Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2013
It looks so easy on the television. Well, no, actually it looks pretty bloody hard. We think we have some understanding of how they suffer, how their bodies can take the continual beating. But we don’t really know. Not even by riding these abominations they call roads twice in the space of a few days can we understand the scale of the thing. Not even by witnessing firsthand a master of the cobbles effortlessly turning the cranks, cruising past us as if on a cushion of air by comparison to our bed of nails can we fully comprehend what it takes to ride these secteurs with any panache, style or speed.
While we witnessed a Roubaix masterclass from The Lion himself today, a new name could be added alongside his on the long list of legends on Sunday. Or it could be a former vainquer adding to an already impressive palmares. But as we’ve seen in the past, and even the past hours, luck plays as big a part as skill, talent and fitness in this most beautifully horrible race. And it plays an even bigger part in picking the top five in the VSP.
All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the spectacle. We’ll be doing the hard yards at the side of the roads of Troisvilles, the Troueé, and the Carrefour. Study the form guide, then throw it out. It’s no good to you here.
In the meantime here’s a look at a bunch of nobodies and a guru riding a secteur on today’s recon. The lesson comes at around 0.15.
[vsp_results id=”22968″/]
@RedRanger Stybar, I thought about it!
Had to leave for twenty minutes. Where did Thor go???
Fabian eating up the gap now
Can’t help Buck’o, I’m finding NBC coverage with all the adds really iritatin. Anyone one the East Coast got something better on the computer?
Stybar, you magnificent bastard!
@Rob
check steephill.tv links. Very good now
V flag @ 14.8
Bummer for Stybar.
By Mercks! What a race!
Faboo makes the phantom aerobars look so awesome.
Hem is harder than they lead you to believe.
Kudos to Van Marcke for taking a pull!
Nice attack by Fabian. Just completely dropped everyone except Stybar.
Im happy to see Zdenek start to come good on the road.
Let the games begin!
@Cantona , thanks, I think it about apple and Flash… Can’t find anything that loads – it’s ok I’ll watch a replay later and watch the update guy whilst add are on.
Cancellara has his work cut out for him with 2 team mates and Stybar!
Awesome! Love this race!!!!!!
Great finish.
What an amazing tense end to a beautiful race
@Rob
If you are trying to watch on an iPhone or iPad I’vhigh ad good luck with the Skyfire web browser app for viewing flash video
Could ‘na asked for a better finish – legend!
Oh wow. I feel like i need a smoke after watching that race.
Most epic race finish ever.
@Marko
Absolutely! Esp if you ride every meter of the cobbles and not the sides like the pros (who are doing it for money and the win unlike pure amateurs like me!)
@biggles
Agreed!
My Eurosport feed started to get sketchy just as they got to the velodrome, but it all came back with about 3/4’s of a lap to go. Great, great finish. Now to watch the NBC sports coverage like a replay.
Ooh, first and second!
@Dan_R
Almost!!
Harmon: Cancellara
Kelly: Cancellara
Damn that was good. Got a second flash of the V flag in secteur 4
Wow great race and amazing finish so jealous of the
Keepers for being in the middle of all the action.
@sthilzy
I spotted the V-flag with about 15 km to go, it went by too fast or a screen grab.
Great race! Thought the first 2/3 rds were setting up for a boring sunny day race but no! Sep rode an impressive race too.
@asyax
Ooh, nothing (except 2000 odd calories of beer)!
Tops edition. Fabs deserved his win – strong & smart.
Nextt year we need Boonen v Fabs showdown. Please book the beds William!
i really enjoyed that.
Goose. Egg. Great race, though. Stybar – who knew?
@Harminator Yeah, spewing I didn’t commit to KT. Also undid all the good work I did this morning with a few beers. Did you see the Aussie flag near where Stybar got clipped – oops!
How about the crowd crashing this year? Tough to judge the fans I suppose if the riders are hugging the sides to avoid the cobbles but what about that super dumbass that was right in the middle of the pave trying to get a pic. Fucker should be ground into the road and banned from spectating all future races!
beautiful! vanmarke channelled V, faboo, impeccable class and the merckx/ kelly finish. A roubaix for the ages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jH6I7LsmrtA#t=36s
Poss flag sighting
Spotted the Velominati flag flying!
what a race right to the end. stybar was robbed by that idiot but great handling skills. van avermaet gave me one out of the remaining four at least.
@Pedale.Forchetta
Check out from 140 to 150 it there on the left.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gYk25ZaHFCo
@Buck Rogers
That guy should of been the new wind screen for the Moto guys for sure. Hell if he was that hell bent on pictures he should of brought along a ladder. But what a race man, did it ever ramp up at the end.
Even I got really excited watching the race today. Was even up on my feet shouting at guys at the end, very exciting. Kept watching for The Present Mr #The Engine, fortunately didnt see him but did see the flag. Those two idiots in the crowd should be arrested for endangering life and taken away and shot!! I’ve got a horrible feeling the family and myself are going to be reliving this weekend cobble by cobble for the foreseeable future. Also, replay by replay on Sky + for ever and ever. Did you know he has a really bad cold, by the way. No? He’ll be sure to tell you that he managed all this with a stinker of a cold. Rule 5 dont you know!!
Bugger, just blown my cover!
@Buck Rogers I just took another look at it and that could of been really bad!!! The fans should of taken him out in the field and planted his ass like he was part of the crops .
The crowds on the Carrefour were definitely more careless than last year… we were yelling at fuckers to step back from the gutter because that’s where the riders are riding. It’s the fastest, smoothest line, and they were flying. There was a twat with a big camera on a pole just near us with it stuck out on the cobbles as the riders were approaching, and he had to be told to get it the fuck off there. I think the warm weather brought out some punters who don’t understand the logistics of spectating.
Four strong riders entered the Carrefour with a shot at the win, but only two exited it with the same chance. And fucking Aussies seemed to be to blame.
The majority of the crowd watching on the big screen at the Carrefour seemed disappointed that Vanmarcke didn’t get the win. He was too stupid though, poor guy will be regretting getting off Fab’s wheel before five metres from the line.
@brett Stupid? Yes.
Respectable? I think so too.
It takes balls of steel to help in a Faboo-driven break, especially after the elbow-flick-attack. That man proved he is by far a badass.
Wow, who would have thought it would have come down to that! Well done Sep Vanmarke – defo a winner in the future – fukoffs to the prats on the carrefour, I don’t understand why people go to all the trouble to get there, and instead of watching and remembering, they spend the time trying to get a crap photo just to say they were there – ah well
Well done Fabs, never happier to get no points in a VSP
Quote from Sep V on the chat with F on the way into the High Street – “He asked me a couple of times how I felt. The only thing you can say then is that I was fucked, and I was pretty sure he was, too. I knew I could not drop him,” Vanmarcke said.
@mrs engine
Thanks Jenny, I’ve been wishing I was there on the Keepers Tour but now that I know that your other half has a stinker of a cold I’m glad I’m not. I bet that all of the Velominati will be leaving the gitte infected with Scottish man flu germs.
Well done Fab, never in doubt,(once you’d crossed the line!) Superb race with Vanmarke and Steebs making it so.
That really sucks for Stybar He was looking great, and most likely won’t have that chance next year.
Great quote from him Vanmarcke in cyclingnews:
“Four kilometres from the finish, I started to believe. He attacked. It was close, but I managed to stay with him. Mentally that gave me wings. Before that moment, my only concern was not getting dropped,” said Vanmarcke.
“He asked me a couple of times how I felt. The only thing you can say then is that I was fucked, and I was pretty sure he was, too. I knew I could not drop him,” Vanmarcke said.