have to have spinal surgery due to the fractures.”
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tanja- ... our-crash/

The girl is actually a doctor; she's been working part time, doing 12 or 24 hour shifts plus working in a vaccination centre, even though she has a contract as a pro cyclist with Team TIBCO. That's not an unusual kind of arrangement with female 'pro' cyclists - fairly few earn a proper living full time.
mattheus
Posts: 5030
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Paris Roubaix

Post by mattheus »

<Kyle: I think it's allowed to post the riders' names!>

That seems like more evidence of how Roubaix ain't much more dangerous than an average race.
Monday's Stage 1 also featured a multiple pile-up on the run into Banbury, resulting in at least 1 DNS on stage 2. It was exiting a roundabout, no hazardous road features, just 2 lines of riders merging, and someone made a mistake.
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Paris Roubaix

Post by Jamesh »

PR wouldn't scare me half as much as a decent of a alpine climb aka Chris froome crash. I'd be out the time limit on the descents alone!!

Cheers James
Post Reply