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104th Paris-Roubaix - PT
France, April 9, 2006
Main page Map Start List Results
Commentary by Jeff Jones, with additional reporting from Anthony Tan, Hedwig Kröner, Brecht Decaluwé
Live report
Live coverage starts: 11:00 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:30 CEST
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10:49 CEST
Welcome aboard our newly refurbished
gas heated online dirigible, Hindenburg V, for our live coverage of the
104th Paris-Roubaix. Thanks to the one and only Prince George Sanoussi, the
first son of Late Zainoul Abidine Sanoussi, who was the former Foreign Affairs
Minister of Guinea-Conakry, we now have $5 billion worth of Nigerian currency,
which we spent on flower arrangements and equipping the blimp for stealth flying.
And a minibar.
This year's edition of Compiegne-Roubaix features
52.7 km of cobbles in its total of 259 km. They are split into 27 secteurs
pavés, beginning at Troisvilles (km 98) and finishing at km 259 just before
the entrance to the Roubaix velodrome. Each sector is given a rating according
to its difficulty, and the key sectors are no. 17 - the notorious Trouée d'Arenberg
at km 163.5, which usually breaks the race, no. 10 at Mons-en-Pévèle (km 210),
and no. 4, the Carrefour de l'Arbre which comes at km 242.
The weather
today is fairly typical for spring in this region. It's cloudy, with the sun
peeking through, and dry. It's about 10 degrees and the wind is blowing from
the north west at between 10 and 20 km/h. We could well get some rain showers
later on.
10:55 CEST
The riders have left Compiegne for
a short neutral section before they begin the race proper, on the outskirts
of the town. Start time is scheduled for 11am.
11:01 CEST
Ex-winner Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle's
son Hervé is starting in Paris-Roubaix. "I am thrilled Hervé is taking the plunge,"
Duclos-Lassalle told the VUM newspapers. "The mentality among the French riders
has to change. The moment they cross the Loire (river) they lose it. Too cold,
too much rain. That's precisely why Tom Boonen is a blessing for international
cycling. Tom starts in December with the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Hell,
the French think ten days of preparation is enough.
"I see that Hervé
(26) has the same traits as I had. Just then he passed me without even noticing
me. Fully concentrated. Although it could be that he tells me on Sunday evening:
what a shit race is this. I have proposed to him to try and go in a long attack.
If he tells me in the evening: dad, I want to prepare for this in a special
way in the future, then I'll be the happiest father of all.
"I won
Paris-Nice, stages in the Tour, Bordeaux-Paris, but people remember me most
because I was the last French rider to win the double. After the millimetersprint
against Ballerini we have become friends. I still hear Patrick Lefevere yelling
in his ear: lose the old one, he will flick you on the track. I won Paris-Roubaix
once with the legs and once with the head."
11:03 CEST 3km/256km to go
There were 194 riders
at the start, with Cofidis' Thierry Marichal a DNS. The official start time
was 10:58.
11:07 CEST
In 1993 Franco Ballerini lost Paris-Roubaix
to Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle, who he considered to be slower and not as good as
him. "I am still grateful for the lesson he thought me," Ballerini is quoted
in HNB. "Duclos-Lassalle is my friend, my teacher. He took the win in
Paris-Roubaix from in front of my nose. The race of my dreams, which I hadn't
won then yet. I only succeeded doing that five years later (Ballerini won twice,
in 1995 and 1998). Probably thanks to Duclos. When I was riding in the front
with him, I saw myself as the winner. Nothing could happen to me, I thought.
My companion didn't exist for me, I didn't have respect for him. The result
is known. It was a hard lesson, but the Frenchman thought me to respect others.
That I am grateful for."
11:15 CEST 12km/247km to go
The race has gotten
away to a reasonably quick start, but no breakaway has managed to establish
itself yet.
11:19 CEST
We spoke to Cofidis' Brad
Wiggins yesterday about his feelings for Paris-Roubaix, and his thoughts
were with his former teammate Saul Raisin, who is in a coma after crashing in
the Circuit de la Sarthe.
"Last few days have been sort of funny,
really, with what's happened with Saul Raisin; he's a good friend of mine and
we're just sort of waiting for news everybody, so it's been quite difficult
for a few of us, because some of us were with Credit Agricole.
"But
I'm looking forward to Sunday; it's a scary and nervous thing going into it
because it's such a big event and there's a lot of excitement and fear at the
same time. But once you're on the start line, it all seems to go out the window
and you just concentrate on the racing."
Wiggins said that he and
his teammates rode over most of the course on Thursday, including 15 of the
pave sectors. That's hard core training for you!
11:24 CEST 18km/241km to go
The attacks start,
with Marc De Maar (Rabobank) and Tristan Valentin (Cofidis) breaking the spell
after 17 km. They get nowhere, and it's Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) who has a
go next. With the same result.
11:29 CEST
The UCI blood tested four teams and
29 riders at the start this morning (Liquigas, Gerolsteiner, Team LPR and Saunier
Duval). No rider was declared unfit to start.
11:36 CEST 29km/230km to go
The attacks continue
thick and fast in what is shaping up to be a very quick first hour of racing.
Jean-Patrick Nazon (AG2R) tries, without luck.
11:45 CEST 34km/225km to go
There's been a crash
after 31 km, with George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) one of two riders involved.
But he's back on the bike and back in the peloton. Not an auspicious start,
but hopefully he's OK.
There's very little wind at the moment, hence
the high speed in the first hour.
|
11:50 CEST
Hincapie and the other Discovery
riders are riding special Treks today, just for Paris-Roubaix. It features a
longer wheel base and a rear shock absorber, and is designed to reduce fatigue
on the riders towards the end of the race.
Cyclingnews has
a feature
on this bike here.
11:51 CEST 41km/218km to go
The next riders to
attack are Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) and Stephane Berges (Agritubel), but they
are reclaimed by the bunch after 38 km.
12:07 CEST 50km/209km to go
The first hour is
completed at an average speed of 47.1 km/h, and still no-one can get away. Brard
(Caisse d'Epargne) and Martias (Bouygues) tried, then Krauss (Gerolsteiner),
Burghardt (T-Mobile) and Jégou (Française des Jeux). No dice.
12:17 CEST
It has been nine years since France
last had a Paris-Roubaix winner. Frédéric Guesdon (now 34) was the unexpected
winner of Paris-Roubaix nine years ago and since there haven't been any real
French favourites riding for the victory in the Hell of the North.
"Only a French Tom Boonen can save us", Guesdon told HNB. "It's a vicious
circle. We don't have any toppers any more, the interest of the media is diminishing,
the youth is looking for other challenges. Only the Tour keeps everybody awake.
"Anthony Geslin (bronze medal at the World's in Madrid) is doing a good job.
And we had the third placing of the young Mondory in Waregem [Dwars door Vlaanderen].
It's a paradox with four ProTour teams and with the solid continental team Agritubel.
Never before have we had more French riders starting races. The problem is they
turn up their noses at this sort of race.
"Only in my team (FdJ.com)
we have too many candidates. The is because Marc Madiot (who won P-R twice himself)
promotes the right cycling culture. The others don't. After the Three days de
Panne, my young training partner and ex-Junior World Champion Arnaud Gérard
went laughing back to Bretagne. That is a rare thing."
The problem
is the mentality according to Guesdon. "The Tour de France is blinding, but
if you don't know what you can achieve there after two starts, turn the page
and concentrate on something else. For a French rider a Tour stage win, or a
day in the yellow means as much as hitting the jackpot; you can live on it your
whole career. Look at Voeckler. He had two good months two years ago: that's
it, it's in the pocket."
12:21 CEST 61km/198km to go
20 riders gain an
advantage of 10 seconds over the bunch, including Nuyens (QuickStep), Hayman
(Rabobank), Vogels (Davitamon), Burghardt, Giling and Schmitz (T-Mobile), Krauss
(Gerolsteiner), Clerc, Guidi and Grabsch (Phonak), Bodrogi (CA), Jégou (FDJ),
Lequatre and Valentin (Cofidis), Uribarri (Euskaltel), Mazur (Saunier Duval),
Pütsep, Riblon and Laurent (AG2R), Mitlushenko (LPR), Tjallingii and Van Hummel
(Skil Shimano). But like all the other moves so far, it fails. It's going to
be tough to get a decent lead before the first cobbles at Troisvilles (km 98).
12:25 CEST 68km/191km to go
The most promising
attack of the day so far contains four riders: Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Nicolas
Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) and Dmitri Konyshev (LPR).
They have 20 seconds after 67 km, with the attack starting at km 62.
12:32 CEST 73km/186km to go
The four leaders
are progressing relatively well, and have half a minute lead over the bunch,
with some 25 km to go before the first cobbles. They could well make it to there
with a bit of a lead, but then all hell generally breaks loose.
|
12:34 CEST
At the start in Compiègne, Cyclingnews
noticed a man with some ambition. Marc Wauters will race his last Paris-Roubaix
and knows he can get a good result: "I'm relaxed. I have good hopes on having
a good race. I'm ready to rumble!"
Not everybody has the same experience
in the queen of all classics. The small Skil-Shimano team received a wild card
and Maarten Tjallingii is one of their riders. He is a neo-pro and obviously
this is his first start in Paris-Roubaix: "Actually I did Paris-Roubaix already
twice. I finished second and third in the mountain bike version of this race.
Bart Brentjens and Filip Meirhaeghe [also competing in P-R this year] were the
winners then."
The atmosphere in the team must be very strange,
as Skil is not a ProTour team, competing in this classic. "This is a big sporting
challenge for me personally. I want to make it to the finish in Roubaix. That
would be huge. Everybody in the team is very motivated to grab this chance with
both hands. In the end, this is the biggest one day race in the world."
Aart Vierhouten leads the team but probably Tjallingii has his own mission.
"I'll try to get into an escape, but most riders are at the top of there capabilities.
That makes it very hard to succeed, but we must try though."
12:39 CEST
Cyclingnews spoke to defending
champion and number one favourite Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) at the start in Compiegne
this morning. We asked him how important the Arenberg forest section was, and
the reply was in the affirmative: "Yeah, because after it, you have a natural
selection and the race starts all over again. I think we will be there in the
last 30, 40 k's with six, seven, eight, nine, ten guys - it all depends - and
I hope we have a fair pedal [sprint] in the final. Before that [Arenberg Forest],
I can win or lose the race; if I'm there, it's much easier for me."
Rivals? "Considering the past and the last two races, I think Hincapie from
Discovery, Van Petegem, Cancellara... I think they will be the most important
rivals."
12:41 CEST
Tom Boonen is riding a modified Time
VXS bike today, and Cyclingnews previewed it before the race. You can
read all about it here.
12:42 CEST 80km/179km to go
Crunch time is rapidly
approaching, and it looks like the peloton is going to hit the first cobbles
as one bunch. But the four leaders are still dangling 25 seconds in front, with
JP Nazon (AG2R) trying to get across to them.
12:43 CEST
Nazon fails, and Brard tries next
to get across alone.
12:45 CEST
André Korff is one of the workers
in the T-Mobile team: "My job is to help Wesemann and Klier as long as possible.
When hell breaks lose, I'll see how I end up," he told Cyclingnews at
the start.
The rider obviously hasn't got ambitions in winning this
race. "My main goal besides helping our leaders is finishing the race. But if
a big group gets away, we need to have some of the six other riders in it. That
could be me."
12:47 CEST
Brard comes back and the four leaders
extend their advantage out to 45 seconds, the biggest of the race so far.
The break consists of: Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne),
Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) and Dmitri Konyshev (LPR).
12:51 CEST 85km/174km to go
The leaders now gain
the magic minute over the peloton, which should see them through the first sector
of cobbles. Iker Flores (Euskaltel) is 50 seconds behind them, chasing alone.
12:53 CEST
Roger Hammond (Discovery) had a worrying
week after his crash in the Tour of Flanders. His medical status is rather well,
it seems: "I feel alright. The knee could be much worse. I'll be alright, hopefully."
12:55 CEST 87km/172km to go
The chase group is
now Marco Righetto (Liquigas), Stephane Berges (Agritubel), and Iker Flores,
and they trail the four leaders by 1'00, with the peloton at 1'15. Only 10 km
to go boys, then it becomes chaotic.
13:05 CEST 97km/162km to go
We're almost on the
first sector at Troisvilles, and it's still Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Nicolas
Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) and Dmitri Konyshev (LPR)
in front with a 1'20 gap over Marco Righetto (Liquigas), Stephane Berges (Agritubel),
and Iker Flores (Euskaltel), and the peloton now at 2'05.
13:10 CEST 99km/160km to go
The leaders are on
the Troisvilles sector now, 2.2 km of jarring cobblestones, the first of 52.7
km. The three chasers are still at 1'25, with the bunch back at 2'20.
13:18 CEST 103km/156km to go
After the first
sector, the lead quartet still has 2'15 on the bunch.
Frank Hoj
(Gerolsteiner) gets a 15 second gap on the pave.
13:21 CEST
We've just uploaded a gallery of
photos from the start this morning. Check
it out here.
13:26 CEST
Frank Hoj (Gerolsteiner) nodded at
the start: "I feel good now, but I won't later on."
13:30 CEST 110km/149km to go
The leaders have
passed through sectors 26 and 25 now, and have a nice advantage of 4'00 over
the peloton. The three chasers (Righetto and co) are still there at 2'25, with
Hoj closing in at 2'55.
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13:32 CEST
Swiss outsider Fabian Cancellara
(CSC) has high ambitions "We have our own plans at this race. Because we know
we are strong. We'll give our very best to win here, that's for sure." It could
be that Cancellara receives some help in the finale: "It's important to have
a team mate like Lars [Michaelsen], as he's very strong at the moment. We will
have a strong race with him."
13:33 CEST 118km/141km to go
Portal chomps on
a Mars Bar as the break refuels.
Johan Verstrepen (Landbouwkrediet)
is just ahead of the peloton.
13:37 CEST 121km/138km to go
In the bunch, Hulsmans,
Van Bon and Devolder are near the front, keeping an eye on things. The bunch
is at the feed zone.
Portal takes off his leg warmers, which requires
a little dexterity. The break hits zone 23 at Vertain to St-Martin-sur-Écaillon
with its lead intact. Konyshev pedals smoothly on the front, enjoying the dry
conditions. It's a beautiful day at the moment, and most riders don't even have
arm warmers on.
Hoj has caught the three counter attackers, so there
are four chasing four.
13:38 CEST
Cyclingnews first asks Mark
Renshaw if he wants to move up a bit closer to the front at the start before
having a chat. "Nah mate, I've got 200 kilometres to move up!" he jokes.
CN: How have you been going in the Classics leading up to Roubaix?
MR: Oh good. Had a really good Tour of Flanders, done the
job for Thor and got him in that front 15 on the Oude Kwaremont, which is always
going to be the most decisive climb in the race. I was a little disappointed
going over the top, but I just couldn't go with them; there was about 30 or
40 guys that split and I was on the wheel of Ekimov - when you see guys like
Ekimov getting ripped off the back, you know it's a hard race. Again, with Gent-Wevelgem
and Thor winning, it was really good for the team. I did my job after the Kemmelberg
and that was it.
CN: So you've obviously got good condition
- are you happy with your form?
MR: Yeah... this
year, I've been good, but I haven't quite been super yet. I'm just waiting for
that period to arrive and it's usually around now that it arrives, so hopefully
[it comes] either next week when I've still got a few races in France, or after
I had a bit of a rest before the Four Days of Dunkirk.
CN:
Is the team plan simply to protect Thor as much as possible before Arenberg?
MR: Oh, today's 100 percent for Thor; we've got a few guys
going to cover the early moves, then we've got four or five guys looking after
Thor up until the Arenberg. Really after that, that's where the race is going
to be decided. But he's definitely got the legs to go top five today.
CN: Is Thor even more confident in his abilities to make the front group
after Gent-Wevelgem?
MR: Yeah, he knows he can
do it; it's just going to be the world versus Tom Boonen today, and hopefully
we can see a few guys take it to him. Winning Gent-Wevelgem took a bit of pressure
off him, which is good, so he's pretty happy now.
CN: Is there
fear in the peloton surrounding Boonen at the moment, because of his dominance?
MR: He's definitely dominant, but I think Discovery at the
Tour of Flanders, they could have played a better game. Anyway, we'll find out
in six hours and twenty minutes who's the winner!
CN: Not
that you're counting! From the reconnaissance you've done, other there any other
key secteurs apart from Arenberg?
MR: Oh, the
whole 27 secteurs are going to be crucial, but definitely after the Arenberg,
where we turn left and hit the next five sections, that's definitely going to
be hard.
13:39 CEST
More Quick.Step jerseys are moving
to the front, including Nuyens and Van Impe. The gap is now 4'28 to the front
break, the biggest lead so far.
13:40 CEST 123km/136km to go
The bunch hits the
zone at Vertain with Van Impe lifting the pace on the front and stringing things
out. Quick.Step will want to make the race as hard as it can, without wasting
too many riders.
Verstrepen is caught.
13:43 CEST 125km/134km to go
Van Impe and Nuyens
ride through clouds of dust as he tows the peloton along sector 23. Riders are
now switching lines, trying to find a smoother section to ride on. The crown
of the road is the best.
The sector is finished, and Nuyens continues
on the front. T-Mobile have also moved riders up along with the Quick.Steps.
Boonen is there in about 15th wheel, and Ballan is also not far from the front.
A Skil Shimano rider counters.
13:45 CEST
The Skil rider gets 5 seconds, but
the peloton reacts and he comes back.
Mattan flats.
13:48 CEST 127km/132km to go
The gap is up to
4'48 as there are at least five Quick.Steps near the front of the peloton, behind
a Landbouwkrediet rider that looks like Meirhaeghe. Another Landbouwkrediet
attacks: Kevin Neyrinck. De Jongh marks him, then Steels. But Steels looks back
and overlaps De Jongh's wheel and goes flying. Ouch, that can't be good for
you. It doesn't cause too many other riders to crash though. That was a strange
one.
The bunch regroups, then Devolder takes over on the front.
Hushovd punctures.
13:50 CEST 129km/130km to go
The peloton is not
riding too hard now, with T-Mobile in front. They're on sector 22, Capelle-sur-Écaillon,
which is not too difficult. The gap came down to 3'53, but will probably go
up again now.
13:52 CEST 131km/128km to go
Milram and T-Mobile
lead on sector 22, now De Jongh comes through again, then Devolder. The grassy
bit in the middle of the road provides some comfort, but Devolder prefers to
sit just to the left of it.
The four chasers are now 3'30 behind
the four leaders, which means they are only half a minute ahead of the main
bunch.
13:53 CEST
We spoke to Phonak's sprinter Robert
Hunter this morning.
CN: How have you been feeling leading
up to this race?
RH: I've been pretty quiet up
till now; I've just been taking it easy, trying to get my condition as good
as possible.
CN: How have you been performing in the races
leading up to Roubaix?
RH: Pretty good. Flanders
I stopped at the second feed, just found myself in a bad position, so I just
used it as training. Gent-Wevelgem, found myself in the second group at just
got to the finish. I was feeling okay, but haven't been super.
CN:
What's the team strategy today - you're one of the guys who could go in the
early break - you've done it before at M-SR?
RH:
Yeah, we've got a couple of guys who are pretty keen to get in the early break
today. It's one of those races where an early break is not a bad thing; it makes
life a lot easier if you are up the road - you don't have to fight with 180
guys for position on the cobbles, so it's not a bad race to be up the road.
And we've also got a couple of guys in good condition to try and make it to
the finish.
CN: From the reconnaissance everyone's done, the
key secteur is still Arenberg - are there any other key secteurs to watch out
for?
RH: There always is. Arenberg is always a
big part of the race, but I think the three sections after Arenberg are just
as important; they're long, they're hard, the bunch ends up splitting a lot
along those sections as well as the Arenberg.
13:55 CEST 131km/128km to go
De Jongh, Klier
and Devolder exit the sector in front, with Devolder taking off his arm warmers
and having a bite to eat. The bunch regroups, and it's maybe 80 riders strong,
with more joining on.
The leaders are still powering along with Portal,
Konyshev, Posthuma and Schreck taking strong turns. Konyshev (40) is enjoying
it.
13:57 CEST
Flat tyres for Matt White (Discovery)
and Thomas Vaitkus (AG2R) as Marco Serpellini (Unibet.com) attacks the bunch,
taking advantage of a lull in the peloton.
14:00 CEST 136km/123km to go
Henk Vogels (Davitamon)
gets to the front with Steegmans, alongside the Quick.Step team. Tom Boonen
is well placed now. They are approaching sector 21.
14:01 CEST
Tom Steels (Davitamon) has abandoned
after his earlier crash.
14:03 CEST
Cyclingnews spoke to Matt White (Discovery
Channel) to ask him his aims for today.
CN: I guess the plan
is look after Leif Hoste and George Hincapie as much as possible before the
Arenberg today?
MW: Yeah mate; especially for
me, I think that's when my race will be over - a big group usually doesn't come
back after that. We've got two guys we've got a lot of faith in and who can
win today, so will look after them as long as possible.
CN:
You've got a fair bit of experience in this race, so obviously that helps keeping
your top guys up front?
MW: Experience is important
no matter what the terrain, and I've been racing long enough to know how to
look after the guys before the important sections. So I'm glad it's a dry day
today - my first Paris-Roubaix was dry and the last three were wet; I much prefer
the dry, that's for sure.
CN: Are you happy with your condition?
MW: Yeah, not too bad. I came here with not too much racing
before I got up to Belgium, so it's been a pretty hectic last two, three weeks.
The next job's the Giro, that's for sure.
14:04 CEST 138km/121km to go
The four chasers:
Marco Righetto (Liquigas), Stephane Berges (Agritubel), Frank Hoj (Gerolsteiner)
and Iker Flores (Euskaltel) look back and try to see where the peloton is. They
have about 45 seconds gap still.
Meanwhile, the four front riders
are racing through another treeless French field with 3'35 on the main peloton.
They are on sector 21 at Verchain-Maugré. Schreck takes command at the front.
14:05 CEST
Konyshev takes the grass option on
the side of the road, and it's not a good option. He is off the back of the
break. Ride the cobbles like a real man :-)
14:06 CEST
Steegmans and Van Bon work on the
front of the peloton, with Boonen the best placed of the favourites in fifth
wheel.
The four chasers hit zone 21, and the peloton will be there
soon.
14:07 CEST 139km/120km to go
The smaller riders
bounce around as the bunch attacks zone 21, Steegmans still in front. They have
pegged the gap back to 2'55, with the three counter attackers at 2'25.
14:08 CEST
The bunch is in three parallel lines,
one in the middle of the road, and one on each side. This sector is only 1.6
km long and rated with three stars.
14:09 CEST 141km/118km to go
The leaders are
on sector 20: Quérénaing, a 2.5 km section also rated at three stars. Arenberg
is another 20 km away...
14:11 CEST
Konyshev has made it back to the
break, and pedals a massive gear at the back. The cobbles will be starting to
jar the riders now, making arms, hands and wrists sore.
The peloton
is some 50 riders strong at the end of sector 21, before regrouping occurs and
it expands again. Now it's on sector 20.
14:12 CEST
Berges is caught by the peloton on
the 20th sector.
14:13 CEST
T-Mobile takes over on the front
of the bunch on this 2.5 km long sector, catching Righetto next. That just leaves
six in front:
Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne),
Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) and Dmitri Konyshev (LPR). Then Frank Hoj (Gerolsteiner)
and Iker Flores (Euskaltel).
Flores is dropped by Hoj though. This
counter attack is going nowhere fast.
14:15 CEST 145km/114km to go
Verstrepen gets
a small gap over the peloton on sector 20, as a crash takes out Hammond and
Mikhailov, both Discovery riders.
The leaders are on sector 19 at
Maing.
14:15 CEST
Hammond is chasing back on, and has
regained the rear of the peloton. Meanwhile, Roesems has mechanical problems.
14:16 CEST
Hoj and Flores are back together
and are just about to be caught by Verstrepen and Pronk, who are ahead of the
peloton.
14:19 CEST 146km/113km to go
Portal crashes and
loses a bit of time to the three leaders as he fixes his right gear/brake lever,
bashing it with his hand to straighten it. He's back with the break now.
14:21 CEST 148km/111km to go
T-Mobile makes the
pace in the peloton, but it's more of a controlling tempo.
On the
same corner that Portal crashed on, a Cofidis and Rabobank rider come down.
Minard (Cofidis) has to wait for a new bike.
The gaps: 2'10 to Hoj's
group and 2'40 to the bunch.
14:25 CEST 150km/109km to go
Hushovd is towards
the rear of the peloton, being waited on by a teammate. Not sure what the problem
is, maybe a flat. They still have time before Arenberg. The bunch is patrolled
by six T-Mobile riders, with another one trying to get up to the front. There
are also a couple of Davitamons up there.
The break maintains a 2'40
advantage, riding on the asphalt before the next sector at Haveluy.
14:27 CEST
Pronk and Hoj are the only riders
left in the chase group, as Verstrepen and Flores have been dropped. They are
just 1'47 behind the four leaders, and a minute ahead of the bunch. The aim
is to get to Arenberg with a bit of their lead intact.
Flores is
caught.
14:28 CEST
Aha, now some more Quick.Step jerseys
appear in the front, alongside T-Mobile. The battle for position before Arenberg
has started. Wesemann, Devolder and Hoste are up there, as is Steegmans.
14:29 CEST 154km/105km to go
Hushovd appears
to be still at the back as the pace picks up. One rider almost goes the wrong
way around a roundabout, but quickly realises that it's the really long way.
Now CSC marshalls their men on the front, and Vogels (Davitamon) is up there
in second wheel.
14:31 CEST
Verstrepen is caught by the bunch
and the tension is evident on the faces of the riders. The next sector is at
Haveluy (km 154), then Arenberg. The leaders are nearly at Haveluy, with 2'40
on the bunch.
14:33 CEST 155km/104km to go
The breakaway is
a good place to be at the moment. The four in front can relax a bit before the
upcoming sectors. Sure, they'll lose a lot of their lead, but at least they're
unlikely to crash.
Quick.Step is massing at the front of the peloton,
as expected.
Posthuma leads onto sector 18, with Schreck and Konyshev
in tow. Portal is clinging on the back.
14:34 CEST 157km/102km to go
Hoj, who escaped
at Troisvilles, and Pronk are almost back in the peloton as sector 18 approaches.
Pronk looks like he's got a route map on his handlebars.
Crash: Siedler
(Milram) and Murn (Phonak) go down, and are in pain. Siedler might have broken
something.
14:35 CEST 158km/101km to go
Quick.Step leads
the bunch at Haveluy. Van Petegem and Boonen are near the front, as is Hincapie.
Konyshev is dropped by the break, maybe for good?
14:38 CEST 159km/100km to go
The peloton is in
a long line as De Jongh hammers on the front. Several LPR riders are dropped,
as is Mazur. Eric Berthou is last wheel, struggling. Now he's struggling on
his own against the cobbles.
Hincapie is up into fourth wheel, while
Boonen sits in 8th. It's a very long line.
14:39 CEST 160km/99km to go
Matt White leads
the bunch off the cobbles with Klier and De Jongh on his wheel.
Konyshev has made it back to the break, which has just 1'26 on the bunch now.
Arenberg is next!
14:41 CEST 161km/98km to go
Konyshev signals
to the others that he's goooone and doesn't really want to do any more work.
He grabs a waterbottle.
The peloton strings out, thanks to White
and Quick.Step. White just has to get his men to Arenberg, he told us. So he's
giving it everything. Four Quick.Steps behind him, and Boonen and Hincapie.
14:42 CEST 162km/97km to go
The breakaways continue
to roll along with the feared Arenberg Forest coming into view. It's 2.4 km,
rated with five stars and very difficult. Even with the refurbishment. If you
lose speed, you're history.
White, Nuyens and Zabel lead the bunch
at 1'15 behind the break.
14:44 CEST 162.5km/96.5km to go
The leaders have
just one minute of their gap left as they near the Arenberg. Less than half
a click to go. Will they all survive until the end of it?
14:45 CEST 163km/96km to go
Nuyens has got the
Quick.Step train going full throttle, with Davitamon also up there in the bunch.
The leaders are over the railway line, and are on the cobbles. Thousands of
people line the road, creating an incredible atmosphere. It's downhill at the
start too...
14:46 CEST
Boonen himself is on the front as
the bunch smashes its way onto the cobbles. Hincapie is on the world champion's
wheel, but is struggling. Boonen can take the best line. Steegmans is in third
wheel.
Konyshev has lost the break.
14:47 CEST 164km/95km to go
Konyshev is taken
by the peloton, as Cancellara makes a break for it. He'll catch the leaders
first. Boonen drops back into fifth wheel.
Cance is caught by Hincapie
and the front of the peloton.
14:49 CEST 165km/94km to go
Posthuma, Portal
and Schreck dangle just ahead of the peloton.
Cance leads the bunch
with Hincapie, Boonen, Steegmans, Van Petegem all up front. There's a bit of
damage being done here, with some 12 riders off the front.
Cancellara
goes past Posthuma towards the finish of the zone. That was easy...
14:50 CEST
The rest of the bunch reaches the
end of the zone some 15 seconds behind the new lead break. Pozzato is in the
second group, along with Hayman and Nuyens. Quick.Step has very few riders in
the front group, surprisingly.
14:52 CEST
The lead group: Van Petegem, Steegmans
(Davitamon), Hincapie, Hoste (Discovery), Cancellara, Michaelsen (CSC), Boonen
(Quick.Step), Wesemann, Klier, Schreck (T-Mobile), Guesdon (FDJ), Flecha, Posthuma
(Rabobank), Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Franzoi (Lampre).
14:53 CEST
Boonen has no teammates here, as
Pozzato and Nuyens in a chase group of 25 some 30 seconds behind. So don't expect
Boonen to do a lot of work.
Ballan is also in the front group for
LAmpre.
14:58 CEST 173km/86km to go
The leaders hit sector
16 at Wallers, with a good half a minute on the chasers. Boonen sits towards
the back.
Hushovd is dropped from the chase group. He's gone.
The group has a lot of two man combinations: Van Petegem, Steegmans (Davitamon),
Hincapie, Gussev, Hoste (Discovery), Cancellara, Michaelsen (CSC), Boonen (Quick.Step),
Wesemann, Schreck (T-Mobile), Guesdon, Eisel (FDJ), Posthuma, Flecha (Rabobank),
Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Ballan, Franzoi (Lampre).
14:59 CEST
Knaven tries to power the chase group,
but it's 40 seconds to the leaders. No-one is going to help him, as most teams
have a few riders in front. Roesems, Vogels and Van Bon sit behind him.
15:02 CEST 172km/87km to go
Now most of Quick.Step
gets to the front of the chase group, with Knaven, De Jongh, Hulsmans, Pozzato
and Cretskens driving it.
15:03 CEST 173km/86km to go
The chasers get to
within 35 seconds, as Michaelsen and Cancellara get on the front of the lead
group. As does Boonen, who does an easy turn. 30 seconds now.
Milram
should be helping the chase too, as it doesn't have anyone up front.
15:04 CEST
Van Impe does a massive turn behind,
closing the gap to 28 seconds. They'll try to get Pozzato into the front group
so that Boonen isn't isolated.
15:06 CEST 186km/73km to go
The leaders, meanwhile,
are on sector 14, Warlaing to Brillon, a 2.4 km stretch of cobbles rated at
3 stars. Boonen sits in third wheel behind the two CSCs. Van Petegem in fourth.
15:07 CEST 178km/81km to go
This is definitely
an interesting situation, as Boonen has been isolated from his teammates. He
looks very strong today, but that is not enough when attack after attack goes.
Schreck, Portal and Posthuma are all dropped from the break, no surprises there.
15:09 CEST 188km/71km to go
Franzoi also goes
off the back, as Cancellara powers the lead group. The chasers are within 27
seconds, but aren't able to close it. Portal is struggling to stay in contact.
He might do it.
Posthuma and Schreck are caught by the chasers.
15:11 CEST 181km/78km to go
Cretskens is dropped
from the chase group as Pozzato himself takes over. But the gap is 45 seconds.
Wesemann accelerates in the front group, and Boonen follows him. The group exits
the zone and Flecha takes over the tempo making. Portal should get back on with
the help of a few motorbikes. Yep. The Frenchman is back.
Hincapie
is probably in the best position in the race.
15:13 CEST
Quick.Step has given up the chase
for the time being, and Vogels moves to the front of group 2 and checks out
the damage. It's a pretty big group, but they're not racing now.
15:14 CEST 183km/76km to go
The gap goes up to
a minute as a Unibet rider tries to get a chase going - Pronk again. Roesems
marks him.
Knaven sits near the back of the chase group with Van
Impe. Apart from Boonen, Quick.Step has underperformed today.
15:16 CEST 184km/75km to go
Gussev and Ballan
now work in the front of the lead group, then Michaelsen and Hoste. Portal sits
in last wheel, suffering a fair bit.
They are on sector 14: Warlaing.
It's 2.4 km and rated three stars. Steegmans leads.
15:17 CEST
Portal suffers to stay in contact,
but he's there. The chase group/peloton is now at 1'27 and not coming back.
The race will be decided from one of these 14 riders.
15:19 CEST 185km/74km to go
Thor Hushovd had
a second puncture before, which cost him his position and he is no longer a
contender.
The two FDJ boys, Guesdon (1997 winner) and Eisel are
powering the lead group. Michaelsen is in third now.
15:21 CEST 187km/72km to go
They exit sector
14, with 14 riders still in the lead group: Van Petegem, Steegmans (Davitamon),
Hincapie, Gussev, Hoste (Discovery), Cancellara, Michaelsen (CSC), Boonen (Quick.Step),
Wesemann (T-Mobile), Guesdon, Eisel (FDJ), Flecha (Rabobank), Ballan (Lampre),
Portal (Caisse d'Epargne).
The conditions are still perfectly dry,
just a little dusty. Boonen will have to base his tactics on the other teams.
Flecha puts in an acceleration, and is marked by a Discovery rider.
Matt Wilson (Unibet) leads the chase group at 1'30.
15:23 CEST 188km/71km to go
Now they're on sector
13: Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières (the last one was sector 14, sorry). Hoste is
in command, with Boonen on his wheel. The plucky Portal is still able to cling
on to the back.
15:25 CEST 190km/69km to go
Michaelsen on the
front, passing a boxing kangaroo flag for the Aussies in the race. No Aussies
in front though. Flecha and Boonen in second and third. Boonen is riding a smart
race, not doing any more than he has to.
15:26 CEST
The 14 leaders exit sector 13 and
Portal stretches himself as they get into the smooth road again. Boonen does
a turn, fairly easy, talking to his DS.
15:30 CEST 193km/66km to go
Now it's a bit of
a waiting game as the break sort of rolls around with no real intensity. With
a 2'00 gap to the bunch, they can afford to relax. Flecha is doing some strong
turns. The cooperation is fairly good though.
The leaders are at
Beuvry-La-Foret, near sector 12 (Orchies).
15:32 CEST
Ballan grabs a feed bag at the feed
zone, as do most of the other riders. Eating at this stage is critical. You
can empty the tank very quickly on the cobbles.
Guesdon is chasing
back on after a flat.
15:34 CEST 196km/63km to go
Guesdon tells his
DS to step on it as he motorpaces back on. No real drama there, as puncturing
is a bit of bad luck.
15:35 CEST
The pace is enough to keep the peloton
at 2'00 as the leaders ride through Orchies. They're still averaging a good
43-44 km/h.
15:38 CEST 199km/60km to go
Milram is driving
the bunch along now, 1'50 behind the lead group. But they appear to be racing
for top 10, at best.
The leaders take the famous right hander onto
the Orchies sector. Flecha on the front with Michaelsen and the ever present
Boonen. Flecha goes pretty hard.
15:40 CEST
Portal goes off the back again, but
gets another moto to pace behind.
Michaelsen takes over in front,
then Boonen and Wesemann. Hincapie in about fifth wheel. It's Discovery's race
today: they have the numbers as they wished.
15:42 CEST 200km/59km to go
Michaelsen leads
before Boonen takes a short turn at the end of the sector. Now they're on smooth
roads. Van Petegem has been keeping very quiet today: Watch out for the 2003
winner...
Portal is back, with a little help.
15:44 CEST 202km/57km to go
The peloton has clawed
its way back to 1'45, but it's a lost cause at the moment. The Davitamons slow
it down again.
Steegmans and Hoste do turns over a bridge, then Guesdon.
Flecha again with his hands draped over the tops of the bars.
15:46 CEST 204km/55km to go
Sector 11 is nigh:
Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée, 2.6 km rated at three stars. Milram is on the front
of the peloton again, driving up the tempo. But there's a Davitamon "stopper"
in second wheel, followed by a pair of Unibets.
Klier punctures in
the bunch. It hasn't been the best of days for the German.
15:47 CEST 205km/54km to go
Pretty well all the
favourites have made it into this front group, save for perhaps Pozzato and
Hushovd. The gap was made at the Arenberg Forest, and that was it.
Michaelsen leads again onto sector 11. He seems to be putting it on the line
for Cancellara today.
15:49 CEST 206km/53km to go
Steegmans takes a
turn now. Boonen is always in the top five or six on the cobbles sections. When
the attacks start, the tactics are going to be interesting. No-one should work
with Boonen in a break unless they have no teammates behind.
15:50 CEST
Now it's Wesemann on the front, pumping
the pedals up and down and putting Portal in difficulty. Hincapie is in second
last wheel.
Flecha attacks! He gets a gap. Boonen chases him - good
idea. Flecha has no teammates.
15:52 CEST 208km/51km to go
That causes some
concern in the break... They are all scrambling for Boonen's wheel. Cancellara
is up there. Gussev leads the chase.
Wesemann has blown, it looks
like. He's back with with Portal. What was Hincapie doing back there?
15:53 CEST 209km/50km to go
The group reforms,
but Steegmans has to chase now. He's back on. Wesemann and Portal aren't.
15:55 CEST 210km/49km to go
Wesemann is back
on as Eisel attacks next. Flecha and Gussev go with him. Van Petegem and Cancellara
close the gap. No dice.
The lead group: Van Petegem, Steegmans (Davitamon),
Hincapie, Gussev, Hoste (Discovery), Cancellara, Michaelsen (CSC), Boonen (Quick.Step),
Guesdon, Eisel (FDJ), Flecha (Rabobank), Ballan (Lampre), Wesemann (T-Mobile).
15:58 CEST 212km/47km to go
Cancellara attacks
coming into Mons-en-Pévèle, 3 km long. But no-one lets him go. Wesemann drops
from second to sixth wheel.
Flecha attacks again, with Van Petegem
getting his wheel. Then Ballan. Michaelsen is now in problems, but the group
is hanging together.
Hello to Danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth, who is
following us from Haiti.
16:00 CEST 214km/45km to go
Hincapie does an
amazing move. His handlebars or stem or forks broke and he ended up in a ditch.
He's out, for sure.
There's no waiting around. Flecha ups the tempo,
then Boonen.
16:01 CEST 214km/45km to go
Boonen's acceleration
has caused damage. Cancellara takes over, then Ballan. Van Petegem is up there.
Four leaders. Cance nearly overcooks it exiting the sector, but survives.
16:04 CEST
Chasing are Hoste, Gussev, Flecha,
and Eisel. Then Wese and Steegmans, then Michaelsen and Portal.
16:05 CEST 217km/42km to go
The four leaders
hit sector 9, Méringnies to Pont-à-Marcq. Boonen, Cancellara, Van Petegem and
Ballan. But the chase group is coming back, led by Flecha. Eisel suffers, can't
make it.
16:06 CEST
The chasers struggle to return, but
they do it. Lead group is now seven riders: Van Petegem (Davitamon), Cancellara
(CSC), Ballan (Lampre), Boonen (Quick.Step), Gussev, Hoste (Discovery), Flecha
(Rabobank).
16:07 CEST
Eisel is chasing on his own, then
Wesemann, Guesdon and Steegmans.
16:08 CEST 219km/40km to go
The peloton is 2'50
back now, led by Baden Cooke (Unibet). They might be able to pick up the others
for a top 10. Maybe.
The leading seven take on food from team cars.
16:10 CEST 220km/39km to go
Sector hits: Pont-Thibaut
to Ennevelin, 1.4 km rated at three stars.
Eisel is just off the
back of the break, chasing through the cars. He's doing well, too as he eats
a lot of dust.
16:12 CEST 222km/37km to go
Eisel is at 12 seconds,
with Wesemann's trio at 40 seconds. No word on Hincapie, but he should be OK.
He's effectively out of the race though.
16:14 CEST
Eisel is back on the lead break,
as Hoste, Van Petegem signal for their team cars. Ballan now does a turn. There
are eight riders still in contention for Paris-Roubaix, and Discovery still
has the advantage. But not as big as they had with Hincapie out.
16:17 CEST 225km/34km to go
Eisel does a turn
now, then flicks his elbow for Hoste to come through. The next sector is an
easy one, split into two at Templeuve.
Boonen is still in the best
position to win this race, as he is by far the quickest sprinter.
16:18 CEST
Boonen takes a turn on the Templeuve
cobbles, with the others battling for his wheel. His World Champion's jersey
is once again at the front of a race.
16:19 CEST 226km/33km to go
They finish the first
half of the seventh sector, and Cance grabs a bidon from a soigneur on the side
of the road.
Wesemann, Guesdon and Steegmans are nearly a minute
behind, but still in contention for a top 10. That's definitely worth riding
for.
16:21 CEST 228km/31km to go
The tempo is still
reasonably high in the lead break, as none of them want anyone else to come
back. All the eight are working, and the nearest chasers are already a minute
behind. Boonen does another turn on the front, but it's not savage. He checks
his bike.
16:23 CEST 229km/30km to go
Gussev is riding
a great race today, one of the surprise packages given his form so far this
year. He and Hoste are Discovery's two men in front, but can they use their
numbers to advantage?
16:25 CEST 230km/29km to go
We now have a series
of four tough sectors coming up, starting with Cysoing to Bourghelles in a few
km. Then Bourghelles to Wannehain, Camphin-en Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre.
Belgian television reports that it was Hincapie's fork steerer that broke before,
forcing him to ride no hands on a cobbled sector...with the obvious result.
It's bad luck for the American, who was looking great today.
16:27 CEST 232km/27km to go
Gussev lifts the
tempo in the break as they approach Cysoing. Boonen takes over and powers.
No news on Hincapie's injuries: he did land on his right shoulder and was sitting
in the grass, nursing it last time we saw.
16:28 CEST 232km/27km to go
Boonen sets a steady
but hard tempo with Cancellara on his wheel. This sector 6 is 1.3 km long, but
very rough. The break hangs together.
16:29 CEST 233km/26km to go
Now Boonen accelerates,
and that causes problems. Ballan and Gussev crash into each other on the corner.
Oops. Flecha avoids it by some miracle. Must have chainring marks in his back
now!
16:31 CEST 234km/25km to go
Ballan makes it back
on, very quickly. The group contains: Van Petegem (Davitamon), Cancellara (CSC),
Ballan (Lampre), Boonen (Quick.Step), Hoste (Discovery), Flecha (Rabobank),
Eisel (FDJ). The latter leads, then Flecha powers through.
16:31 CEST
Gussev is coming back just as they
reach sector five. Eight leaders again, but the Russian will struggle on this
sector.
16:33 CEST 236km/23km to go
Van Petegem and Flecha
now lead the group on the Bourghelles to Wannehain sector. Van Petegem looks
great, as usual. He's in the right place at the right time.
Gussev
gets to within 20 metres and blows. He'll try to regain them on the asphalt.
16:34 CEST 236km/23km to go
Hoste looks back
and wonders where Gussev is. He's not. But he's trying.
16:35 CEST 237km/22km to go
Gussev has not lost
a lot of time to the break, which numbers seven. Now it's all one rider from
one team in front. That evens the score against Boonen.
16:37 CEST 239km/20km to go
Ballan, bearing a
small wound on his left elbow from that crash, is having a good ride. He attacks
with Flecha, and Van Petegem counters.
Hoste is annoyed, and wants
his team car. Gussev is back!
16:38 CEST
So now it's eight riders with 20
km to go. Flecha is looking very nervous, as he attacks coming onto Camphin-en
Pévèle. Cancellara chooses the dirt for a bit, then gets back onto the cobbles.
Gussev in last wheel.
16:40 CEST 241km/18km to go
The sector is 1.8
km long. Now Gussev does a powerful turn with PVP in second, then Ballan. Gussev
opens up a small gap. Boonen goes past Flecha to get Ballan's wheel.
Cancellara attacks past Gussev. PVP leaves a gap and there are two in front.
16:41 CEST 242km/17km to go
The group hasn't
reacted to Cancellara and Gussev's attack. It's a good 15 seconds. Now Flecha
and Boonen go after them. Hoste too. The six chasers are still together.
16:42 CEST 242km/17km to go
Cancellara leads
all the way, as Hoste slows things up behind. The Carrefour de l'Arbre approaches.
They're on it!
16:42 CEST
Ballan leads the chasers behind Cancellara
and Gussev on the 2.1 km Carrefour de l'Arbre. This is one of the worst sectors
of cobbles.
16:43 CEST
Ballan, Van Petegem and Boonen are
the front three in the chase group, but Cancellara is driving it hard in front.
20 seconds! Gussev hangs on for grim death. Could these two steal Paris-Roubaix?
It's looking good.
16:44 CEST
Van Petegem accelerates as Cancellara
drops Gussev. The Russian tries to limit the damage.
16:46 CEST 245km/14km to go
Cancellara is the
lone leader now, and the big Swiss motor is hammering over the cobbles of Carrefour
de l'Arbre. He's finished the zone, and heads towards Gruson, sector 3. He hits
them now. Gussev at 9 seconds.
16:46 CEST
Hoste accelerates on the Gruson sector,
gapping Boonen. He could get up to Gussev.
16:48 CEST 246km/13km to go
Van Petegem and Hoste
are chasing Gussev, while Ballan, Boonen and Flecha hang about 5 seconds off
the back. It's not Boonen's day today, it looks like. Unless it all miraculously
comes together.
Cancellara knows he can win today. He drives it on
the smooth road.
16:49 CEST
Boonen and Flecha do their best to
catch Ballan, but Hoste, Van Petegem and Gussev are now together at 30 seconds
behind the leader.
16:50 CEST 248km/11km to go
Fabian Cancellara
(CSC) looks to be the man today, but he's got three very determined chasers
in Hoste, Van Petegem and Gussev. Then Ballan alone, then Flecha and Boonen.
But the world champ is 40 seconds behind Cance.
Cancellara is not
looking back. He is very close to a victory.
16:52 CEST 249km/10km to go
Fabian Cancellara
has just two cobbled sectors to go as he increases his gap to 31 seconds over
the three behind him. He will not be caught, unless he has a disaster. Flecha,
Ballan and Boonen are giving it full gas to try to catch the three in front.
10 seconds is hard to close at 50 km/h.
16:53 CEST
Hoste's group is 32 seconds behind
the leader, as Boonen's group is stopped by a train!! Oh dear. That's the end
of their race.
16:53 CEST
Boonen's trio is back again, with
a 30 second penalty. It's over for them. Hoste's group only just got through...
16:54 CEST 250km/9km to go
You could hear the
disappointment in the velodrome when Boonen's group was stopped by the train.
Well, that's bike racing.
Cance now has 40 seconds on the three
behind, then 1'12 to the Boonen group.
16:55 CEST 251km/8km to go
Cancellara hits the
cobbles in Hem with 40 seconds. He just needs to have no mechanicals, and he's
home and hosed. PVP, Gussev and Hoste are driving the chasers, and are now on
sector 2 as well. Cance opts for the right hand side, which is smooth. He's
suffering, but he's in the lead.
16:57 CEST 252km/7km to go
PVP, Gussev and Hoste
avoid the holes on the Hem sector, as Boonen tries to get his chase group closer
to the three in front. No chance at this stage of the proceedings.
16:58 CEST 253km/6km to go
Cancellara has finished
the second sector and has now got 45 seconds on the chasers as he's urged on
by his director. He's got sunshine all the way to Roubaix.
17:00 CEST 254km/5km to go
Cance rides well against
the clock, and although he's in a great deal of pain, he's increasing the gap
to his pursuers. The Discovery boys are guaranteed a podium place or two, but
it's not the one they wanted. Boonen clearly didn't have it today. Last weekend
was a very tough race. Hoste has recovered better though.
17:01 CEST
Guesdon punctures from a long way
back. He might still get 10th though.
17:02 CEST 255.5km/3.5km to go
Fabian Cancellara
powers along over the final kilometres of Paris-Roubaix, covered in dust and
getting everything he can out of his body to reach the velodrome in first place.
He's nearly there. Less than 4 km, and he has 51 seconds.
17:03 CEST 256km/3km to go
Cance is now at 3km
to go, and keeping the tempo up over 50km/h. The other three can't get him,
and it's a battle for second. PVP, Hoste or Gussev? Boonen's group is 1'30 behind
Cancellara. They're chasing hard, but they don't have the gas.
17:04 CEST
Gussev attacks the break first, annoying
Van Petegem, who looks back at Hoste of course. Hoste must counter, surely?
17:04 CEST 257km/2km to go
Cancellara is in the
final straight before the velodrome, over the final set of cobbles. He gets
a huge cheer!
17:05 CEST 258km/1km to go
Cancellara enters
the velodrome to a massive cheer from the crowd. He's done it!
17:06 CEST
The Swiss CSC rider takes the blue
duckboards as he gets the bell for one lap to go. He will win this by a minute.
What a ride by Fabian Cancellara!
17:06 CEST 259km/0km to go
Cancellara celebrates
from 150m out. He finally eases off the pedals, blows kisses to the crowd, and
gives a huge victory salute. Fantastic ride!!!
17:08 CEST
The sprint for second sees Van Petegem
sit in second wheel behind Gussev. He goes up the track...takes the lead, then
dives first but Hoste is too good and Van Petegem is second.
17:08 CEST
The sprint for fifth is taken by
Tom Boonen of course, from Ballan and Flecha at 1'51.
17:11 CEST
Eisel rolls across for eighth - nice
ride by the Austrian.
Boonen will keep the ProTour jersey, scoring
another 25 points today. Hoste should be up to second.
17:23 CEST
And so finishes the 104th edition
of Paris-Roubaix, another very tough version of the Hell of the North. The strongest
rider won: Fabian Cancellara, and what a fine ride it was by the Swiss rider.
You have to go back to 1923 (Henri Suter) to find the last Swiss winner of this
race.
That's all from us in the blimp. Thanks to the Prince, and
thanks to you for following us today! We'll be back for the Amstel Gold Race
next Sunday.
17:26 CEST
There has been a sensational change
to the results! Leif Hoste, Vladimir Gussev and Peter van Petegem have *all*
been disqualified for going through that level crossing in the last 10 km. That
means Tom Boonen is actually second today, with Ballan third. Remarkable!
Results
Provisional 1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC 6.07.54 2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick.Step 1.51 3 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 4 Juan-Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank 5 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 3.24 6 Steffen Wesemann (Ger) T-Mobile 7 Frederic Guesdon (Fra) Française des Jeux 8 Bert Roesems (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 9 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Française des Jeux 10 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis (Hoste, Van Petegem and Gussev were disqualified for not waiting for a train crossing)
