One of cycling's most iconic stretches of cobbles kept for Classic
The chase group powers through the Arenberg forest (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The Tranchée d'Arenberg, the most famous sector of cobbles in Paris-Roubaix, will remain in the route of the French Flanders Classic in 2011, despite hesitations from organisers, ASO.
"In our mind there was no way of removing Arenberg in 2011", Jean-François Pescheux, Competitions Director at ASO, told La Voix du Nord, after a crucial recce last Wednesday.
Eddy Merckx, who captured Paris-Roubaix in 1968, the first time the Arenberg's track was added in the route, said: "That's not a place where you can win the race but you can lost it".
The organisers changed the direction in 1999 and 2000 after multiple Roubaix winner Johan Museeuw seriously crashed in 1998. Since then the riders have used the traditional descending direction which reaches the speed around 70kmph in the first meters.
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