Paris-Roubaix and the cobblestones, a long love story. This Sunday, April 7, the runners will have to face 55.7 km – a record length since 1994 – of sectors “crusted” by winter, with the presence of mud and puddles. To prevent the course from being too tricky, the organizers installed goats and billy goats on the famous Arenberg gap. Their goal is to weed in a natural way.
Local high school students also helped out, but no miracle was expected. “We’re not going to brush every sector with a toothbrush either,” explains Thierry Gouvenou, director of the event, to L’Equipe. There will probably be puddles left, springs can still flow, water is very present and we risk being in a very tricky in-between, with dry parts and wet parts.