The Paris-Roubaix peloton had not yet left Compiègne (Oise) but 240 kilometers further north, at the Carrefour de l’Arbre, a horde of motorhomes and cycling enthusiasts were already waiting for it. But you have to be patient, at the end of the morning on Sunday April 17, for these few seconds of happiness, the moment when the runners brush against the spectators. The passage of the junior edition makes it possible to repeat the vocalizations. We sing. We drink. Some play Molki (Finnish bowling game). Others kick a soccer ball. We take a look at the giant screen installed nearby and which broadcasts the event… This year the queen of the classics has returned to its spring calendar, and its air of fairs.
Jean-Baptiste Ginnet, 41 years old and originally from Wattrelos a good ten kilometers away, is a “regular”. He has been following the race by the side of the road for several years now. With the phone in hand, he carefully follows the event live, counts down the cobbled sections and bends to the game of estimating the timetabled route. This Sunday, things go fast. Faster than the predictions of Amaury sport organization (ASO), the organizer of Paris-Roubaix – we will also learn that with an average of 45.8 km/h it was the fastest edition of the story. His father, Bruno, trusts more to signs than to scholarly calculations. “Do you see the steeple in the distance? It is the church of Bouvines. When the helicopter gets to that point, you know it’s imminent: they loop back there and then they’re there.”he develops, joining the action to the word.
The 2022 edition of Paris-Roubaix was no exception: the last of the three cobblestone sectors stamped with five stars – the highest level of difficulty – remains one of the locations acclaimed by spectators. “Be careful at the Carrefour de l’arbre, there are many, many people”crackles Radio-Tour as the first runners approach the area, shortly after 4:20 p.m.
A visible and accustomed Belgian public
Twenty-six nations were represented in this 119and edition, of which the Belgians (46 riders out of the 170 competitors) formed by far the largest contingent. Around the cobblestones, it is difficult to say with certainty that their compatriots were the most numerous. But they were certainly the most visible and the most fervent. Black, yellow and red flag, radios broadcasting in Flemish, the public of the Plat-Pays came as neighbors and regulars.
A group stands out in this painting. There are the tricolor wigs, the smoking barbecue, the cartons of Jupiler beers and the megaphone. But we shout in French and instead of the black lion of Flanders, it is the red Walloon rooster which accompanies the national colors.
Their champ? Philippe Gilbert, winner of the classic in 2019. “It’s his last season”, says Eric Godefroid, delighted that the dean of Lotto-Soudal is wearing bib number 1 after the package of the Italian Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious) defending champion. Of course, he had no illusions about his chances of seeing him raise his arms again in the velodrome of the “city of a thousand chimneys” a few hours later. “We just wanted to say to him: respect and thank you! ». This Sunday, Philippe Gilbert will finish 30and.
Eric Godefroid, Pierre Henrard, and their friends have been coming to the Paris-Roubaix route for several years. Always in the same place. And for good reason: borrowed by all editions of the “Hell of the North” since 1980, it is an integral part of the history of the race. Located in the middle of the countryside, the Carrefour de l’Arbre often ends up skimming among the contenders for the coronation. The geography of the place, its proximity to the finish line, but also its difficulty, make it an area conducive to attacks.
“A mythical place”
The saying goes that the winner is the one who finishes first in this section, the last cobblestone of which is 16 kilometers from the Roubaix velodrome. More a legend than a truth, even if generally, the sacred runner is among the first to pass in front of the eponymous inn. L‘The red-brick tavern typical of the region, which was once only open on the day of the classic, has long since given way to a gourmet restaurant. But the sector with disjointed cobblestones retains all of its aura as a way out of “hell”.
After opting for Camphin-en-Pévèle the day before for the women’s edition of the race, this is where Marie-Anne and Philippe Clarebout, 68 and 65, settled down this Sunday. “It’s a mythical place”, summarizes the husband. For a long time, the couple who live near Amiens in the Somme dreamed of taking their motorhome and living ” in truth “ the “queen of the classics”. The cobblestones of the Carrefour de l’arbre, the sexagenarian has already “tested” them in the past and what he retains “It’s that the race lives up to its nickname of ‘Hell of the North'”. At his side, Marie-Anne slips into a smile, “He even told me: ‘if I die don’t forget to put on my tombstone that I did it.’ »
A few hundred meters away, at the exit of the three-star sector of Gruson, Rob Beuken, 52, and his brother Frank, 54, were waiting for them seated on a wooden bench. The Dutch have made a long trip – the first from Arnhem, the second from The Hague – to attend this race weekend. The day before, they were at the Vélodrome with the hope of seeing their compatriot Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) win, after her 2and place in 2021. Bad luck: tested positive for Covid-19, she had to forfeit a few hours before departure.
If they said they wanted to see Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) or the Belgian Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Vismo) raise their arms this time in the “city of a thousand chimneys”, they will be able to console themselves with the victory of another from their fellow citizen: Dylan van Baarle (Ineos-Grenadiers). He who nevertheless confided, after his coronation, “hate cobblestones”.