Organisation unable to secure enough road closure so event will be un-timed
The Paris-Roubaix Challenge is to change format, according to organiser ASO. The event, covering 138km between Saint Quentin and the cobbled sector at the Carrefour de l’Arbre, was to have been a timed race but will now be run as a cycle-tourist randonée as the organiser has been unable to secure the necessary road closures.
The event will take place on April 9th, the day before the WorldTour Enfer du Nord itself; instead of being run under race conditions, as originally intended though, riders will now be expected to obey traffic regulations.
Although the roads will no longer be closed for the event, the 400 marshals and 30 motorcyclists will still be present to supervise the event. The feeding stations at Thun l’Evêque, Orchies and Templeuve will also still be present, offering food, energy drinks and technical support from Mavic.
Origially the event was to be timed, in a similar way to ASO’s other, more famous event l’Etape du Tour, between Saint Quentin and the Carrefour de l’Arbre, with riders then riding un-timed to the Roubaix Vélodrome. The event will now end at the mythical cobbled sector, and will no longer be timed.
While a cycle-tourist Paris-Roubaix event has existed for a number of years, it takes place every other June when the days are longer and cobbles – theoretically – drier. The will be the first year that Paris-Roubaix has had an official event on the day before the race, just as the Ronde van Vlaanderen has had for many years.