Milan-San Remo 2013 - this weekend!

La classica di Primavera

Milano-Sanremo - 17 March 2013, this Sunday!

Whether you call this race Milan-San Remo or Milano-Sanremo - just watch it! To set the mood for this extremely prestigious one-day 298 km race - first take a look at a great collection of photos by Cycling Tips : Milan-San Remo :: Moments in History. And then read this story: Milan to Sanremo, When Fausto Coppi Stopped for a Coffee on the Way to Victory.

Then go directly to the official race website for the 104th edition of this often epic race at Milano-Sanremo, where you should resist clicking the small British flag to change to English language. That's right, try to navigate and discover in Italian - if the new Pope can do it, so can we (A quick tip - silence the Matt White videos).
Squadre (teams)
Programmo (program)
Percorso (route)
Planimetria (map)
Altimetria (profile)
Ultimi 30 km (final 30 km)
Partenza (departure/start) 10:10am
Arrivo (arrival/finish) 17:00-17:30pm
Cronotabella (timetable)
Word of the Day: Passista, Scattista, Velocista

Route maps - 298 glorious kilometers with a sprint finish!

Route map of 2013 Milan-San Remo

Profile map 2013 Milan SanRemo.

Or view the complete 32-page official guide done with Italian style.

Let's remember who won Milan-San Remo in recent years:

2000		Erik Zabel (GER)	Team Telekom
2001		Erik Zabel (GER)	Team Telekom
2002		Mario Cipollini (ITA)	Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo
2003		Paolo Bettini (ITA)	Quick Step-Davitamon
2004		Óscar Freire (ESP)	Rabobank
2005		Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)	Fassa Bortolo
2006		Filippo Pozzato (ITA)	Quick Step-Innergetic
2007		Óscar Freire (ESP)	Rabobank
2008		Fabian Cancellara (SUI)	Team CSC
2009		Mark Cavendish (GBR)	Team Columbia-High Road
2010		Óscar Freire (ESP)	Rabobank
2011		Matthew Goss (AUS)	HTC-Highroad
2012		Simon Gerrans (AUS)	GreenEDGE

Check out the teams and roster of riders for 2013 by VeloNews: Milano-Sanremo 2013 confirmed riders

Read over a preview of the race for 2013: By my favorite race tactician Frankie Andreu (his picks are spot on) Race Preview: Milan-San Remo, "Every racer thinks they have a shot, if they can drop the sprinters." Or by Mikkel at C-Cycling: Milano - San Remo: Preview and Favorites, "there is only one true favorite for this race; Peter Sagan." Or read the lengthy preview by a very knowledgeable reporter Ed Hood: PEZ Previews: La Primavera.

Promo video: Milan-San Remo promo by Cycling Central (available for 3 days). 

Plan on popping up Steephill.TV to watch live coverage very early this Sunday morning (St. Patrick's Day): 2013 Milan-San Remo Live Video, Route, Teams, Results, Photos, TV.

According to Steve Hill at Steephill.TV we can expect:
Start time: Sunday March 17th 10:10 CET (3:10:00 AM MDT); Current Weather in Milan 
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (7:00:00 AM MDT); Live video/text options 
Approximate finish 17:15 CET (10:15:00 AM MDT); Current Weather in San Remo

I always recommend opening a second browser online with live text coverage by Cyclingnews, this way you can truly know which riders made the break or are falling off the back on the climbs (something TV coverage does not always convey). Open http://www.cyclingnews.com/milan-san-remo coverage from 8:30am CET (European time) on Sunday morning (that's a little early here!).

I won't be watching at 12:30 am but I will rise early to see the final kilometers. Milan-Sanremo is a race in which I want to see the faces of the winner and loosers after 298 km of racing. Tough tough men win this race. M-SR is a career maker, I can't wait to see who the next victor will be.

Travel in the area

Did you know - the top 3 things to do as a tourist in Milan, Italy, are:
1. Viewing the frescos at Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
2. The Cathedral (Duomo); every city in Italy has one.
3. L'Ultima Cena museum, the location on the Last Supper painting.

Top things to do in San Remo, Italy:
1. The sea
2. A bike ride from Sanremo to San Lorenzo on the old railway cycle path (24km along the Liguarian coast).
3. Eat!

Check out the route of the 2013 Giro d'Italia in May, this year Stage 13 of the Giro, from Busseto to Cherasco, will cross the route of Milan-Sanremo.

Here is a map that I think is of equal importance - all the pizza places near the route of Milan-San Remo. It is Italy, and racing makes me hungry.

That's a lot of pizza!

Related posts by Pedal Dancer:
Photos of the Day: 2013 Milan-San Remo & results
SPRING CLASSICS

About the Grand Tours

There are three and only three

The 2012 Vuelta a España is heading into it's final week of competition finishing September 9th in Madrid. Le Vuelta is the last Grand Tour of the year and marks the opening season for news of rider transfers, staff changes, and sponsors swapping out. But not too fast, the Vuelta a España [ˈbwelta a esˈpaɲa] is still traveling across Spain and only 22 seconds separates the man in first from the man in second place.

Route of the 2012 Vuelta a España

Did you know that the Vuelta is the youngest of the Grand Tours? The Tour de France is the oldest and will mark it's hundredth edition in 2013 (the war years saw no competition). Look for a big year at the TDF in 2013 (take a sneak peak at the route, finally the TTT is back!).

Tour de France - 1903        Giro d'Italia - 1909        Vuelta a España - 1935 

Schedule

The schedule of the Grand Tours insure that fans are afforded the highest level of racing throughout the summer. Giro d'Italia - May, Tour de France - July, Vuelta a España - August/September. It is very rare when a single rider is able to compete in all three races. The day-to-day demand is incredible on the body and the 3-4 week recovery time between races inadequate for top performance in all the Grand Tours in the same year, but never say never, miracles happen, records fall.


Jerseys

The only jerseys in the Grand Tours that have the same meaning in classification, are the points (green) jersey in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, and the (youth) white jersey in the Tour de France and Giro. There is no red and white polka-dot jersey at the Vuelta or Giro, it is uniquely the property of the Tour de France. The white combination jersey of the Vuelta a España, while not unique in color, is unique in meaning. The white combination jersey is awarded to the rider with the best total ranking in all three classifications individual (general), sprint, and mountain. Since 2004, the red and white (combination) jerseys have been won by the same rider.

Grand Tour jerseys

Tour de France: Leaders jersey "maillot jaune" is yellow, sprint (points) jersey is green, mountain jersey is red and white polka-dot, best young rider jersey is white.
Vuelta a España: Leaders jersey is red, points is green, mountain is blue and white polka-dot, and white is best total combined points overall/points/mountain.
Giro d'Italia: Leader's jersey is pink "maglia rosa", sprint is red, mountain is solid blue, and best young rider is white. 

Grand Tour Organizers

All three races were originally started to promote newspaper sales. The Tour de France is solely organized by the privately held company Amaury Sports Organization (A.S.O.). The Vuelta is organized by Unipublic, a company owned jointly by A.S.O. and Groupo Antena 3. The Giro d' Italia is organized by RCS Sports (an Italian publishing and media company).  Christian Prudhomme is the Race Director of the Tour de France. Michele Acquarone is Race Directory of the Giro d'Italia. Javier Guillén is the Race Director of the Vuelta.

Christian Prudhomme in Macon, 2012 TDF  Photo by Karen at PedalDancer.com

Multiple stage races

The UCI lists 28 races as part of the 2012 UCI World Tour, three are Grand Tours. Only the three Grand Tours races are allowed by UCI to be longer than 2-weeks in length and must be between 15 and 23 days total including rest days. Each of the Grand Tours are 3-weeks in length, usually containing 2 rest days, but are not always 21 stages. Both the number of stages and the number of teams have varied over the years. 

Winners
Because of the difficulty and prestige, riders who race and win at the Grand Tours, win more money and more UCI points than in other tours or races on the race calendar. Currently leading the World Tour rankings (combining all UCI race points) are: Bradley Wiggins (individual), Spain (nation), Sky Procycling (team).

Recent winners of the Vuelta a España:
2011 - Juan Jose Cabo (SPA), Geox-TMC
2010 - Vincenzo Nibali (ITA),  Liquigas-Doimo
2009 - Alejandro Valverde (SPA), Caisse d'Epargne

Prize Money
A whopping prize of €450,000 is awarded to the overall winner of the Tour de France, with a total 2 million euros being distributed throughout the 3-weeks of racing. By the time you add prize money for each stage, each classification, best team, and a guaranteed bonus for individual participation, we can understand why being named to the Tour de France team is a big deal for any rider - prestige, money, and a guaranteed hard 3-weeks of riding. Read more at letour.com. Both the Giro and the Vuelta are more secretive about their total prize earnings.  

The very recognizable spiral trophy of the Giro d'Ialia  (Photo of Karen of Pedal Dancer)

The Vuelta trophy changes design, so does the trophy for the Tour de France (although some may say the real trophy is standing on the podium with the Champs-Élysées laid out in the foreground). As the saying goes - win one of the Grand Tours and "you'll never have to pay for your own drink again."

Trivia

Only five riders have won all three Grand Tours in their career: Jacques Anquetil (FRA), Felice Gimondi (ITA), Eddy Merckz (BEL), Bernard Hinault (FRA), and Alberto Contador (ESP). Although no rider has ever won the grand slam winning all three Grand Tours in the same year, seven riders have won both the Giro and the Tour in the same year (considered to be the hardest combination).  Two men have won the Tour/Vuelta combo, and three have won the Giro/Vuelta combo. When people speak of the Tour (capitalized), they are referring to the Grand Daddy of them all - the Tour de France.

Paris is the most visited city in the Tour de France (followed by Bordeaux and Pau). Milan is the most visited city in the Giro, and the Vuelta favors a finish in Madrid. The record holder for most days in Giro's maglia rosa (77) is Eddy Merckx. Eddy also holds the record for most days (34) in the maillot jaune at the Tour de France. The record holder for most stage wins at the Vuelta (39) is Delio Rodriguez. 2005 is on the books as the fastest Tour de France, averaging 41.5mph over 3592.5 km, up from 25.7mph in 1903 - amazing what a little asphalt will do. And carbon.

Don't believe it when people claim the tours are getting so much harder (what the Tours are getting is faster), in 1926 they ran those riders over 5,745 kilometres (3,570 mi) in the Tour de France. In 1910 the organizers first included the brutal stage over 5 Cols in the Pyrenees that has now become a standard route in the Tour de France (Col d'Aubisque. Col du Solour, Col du Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin, Col de Peyresourde, read Five Peaks in One Day?). Back then the roads were not all paved and riders did not have team cars nearby, they also had to carry their own supplies. They did however, have the broom wagon.

Words to recognize from the Vuelta a España:
la ruta: route
etapa: stage
horario: timetable
tiempo: time
clasificación: classification
resultados: results
mapa: map
perfil: profile
babero: bib (dossard)
país: country
equipos: teams
abandonos: abandons
llana: flat 
montaña: mountain
descanso: rest day
bicicleta: bike
crono, crono equipos: time trial, team time trial
classifications are: individual / puntos / montaña / combinada / equipos

Official websites of the Grand Tours:
Tour: letour.com
Giro: gazzetta.it
Vuelta: lavuelta.com  

How to follow the Vuelta a Espana
Online is the best option unless you are lucky enough to be in Spain. For online race viewing please visit the always reliable Steephill.TV links to the Vuelta a España. Or learn how to watch the race on Universal Sports Network.

+22 seconds separate the current leaders

Current General Classification after Stage 14
1  RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA)                    53:06:33
2  CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK)     + 0:22
3  FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING)                     + 1:41
4  VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR)              
5  MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA)                    + 4:16
6  GESINK, Robert (RABOBANK)                                           + 5:07
7  ROCHE, Nicolas (AG2R LA MONDIALE)                          + 5:51
8  TALANSKY, Andrew (GARMIN-SHARP)                           + 6:13
9  TEN DAM, Laurens (RABOBANK)                                      + 6:34
10 ANTON HERNANDEZ, Igor (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 7:16

Who is coming to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

WHO will be at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Teams, Riders, and Fans

August 2012

Top professional cyclists will begin to arrive in Colorado for training, press and sponsor responsibilities any day now. In 2011 athletes were training in local towns up to two weeks prior to the race. If you see a rider in a pro kit - it could very well be one of your favorites out on the roads of Colorado.

Teams - 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado

Basically teams with sponsor interest in our state or nation and/or a key rider on the team (such as Levi Leipheimer of Omega Pharma-Quickstep, last year's tour winner) plus an invitation by race organizers will compete. Race organizers have complete say in who competes in their race. Please also visit the team section on the official USA Pro Cycling Challenge website: http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/teams. I know nothing about team RusVelo from Russia, it will be exciting to be exposed to an entirely new team.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.HC race (multi-day beyond categorization race). Of the UCI ProTeams you might notice that SaxoBank and Rabobank, who raced in 2011, will not be competing this year. Two additional teams; HTC Highroad and Leopard Trek folded last year. Both Astana and Omega Pharma-Quickstep are new on the list of teams for 2012. Of the Continental Teams, Champion System Pro Cycling Team, RusVelo, Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies  and Bontrager Livestrong Team are new to the race. 

UCI ProTeams

• Astana Pro Team (KAZ)
• BMC Racing Team (USA)
• Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda (USA)
• Liquigas-Cannondale (ITA)
• Omega Pharma-QuickStep (BEL)
• RadioShack-Nissan-Trek (LUX)

UCI Professional Continental Teams

• Champion System Pro Cycling Team (CHN)
• RusVelo (RUS) and select translate page
• Team SpiderTech powered by C10 (CAN)
• Team Type 1-SANOFI (USA)
• UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)

UCI Continental Teams

• Bontrager Livestrong Team (USA)
• EPM-UNE (COL)
• Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
• Team Exergy (USA)
• Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)

These 16 teams will compete in the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Pedal Dancer  Education - How are teams selected for a race?

I recently spoke with Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, he explained that race organizers have complete say in who competes in their race. For the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, their goal is to create a high level of competition, plus make the race appealing to fans. Under a guideline that they can invite no more than 8 ProTeams, the ProTeams are invited first. Next Professional Continental teams are considered based on both who is competing at a high level in the current race year and who will add value to the race in terms of exposure or a contributing story in the community. Race Organizers hold off on the final selection of Continental teams until last (see explanation of types of teams below). The decision to invite 16 teams was based on the length and logistics of the race and determined to be the safest number for this event while offering an exciting race experience overall.

Riders - 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge:

The preliminary start list of riders (roster) was announced on August 8th - Rider Roster for USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Race Organizers are bringing George Hincapie, Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer, Cadel Evans, US National Champion Timmy Duggan, Ben King, Janez Brajkovic, and Jens Voigt to the state of Colorado to delight fans. Team RadioShack Nissan Trek will return again for 2012. Members of the team recently won the team classification at the Tour de France. 

There are a number of riders who were injured during the recent Tour de France and are busy recovering, good news is that Tom Danielson will be racing. Did you know? Jens Voigt wrote that of the 198 riders who began the Tour de France "more than three quarters had a crash or even several crashes" at some point during the race (read: Hardly Serious with Jens Voigt: Light the Night on Fire for Bicycling.com).

The Vuelta a Espana in Spain will take place over three weeks in August at the same time as the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. This is the Start List for the 2012 Vuelta, which means the riders on this start list will definitely not be racing in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The biggest news is that Elia Viviani, the sprinting wonder during the 2011 USPCC from team Liquigas-Cannondale, will be racing the Vuelta and not coming to Colorado. And Peter Sagan, the man who won 63% of the Amgen Tour of California, will not be racing at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Also this will be George Hincapie's last race before George retires (George Hincapie is retiring). Please come out and help make it an excellent experience for him. Joe Dombrowski, who rides for Bontrager Livestrong, won the 2012 GiroBio (Baby Giro) and may be riding with his team. I hope to see Tejay van Garderen, whose father Marcel will be working with Mavic during the race.


Continental Team Riders
After a full season of professionsl racing and watching coverage of the UCI Pro Tour teams we have become familiar with the more well-known riders, however the Continental teams deserve our attention too. These teams contain excellent athletes who are usually not swamped and will be available for a chat and a word of support from the fans.

Fans

Fans are a big part of the WHO will be at the race. In 2011 nearly 1 million spectators came out to see the race. More than 25 million people watched the race on television (NBC and Versus), in 161 countries and territories.  Fans also watched online coverage or used TourTracker (which recorded over half a million launches). Without a doubt fans made a significant contribution to the overall mood and success of the race. Please come see the race this year, if you came for 1 stage last year, come for 2 stages this year. Imagine what we can do as fans to make this the best race in the United States.  

More information for fans
Read a recap of the 2011 by Pedal Dancer - USA Pro Cycling Challenge - wrap up and also More Cowbell

Good deed:

If someone would like to do something nice - team EPM-UNE (COL) does not yet have a team website. This is a team we should all support (The Colombian teams’ low-budget assault on Colorado).
If someone else could please start a "Bring Bernie to Colorado" campaign I would greatly appreciate it. I think we need the character of Bernhard Eisel with Team Sky Pro Cycling to add panache to the race!

___________________

Pedal Dancer Education:

Word-of-the-day Definitions: Teams

World Tour - what used to be called the ProTour became the UCI World Tour in 2011. It is comprised of 27 elite male cycling events around the world. None of the races in the USA are on the World Tour calendar (use a space between the 2 words). View a complete list of all UCI World Tour races. And the current World Tour rankings.

The UCI World Tour consists of 27 events. These events are made up from:

• The three Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana)
• The five Monument one day races
• Nine further stage races in Europe
• Six further one day races in Europe
• One stage race in Australia
• Two one day races in Canada
• One stage race in Asia

UCI ProTeam - in 2011 the teams that were approved to compete in the World Tour were renamed as UCI ProTeams (do not use a space between the 2 words). All ProTeams gain automatic entry into UCI World Tour events. 
 
UCI Professional Continental Team - these teams compete in the UCI Continental Circuit races divided into 5 specified zones around the world, and must be formally invited to compete in a World Tour event. The team is comprised solely of professional riders and must have 14 riders, 2 team managers and 3 other staff members in full employment all year. ProConti is the slang term used for these teams.
 
UCI Continental Team - are governed on a national level and may comprise both professional and amateur riders who compete in continental races in their region. The nation under which the team is registered is the nation under which the majority of its riders are registered.
 

PEDAL DANCER FAN PAGE: 2012 USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE 

Image of the Day: vacation in Provence

Picture of the Day: more images from Provence

Where my brother and his wife and their niece (also my neice) are currently traveling. 

Can you picture yourself here? An evening meal on the patio; the bright colors of the baskets in the morning market; the tiled roofs and incredible vistas; the cool stone, roses and old doorways. Ah Provence. Ah France!

Word of the Day: panier = basket  (un panier du marché = a market basket) (panier à vélo = bike basket)

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Images of the Day: beauty from Provence

Pictures of the Day: a farmhouse in Provence

Fifteen years ago you could have purchased this dream of a home with land for €350,000, today it is a reported €24,000,000. Seems that farms in Provence were about as good an investment as Apple stock. Yet perhaps more beautiful.

Word of the Day: cher = expensive (cher mais belle = expensive but beautiful)

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Image of the day: poppies in Provence

Today in Provence

The poppies are in bloom. 

Red poppy = pavot rouge (French)

A field of poppies today near Bonnieux, in Provence, France   Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

More images:

Calanques outside of Marseille   Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

A patchwork view from the town of Bonnieux  Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

A long walk in the countryside of Provence   Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

A little slice on heaven   Photo by PedalDancer.com/SyS

Cycling Terms for fans

Cycling Terminology for the Amgen Tour of California

Riders: In professional cycling the racers are generally called riders as opposed to racers or cyclists.

Route map: The course or path the riders will take from start to finish. Some stages will have laps where riders will repeat the same few blocks within the stage. Stage 8 has 5 laps before the finish.

Stage profile: Maps the ascents and descents along a stage. It is often fun for fans to see the riders on a climb where the rider's speed slows slightly (or coming around a corner).

Rolling neutral start: Riders begin at a start line but do not begin racing until a few blocks or miles into the route (the distance varies). A neutral start is used if the start area conditions are narrow, crowded, or unsafe for race conditions. A neutral start is also sometimes used as a show of respect. Stages 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 all have neutral starts this year.

KOM (King of Mountain): First rider to the top of a designated climb on the race route. Riders receive points, the rider with the most points wins the King of the Mountain (KOM) (climber's) jersey. The jersey transfers each day to the rider with the most points overall. There may be more than one KOM point in a stage, Stage 4 has 6 KOMs.

Sprint: First rider to a designated sprint line on the race route. Riders receive points, the rider with the most points wins the sprint (green) jersey. The jersey transfers each day to the rider with the most points overall. There may be more than one KOM point in a stage, Stage 2 has 3 SPRINTS. 

Leader: There will be a current leader out on course while the race is taking place, but the overall Leader (yellow jersey) is the rider with the lowest (fastest) overall time for all stages. The winner of each day's stage is called the Stage Winner, not the Leader. 

Feed zone: A designated area on the route where team staff must pass out food bags (musettes) to the riders containing food. Water may be handed to riders through team cars throughout the stage.

Breakaway: 1 to a few riders who are leading the race and ahead of the main peloton

Peloton: The main pack of riders chasing the lead breakaway.  

Podium girls: A tradition in professional cycling to have 2 beautiful women present the awards to the riders at the finish of every stage.

Podium: Each day the top three riders finishing the stage are awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes on the podium. Then the 6 overall Classification jerseys are awarded. 

Classification Jerseys: Awards for best type of rider in a field. This year the Tour of California will feature 6 classifications: Leader (fastest overall time, yellow jersey), Most Courageous (by vote, white jersey), Mountain (climber, red polka dot jersey), Sprint (fastest sprinter, green jersey), Best Young rider (under the age of 23, orange jersey), Most Aggressive (most combative/competitive, black jersey). As the stage race progresses the overall classification winner is presented with his jersey after each stage and will wear the jersey at the start of the next day's stage. View the Official 2012 Jerseys.

Stage Race: a cycling race consisting of more than one day of racing, where points and time is tallied every day to determine an overall winner at the end of the race. The 2012 Amgen Tour of California will have 8 stages.

Bib Number or Dossard: please read an earlier Pedal Dancer post: Word of the Day: Dossard

*For more terminology read the Amgen Tour of California Bicycle Racing Terminology: A Primer.

I was a fan at the Paris-Roubaix

The Hell of the North

This was my chance to finally do what I always wanted to do - to stand along the pavé of the Paris-Roubaix and cheer like mad. "You must walk here," the fan pointed down to the huge blocks below his feet, "you must walk on the stone to feel the Paris-Roubaix." We were walking deep into the Arenberg Forest and this already inebriated Belgian fan was welcoming us to his world. American, Italian, Australian, New Zealand, Swiss, French, Belgian, Dutch - all the fans I met that day on the cobbles were here to watch the greatest race of the Spring Classics.

Everything you have imagined about the Paris-Roubaix is true. Yes you can feel the ground rumble when the cars and riders pass by, yes you can see the pain in their eyes as the riders pass so close you could touch them, yes the fans are so wild it lifts your soul, yes the dust is so dense you taste it and breath it, yes the beer is so plentiful you can't avoid drinking it, yes the crowds so large you become immersed in the atmosphere of being a fan. Even though this is a French race on French soil the Belgian national pride is so thick it is hard to hope for any other rider to win other than their beloved Tommeke Boonen.

We couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the Paris-Roubaix then beginning our morning at the Trouée d'Arenberg. Immediately upon parking we could hear the singing and chanting. As the car in front of us unloaded a father and his four grown children, I got that sense that generations have been coming to this same spot for years to watch this race. We walked into the forest with this clan of happy fans (below).

They welcomed us instantly throwing their arms around us. We had a blast chatting and laughing our way down the narrow cobbled path to the far end as they greeted hugged and high-fived most fans along the road. They delighted us with perfectly entertaining broken English and taught me to sing their chant line by line.

All images by Karen Rakestraw at ©PedalDancer.com

That is me walking along with my new friends  Photo by Gregg at The ChainStay

walking into the Arenberg Forest

Oh the glorious fans

We were more than observers, we were participants. "This area where we are going, it has great ambiance, you like ambiance," the fan asked me. Yes, I liked this ambiance a lot. We arrived at the end of the forest to beer tents, large screen TV, frites and sausage stands, and grabbed a "Jupi" beer near the festival area at the beginning of sector #16 (Arenberg). We watched the whacky entertainment on stage of baton twirlers, a Michael Jackson look alike, singers and dancers. We looked over to see that our friends were now on stage, smiled and soaked in the experience of being a fan at the Paris-Roubaix.

Fans on stage at the start area of Arenberg Forest

waiting for the riders

Loving every minute of this day so far, we made our way back into the forest to find our viewing spot. The crowd was growing in numbers. We came across Gregg and his happy guests from the ChainStay cycling lodge clustered under an American flag. Gregg appeared with a bottle of wine generously pouring me a glass. They had a perfect location on the long stretch of road. 

Gregg of The ChainStay

After visiting for awhile, my niece and I continued into the forest to the point where the road begins to pitch upward out of the gap (trouée). This would be our vantage point for the race. This is also where we met Jon and Matt.

Jon Rourke and Matt Opperman of Suburu-Trek in the Arenberg Forest

Jon Rourke and Matt Opperman are the team manager and head mechanic for the Subaru-Trek mountain bike team. They were on their way to Houffalize, Belgium, for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race. I met them by offering them Easter candy after overhearing their English (a rare sound in these parts). Noticing their really nice Trek Madone bikes stashed in the ditch behind us, I greeted them with the same question the Belgians typically ask of me, "What are you doing here?" "I know, we wanted to see the race," they replied.

At ease and happy to be playing fan for the day, Jon and Matt's knowledgeable comments both before and during the race were entertaining. Matt easily noticed the sound of a flat tire in the break away group. We looked at each other in shock wondering what happened to him as Guillaume Van Keirsbulck rolled by with blood dripping from his knee and nose. We wiped dirt from our faces as the main peloton sped by. We wondered what crash had happened ahead that stopped the cars momentarily along the pavé in front of us. It was memorable indeed. Every day in Belgium I seem to run into the perfect hosts for my day's adventure. It was certainly a treat to be able to watch the race with Jon and Matt.

No moss on these cobblestones in the Arenberg Forest

The cobbles of the Arenberg forest are enormous, the road noticeably convex. The affect on the riders is brutal and makes jockeying for placement heading into the forest vitally important and very dangerous when wet. For the fan, the arched road has the affect of raising the riders to eye level. Fans stand in the dirt or paved walked behind metal barriers or ropes along the edge of the pavé section seemingly below the riders.

One of my first photos of the break, before I realized - hey they are above us!

I love to look into the faces of the riders as they pass by, looking directly at Boonen, Chavanel, Vansummeren, Hincapie and so many more. I rested my camera on my knee and intermittently clicked away while watching the real race fly by. For those who dare to say a race is not worth going to because the riders whiz by in seconds - just look at all the action that happened around us on this day. Plus my eyes and body experienced far more than my camera lens. Being at the Paris-Roubaix rocked!

Tom Boonen came flying by

I believe that is my beloved Bernie Eisel with the rest of the strong lead group

Sylvain Chavenel

George Hincapie in the center

The team cars were so close

so were the riders

bloodied knees and noses

Flat tires

And then it was over, the race had passed.

Chasing le parcours

Time to move onto the next section of

pavé. This year's route made chasing the race a bit tricky. Infrequent autoroute exits and the crisscrossing route meant that the options were limited, but possible. We ended up at the Carrefour de l'arbre cobblestone sector #4. Parking in Basieux and walking the long distance, we were mesmerized as we watched the team cars and riders pass through the long lines of fans in the open fields like a camel caravan through the desert.

Most special was standing in this wind-swept junction between pavé sectors #4 and #3 in the French countryside looking up at the large screen TV as Tom Boonen rode the final kilometers into Roubaix and around the Velodrome. We joined in the loud cheer as Boonen crossed the line to victory marking his 4th Paris-Roubaix win. Sixteen kilometers from the finish line, the last riders were still passing in front of us, determined simply to finish their own race.

Tom Boonen had won his fourth Paris-Roubaix. For the fans it was time to relax or walk home.

Kristina joining in on what felt like a pilgrimage of cycling fans

My Paris-Roubaix driving instructions (viewing in Arenberg Forest and Carrefour l'arbre): 

Once you pass from Belgium into France, south of Roubaix/Lille, connect onto the large A23 autoroute. Continue south of the city of Orchies (at exit 2). You then have three choices to access the Arenberg Forest: Exit 4 will place you at the end of the Forrest where the riders exit; Exit 5 places you at a dirt trail where you may walk to intersect the first third of the forest (low traffic area, easy entrance back onto the freeway); Exit 6 takes you to the busiest intersection and the start of the Arenberg Forest (this is also where the beer tents, large screen TV, and performance stage are). You may easily walk the length of the forest, under the old defunct rail bridge. If you want to see the race pass over another section near the Carrefour l'arbre, get back on the A23 north, transfer onto the E42 towards Tournai and take Exit 3. Depending on the route (it changes every year), you should be able to park and walk (a long walk) to this famous sector of pave with more beer tents and large screen TV. These 2 sectors of pave are almost always included in the Paris-Roubaix every year. Many fans skip straight from the Arenberg Forest directly to the Velodrome in Roubaix to see the finish in person, but be warned this city is congested, parking is difficult and car vandalism is seriously high. (Buy map: Lille Maubeuge #102, IGN Institute Geographique National; and Buy map: Michelin #111 Grand Lille; and Buy map: Michelin Belgie #213).

For a full gallery of images from the day please visit: Pedal Dancer Images

Words of the day:
tranchée (trench)
trouée (gap)
le parcours (route)
le secteurs pavé (cobblestone sectors)

Video: Tom Boonen - prepared for the day


Photographs and other stories from the 2012 Paris-Roubaix
Graham Watson Album
Steephill.TV big photos
Ted King: Done and Dusted
BikeRadar: Boonen triumphs at Paris-Roubaix
PezCycling: Chasing Roubaix: One Last Day On The Cobbles
2012 Paris-Roubaix route
2012 cobblestone sectors
Part 1: Last 75 Km (55:54 Dutch) — sporza (via Steephill.TV)
Part 2: Last 35 Km (56:26 Dutch) — sporza (via Steephill.TV)
CyclingNews (James Huang): Tom Boonen's new Specialized Roubaix SL4

Paris-Roubaix 2012 Results
1 BOONEN, Tom (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) 5:55:22
2 TURGOT, Sébastien (EUROPCAR) + 1:39
3 BALLAN, Alessandro (BMC RACING)