Paris-Roubaix *SPOILER*

[Chuffy]

Me. I'll win. I've just poured the last of my guiness down the sink and i'm getting an early night. I've even laid off the pudding and chips today. Put your money on me people- it's safe.

I bet you'd be at longer odds than this chap, and according to his name he's dead.

Posthuma, J 66/1

 

[Noodley]

...according to his name he's dead.

But only Joost

 

[ComedyPilot]

My money's on Fabian Cancellara.

 

[ComedyPilot]

They're off. 259km to go, with about 53 on cobbles. Mind those fillings!!!

 

[ComedyPilot]

10:37 -

235km: It is raining in Paris and also at the finish, which will make the infamous cobbles slick. There could be trouble ahead then for our brave boys on bikes..

 

[ComedyPilot]

1. 225km: Glenn D'Hollander, Maciej Bodnar and Angelo Furlan have attempted to escape; however they were quickly seized by the bunch.
2. - - 230km: The race usually leaves riders caked in mud and grit as they traverse the cobbled roads and rutted tracks of northern France's former coal-mining region.

 

[ComedyPilot]

1. 205km: A group of 11 including Flanders winner Devolder have opened up a gap of 30 seconds. Kasper Klostergaard (Saxo), Angelo Furlan (Credit Agricole), Steven Cozza (Garmin), Greg Henderson (Columbia), Yoann Offredo and Wesley Sulzberger(Francaise des Jeux), Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Knaven (Milram), Steve Chainel (Bouygues) and Andreas Klier (Cervelo) are the other men in the break.
2. - - 210km: Quick Step have dominated this race in recent years with five wins in the last 11 years and in double champion Tom Boonen (2005 and 2008) have the race favourite. Stijn Devolder, the winner of Flanders last week, and Sylvain Chavanel give manager Patrick Lefevre plenty of options.
3. - - 220km: "The best I could do would be to describe it like this - they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That's Paris-Roubaix. It's that bad - it's ridiculous." Chris Horner on the race.

 

[ComedyPilot]

1. - - 195km: The advantage for the escape group is now one minute.
2. - - 200km: Columbia and Cervelo have been prominent in the spring classics and have cards to play with George Hincapie, Gent-Wevelgem victor Edvald Boasson Hagen and Marcus Burghardt heading the American team and Flanders runner-up Heinrich Haussler, Thor Hushovd and Britain's Roger Hammond the most dangerous of the men in black.

 

[ComedyPilot]

1. - - 170km: Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Leif Hoste (Silence-Lotto), Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) and Martijn Maaskant (Garmin) have all been mentioned in dispatches as possible winners while Liquigas could have a couple of dark horses in Aleksandr Kuschynski, who performed strongly in Wevelgem, and Flanders chief sulker Manuel Quinziato.
2. - - 180km: Frederic Guesdon (1997), Servais Knaven (2001) and Fabian Cancellara (2007) are the other past winners in the field with the Swiss having in-form Matti Breschel also on his Saxo Bank team.
3. - - 190km: Barry Hoban (1972) and Hammond (2004) are the only British riders to have made the podium at Paris-Roubaix, both finishing third. Hammond along with Cervelo team-mate Jeremy Hunt and Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) are carrying British hopes today.

 

[ComedyPilot]

- - 165km: Gatis Smukulis (AG2R) is trying to bridge the gap to the lead 11. The Quick Step man in the lead group is not Wouter Weylandt but Maarten Wynants. Race radio misidentified the two Belgian riders

 

[ComedyPilot]

- - 160km: The nations with most victories are Belgium (52), France (30), Italy (11) and Holland (5). Seven countries have shared the other nine wins although Spain have yet to break their duck. Flecha and Euskaltel's Koldo Fernandez will be hoping to end that barren spell.

 

[ComedyPilot]

1. - - 145km: Quick-Step, Team Columbia and Vacansoleil head the peloton which is 3:55 behind the leaders as they pass through section 25 from Quievy to Saint Python (3.7km) and section 24 through Saint-Python (1.5km).
2. - - 155km: The lead has blown out to 3:35 after the first two sections of pave, Troisvilles to Inchy (2.2km) and Viesly to Quievy (1.8km). Only 25 more to come. Smukulis is back in the main pack.

 

[yello]

I don't know if you are all watching the same coverage as me (I presume so) because their is some truly excellent camera work. Those motorcycle camera guys especially are getting some superb footage.

A shot before of Posthuma's rear wheel was incredible, the chain bouncing around on the pave!

 

[Keith Oates]

I'm 'watching' it on cyclingnews but it's still exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[oxbob]

Hmmm, 88km to go and haussler keeps grinning at the cameras?