Templeuve (France) (AFP)
The organizers of Paris-Roubaix, whose 118th edition is scheduled for Sunday, chased away the grass that had started to invade several cobbled sectors due to the long parenthesis of nearly two and a half years caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Postponed then canceled last year, postponed again last spring, the "queen of the classics" took place for the last time in April 2019, during the victory of the Belgian Philippe Gilbert.
The Arenberg Gap, one of the three most difficult sectors, had to be cleaned thoroughly last week by professionals.
To get rid of the grass that covered the cobblestones and needed quick treatment.
Relieved, the race director Thierry Gouvenou took stock during the traditional reconnaissance of the course, Tuesday in Templeuve (North), before checking the state of the last sectors, in particular the crossroads of the Tree: "It seems correct to me , there are no ruts problems. "
"The Arenberg gap required a big cleaning", noted the former runner who noted here and there points to improve before next weekend and underlined the uncertainty related to the weather, lenient in recent years .
Rain is expected several times by Sunday, which could result in a very muddy race, the first since the early 2000s to match the mythology of the event.
The 118th edition, which will start on Sunday from Compiègne at 11 am, will be run for 259 kilometers to the Roubaix velodrome and include 55 kilometers of cobblestone divided into 30 sectors.
On Saturday, Paris-Roubaix will for the first time have a version reserved for women on a route of 116.4 kilometers (29 km of cobblestones) starting from Denain (North).
© 2021 AFP