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A tale of two Matts: VdP hates the chicanes/U-turn, Jorgenson loves them

The new measures are meant to slow down riders before the Arenberg forest, but will they create more problems than they will solve?

A tale of two Matts: VdP hates the chicanes/U-turn, Jorgenson loves them
April 4, 2024
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Everybody seems to be talking about the new measures at Paris-Roubaix, including a couple of Matts: Mathieu van der Poel, and Matteo Jorgenson. Allow this Matt to dive right in.

It’s not really a chicane, it’s a U-turn

Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) officially announced on Wednesday the implementation of chicanes before the notorious Arenberg forest section. Except it’s not really a chicane, it’s more like a U-turn, as well as a few corners before the 2.3-km section of unyielding cobblestone, renowned for its treacherous conditions. Riders often reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, prompting teams to organize leadout trains to position their leaders at the forefront. The intense competition in this segment frequently leads to numerous crashes.

Mathieu van der Poel weighs in

Not everyone loved it, notably the world champion. He posted, “Is this a joke?”

Adam Hansen was then put on the defensive. Hansen (btw is everyone named Matt, or Hansen now? Just want to say I was on this trend first) stated that every team listed for Paris-Roubaix was directly contacted for consultation, and the overwhelming majority endorsed the proposed changes.

Jonas Vingegaard is now a Hansen and I for one, very much approve

“It’s been a topic since last year and there are a whole bunch of riders who say the Arenberg is way too dangerous and should not be part of the race. I’ve had team directors say to me that the section should be taken out and we have been talking about possible ways of slowing down dangerous sections because high-speed crashes aren’t good,” Hansen said in an interview with GCN. “A couple of weeks ago, as the race came up and was back in riders’ minds, they came back saying that it was crazy and were asking if we could create some type of diversion. So first I reached out to ASO and they jumped on it straight away. I gave them three options. They couldn’t go with A because there was a massive hole in the road, and option B was too narrow, but there was option C, which is a slightly shorter version of what ASO have gone with. They said it was possible but that I needed to make sure the riders were on board.

Hansen said he had support from the pro peloton

Hansen said he contacted either one rider or a team director from each team. Some riders took a few days to consider, but ultimately, all teams were satisfied with one of the three options presented. Two teams had strong support from six out of seven riders, while the rest were unanimously in favour.

American Matteo Jorgenson was one of the riders who defended the choice. “Is this what fans want to see? Riders completely covered in blood after sliding face-first at 50mph/80 km/h on sharp rocks in a forest? I’ll take a couple of turns and some guys sliding out on pavement any day…”

So will the fighting just start…earlier?

It’s clear there will still be a battle to get to the front–but this time the jockeying will take place before the U-turn. Riders will almost come to a stop at the back. It also means they will begin the cobbles at a much slower speed, and may even need to stand or sprint at the beginning, which could also be interesting.

Riding cobbles at a slower speed is much worse, in fact. Magnus Backstedt, who won Roubaix in 2004, has often said that going faster on the pavé, is easier. That’s because your bike “floats” over the bumps and it’s less jarring. So if riders are starting from an almost standing start, they will need to get up to speed fast. Which is easier said than done, especially if you’re not in the top-20.

It will definitely be interesting to watch, but probably not as much fun, to race…