# Paris-Roubaix 2018 ***spoilers***



## smutchin (5 Apr 2018)

So, which Quick Step rider's turn is it to win this time?

Gilbert seems to have been playing the super-domestique role recently, maybe his teammates will return the favour for this one. Although Terpstra isn't too interested in team orders and it seems highly likely he'll attempt another long-range solo win. Stybar is overdue a big win too, but I'm starting to think a Monument is beyond his capabilities. If it ends in a bunch sprint, Lampaert could be a genuine contender. 

Actually, I'm rooting for Demare for this one. Would be fun to see him upset the QS party.


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## steveindenmark (5 Apr 2018)

Lets hope he can avoid level crossings then.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (5 Apr 2018)

I think it's Stybar's turn


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## rich p (5 Apr 2018)

Watching the DDV last week, it was obvious that Lampaert was the strongest rider in the break but I think he went early cos he wasn't sure that he'd win a sprint.
It'll be interesting to see why Geraint has picked this one out - because of it's prestige or with serious intention?
Anyone know what the weather forecast is? 
Wet and windy is more fun for the armchair sadists.


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## smutchin (5 Apr 2018)

rich p said:


> It'll be interesting to see why Geraint has picked this one out - because of it's prestige or with serious intention?



He won the junior version way back in 2004. I've long thought that if he'd been born in Belgium he would have made a career out of being a one-day specialist in the mould of Tom Boonen, rather than wasting his time fannying about on the track.


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## smutchin (5 Apr 2018)

As for the weather forecast, it's predicted to be cold, wet and windy for the 200km Kent-based audax I'm doing on Sunday, so I imagine it will be much the same just across the Channel.


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## brommers (5 Apr 2018)

rich p said:


> It'll be interesting to see why Geraint has picked this one out - because of it's prestige or with serious intention?


Cobbles preparation for the TdF?


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## Pro Tour Punditry (5 Apr 2018)

Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix @A_ParisRoubaix is well worth a follow on twitter if you don't already, they do great work replacing sections of cobbles, uncovering previously paved sections and upkeep of the pave


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## Pro Tour Punditry (6 Apr 2018)

Splendid


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## Too Tyred (6 Apr 2018)

I'm such a Sagan fanboy, it's cringeworthy! Really looking forward to this!


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## brommers (7 Apr 2018)

Weather for Roubaix on Sunday up to 20°c and about 10% chance of rain, although there is a higher chance of overnight rain, so could be a bit damp.


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## Fight.The.Power (8 Apr 2018)

It begins


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## brommers (8 Apr 2018)

Nice and sunny at the start - on Eurosport 2 now.


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

could this be the break that sticks


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

that's a lot of riders down


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

Geraint Thomas ...abandoned


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

Michael Goolaerts of drapac cannondale off to hospital in a serious condition, no details given


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

apparently he needed defibrillator and cpr before going to hospital, hope hes ok


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

roadrash said:


> Michael Goolaerts of drapac cannondale off to hospital in a serious condition, no details given


Defibrillator and CPR. Then helicopter to hospital. 
Best wishes


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## Fight.The.Power (8 Apr 2018)

Winnning move from GVA ?

Nope


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

Sagan has upped the pace but has a big gap to close


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

Thanks for the updates but I can't bring myself to click like on some of it!


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

Stybar to storm it?


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

The peloton is 30sec back and appear happy to just play cat and mouse. 
Sagan goes again.


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

Sagan has jumped the gap to the lead group. 
But peloton is less than 30sec behind.


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

Big crash. Tony Martin down plus others.


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

kristoff, tony martin down in crash


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## philk56 (8 Apr 2018)

Gap is growing..


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

roadrash said:


> kristoff, tony martin down in crash


Did the Quickstepper just miss their handlebars to cause the wobble that ended in that little crash?

Kristoff holding his arm in a broken collarbone way? Saddle off the bike too.


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

certainly looked like it


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

Rowe was the Sky rider brought down in the Martin / Kristoff crash. Really not his year so far.


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## BrumJim (8 Apr 2018)

For goodness sake, Sagan! Bike repairs on the move!


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## Buddfox (8 Apr 2018)

Sagan has got to be happy with this. Even if they get caught - which still seems likely - he’ll fancy his chances against the chasing group in a sprint. Can’t see gap being closed until within the last 10k, and will be next to impossible for someone to get away at that point. Should be a cracking finish.


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

Does appear to be his to lose. Especially as he still has a rider with him. 
Just hope his handle bars are firm after his diy repairs.


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

nice to see dillier still taking a turn at the front after being out there all day


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## Buddfox (8 Apr 2018)

His bridge to the leading group was the very definition of smooth - wonderful riding


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

The gap is dropping. 
Under a minute now.


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## Buddfox (8 Apr 2018)

Beebo said:


> The gap is dropping.
> Under a minute now.



Chasing four are right on the limit though - will they have anything if they bridge the gap? Great, great racing


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

seems to be holding at 44 seconds


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## Buddfox (8 Apr 2018)

This is between Dillier and Sagan now


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)

gap is growing again


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## Beebo (8 Apr 2018)

What odds on Dillier?


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## philk56 (8 Apr 2018)

Great ride by these two.


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## roadrash (8 Apr 2018)




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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

First rainbow since Hinault to win it, eh?


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

Is the finish line closer to the bend than a normal track finish line? That wouldn't have helped Dillier.


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## Too Tyred (8 Apr 2018)

Right enjoyed that!


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

mjr said:


> Did the Quickstepper just miss their handlebars to cause the wobble that ended in that little crash?
> 
> Kristoff holding his arm in a broken collarbone way? Saddle off the bike too.


Kristoff finished, so no, as did Martin. Rowe didn't.


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## BrumJim (8 Apr 2018)

Two Tired said:


> Right enjoyed that!


I think I could have guessed that!


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## Toshiba Boy (8 Apr 2018)

Chapeau Sagan and Dillier.


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## screenman (8 Apr 2018)

Also a well done to Lewis Askey for winning the junior event.


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## Bollo (8 Apr 2018)

Worrying news about Michael Goolaerts.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...laerts-paris-roubaix-cpr-hospital-peter-sagan

I saw a VWC rider spark-out by the side of the road on the moto-coverage but didn't see what caused it. I was dipping in and out though so might have missed the incident.


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## Buddfox (8 Apr 2018)

Bollo said:


> Worrying news about Michael Goolaerts.
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...laerts-paris-roubaix-cpr-hospital-peter-sagan
> 
> I saw a VWC rider spark-out by the side of the road on the moto-coverage but didn't see what caused it. I was dipping in and out though so might have missed the incident.



Sadly he has died. Hard to see anything positive from the today’s race now. RIP.


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## hopless500 (8 Apr 2018)

''Belgian cyclist Michael Goolaerts has died aged 23 after a crash in Paris-Roubaix.

The Veranda's Willems-Crelan rider fell on the second set of cobbles in the one-day classic in northern France.

He suffered cardiac arrest and was airlifted to hospital in Lille but died at 21:40 BST on Sunday.

"It is with unimaginable sadness that we have to communicate the passing of our rider and friend Michael Goolaerts," read a team statement.''


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## smutchin (8 Apr 2018)

Been out all day. Saw the result earlier but didn’t hear any details of the race... Terribly sad.


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## DCLane (8 Apr 2018)

Sad news. RIP.


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## mjr (8 Apr 2018)

Bollo said:


> Worrying news about Michael Goolaerts.
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...laerts-paris-roubaix-cpr-hospital-peter-sagan
> 
> I saw a VWC rider spark-out by the side of the road on the moto-coverage but didn't see what caused it. I was dipping in and out though so might have missed the incident.


If it's the one that I saw a clip of, there didn't seem to be an incident. Just rode into the verge and fell. Very sad to see, but hopefully he went doing something he enjoyed.


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

mjr said:


> Did the Quickstepper just miss their handlebars to cause the wobble that ended in that little crash?
> 
> Kristoff holding his arm in a broken collarbone way? Saddle off the bike too.


Kristoff finished, so no, as did Martin. Rowe didn't.


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## Bollo (9 Apr 2018)

Very sad news.


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## brommers (9 Apr 2018)

It seems as though the poor lad had an underlying heart condition that no one was aware of.


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## Adam4868 (9 Apr 2018)

R.I.P sad news.


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## Dayvo (9 Apr 2018)

Very tragic indeed. He died doing what he loved doing, but that is little consolation at such a young age.

A sad day.


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## Beebo (9 Apr 2018)

Just woken to this sad news. RIP. 




brommers said:


> It seems as though the poor lad had an underlying heart condition that no one was aware of.


I haven’t seen anything about this. I would seem very odd to go undiagnosed in a sport where heart monitors are so universal. All pro sportspeople should under go full screening IMO. 




mjr said:


> If it's the one that I saw a clip of, there didn't seem to be an incident. Just rode into the verge and fell. Very sad to see, but hopefully he went doing something he enjoyed.


Cycling News is reporting that there is no footage of the incident, but it appears he came down by himself.


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## brommers (9 Apr 2018)

Beebo said:


> I haven’t seen anything about this. I would seem very odd to go undiagnosed in a sport where heart monitors are so universal. All pro sportspeople should under go full screening IMO.


Gianni Meersman raced for years before they found out that he had heart problems and had to retire. There was also James Taylor the cricketer and Fabrice Muamba the footballer, to name two others.


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

brommers said:


> Gianni Meersman raced for years before they found out that he had heart problems and had to retire. There was also James Taylor the cricketer and Fabrice Muamba the footballer, to name two others.


Others with heart problems found long after they started racing include Robert Gesink, Lars Boom and even Eddy Merckx. Unless the right test is done at the right time, I think it might not be found and even then, it might not have shown when the scan was done.


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## Bobby Mhor (9 Apr 2018)

Sad to see this. RIP


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## smutchin (9 Apr 2018)

brommers said:


> Fabrice Muamba the footballer



And Marc-Vivien Foé, who wasn't as lucky as Muamba.


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## smutchin (9 Apr 2018)

Just read that Dillier only returned to racing last weekend after breaking his thumb in Strade Bianche. Very impressive performance by him.


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## Beebo (9 Apr 2018)

smutchin said:


> Just read that Dillier only returned to racing last weekend after breaking his thumb in Strade Bianche. Very impressive performance by him.


Dillier describes seeing Sagan approach from out of the dust as like an “Angel and a Devil”
He knew Sagan could pull him along to a high finish, but had to work with him to achieve this, knowing that he would in all probability be out sprinted. 

It was nice to see someone prepared to do the work in order to get 2nd knowing that they probably couldn’t win. Too many times you see riders cut their nose of to spite their face. 
After all he gained huge exposure for himself and the team, whilst helping Sagan win the Classic race his talent deserves, a win-win really.


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

Beebo said:


> It was nice to see someone prepared to do the work in order to get 2nd knowing that they probably couldn’t win.


Returning from injury to his first Roubaix finish, second is still a great result, plus he maybe hoped that his track background might give him an outside chance against ex-MTB/XC Sagan - heading straight for the hoardings was a telltale sign of a man with a plan for a track finish... but he was still outpowered by Sagan who, after all, had spent only 50km out of the peloton instead of 190. From the moment it was him and Sagan and most commentators seemed to be calling it for Sagan, Dillier really had nothing to lose as long as they didn't get caught by the chasing group. Still a great result for Dillier IMO.


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## Adam4868 (9 Apr 2018)

Even more impressive was Sagan tightening/adjusting his stem at 45 kmh !


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

Adam4868 said:


> Even more impressive was Sagan tightening/adjusting his stem at 45 kmh !


Unsurprisingly a featured video from ASO:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfqbQdsN9-A


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## ColinJ (9 Apr 2018)

Adam4868 said:


> Even more impressive was Sagan tightening/adjusting his stem at 45 kmh !


Could the vibration from powering the cobbles _really _have caused those screws to come loose, or is there an ex-Bora mechanic now looking for a new job?


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## Elybazza61 (9 Apr 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Could the vibration from powering the cobbles _really _have caused those screws to come loose, or is there an ex-Bora mechanic now looking for a new job?




Probably them funny Specialized suspension things


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

Beebo said:


> I haven’t seen anything about this. I would seem very odd to go undiagnosed in a sport where heart monitors are so universal. All pro sportspeople should under go full screening IMO.


You are Velonews AICM5P http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/new...ough-to-prevent-heart-health-tragedies_462836


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## Beebo (9 Apr 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Could the vibration from powering the cobbles _really _have caused those screws to come loose, or is there an ex-Bora mechanic now looking for a new job?


I reckon he was fixing the button for his secret motor, where a wire had come lose.


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## mjr (9 Apr 2018)

Inquiry opening in Cambrai https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/09/michael-goolaerts-death-paris-roubaix


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## mjr (11 Apr 2018)

It's a bit mean to lock up the velodrome before the broom wagon arrives, isn't it? http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/new...-locked-movistar-cobbles-neben-pan-ams_463048


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## mjr (11 Apr 2018)

mjr said:


> Inquiry opening in Cambrai https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/09/michael-goolaerts-death-paris-roubaix


Autopsy confirms crash caused by heart attack, not the opposite. http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/new...rts-suffered-heart-attack-before-crash_462988


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## mjr (11 Apr 2018)

And Stefan Kung out for six weeks after needing jaw surgery. http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/news/bmcs-stefan-kung-jaw-surgery-crash-roubaix-cobbles_462864


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