Reckless souvenir snafflers are making the notoriously tricky and technical course of the Paris-Roubaix even more perilous than it always is, by collecting cobblestones from some of the Monument’s most iconic sections in the days leading up to the event, race organisers have revealed this week.
With the Hell of the North taking place this Sunday, frustrated course designer Thierry Gouvenou spoke out to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf after another cobblestone went missing from the infamous section of the race route that rattles through the Forest of Wallers, leaving a lethal-looking gap just waiting to embrace a rider’s wheel.
“On this section, and also on the ‘Carrefour de l’Arbre’ sector, we have a lot of extra work. These are legendary stretches, and people steal the cobbles as souvenirs. They don’t realise that they cause large and deep holes in the road,” said Gouvenou.
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Unbeknown to many fans and spectators, throughout the year the famous cobbles are checked, repaired and, when necessary, replaced by a group called Amis de Paris-Roubaix, who spend between €10,000 and €15,000 per annum performing such upkeep. For the last few years, they have had some assistance in keeping the cobbles in good shape from goats. (Yes, really.)
Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Cofidis Féminin) and Letizia Borghesi (EF Education – Tibco – Svb) crash on the cobbles during the women’s Paris-Roubaix 2022
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Fortunately, the course is inspected extensively during build up to the race. “We regularly repeat our checks in the lead-up,” Gouvenou confirmed. “At the end of the week, we go over everything one more time.” But, increasingly, they are having to deal with damage done in the immediate pre-race period.
“We are encountering this more and more,” reveals Gouvenou. “It’s incomprehensible that they don’t consider the consequences this can have on the race. It will inevitably lead to crashes in both the women’s and men’s races on Sunday. What those people are doing can be life-threatening. Just imagine what happens if they ride into such a hole… They’re going at speeds of 50 kilometers per hour on these sections.”
“Apart from the fact that deep holes are very dangerous, they can also have a major impact on how the race unfolds,” cautioned Gouvenou. “We’re all looking forward to a fantastic battle between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel… It would be deeply tragic if one of these stars crashed because someone thought a cobblestone from Paris-Roubaix looked nice on their mantelpiece.”
“We want to see this incredible fight,” he continued, imploring people to: “Leave those cobblestones where they belong. This race is ruthless enough as it is.”
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