General Race Thread 2024 **spoilers**

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121980773#Comment_121980773

they could have covered the drain with planks of wood, half the injuries prevented.

Every year the race has some dodgy finishes. Descents into sprints etc. I don’t like it.

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121982882#Comment_121982882

Would they have to cover every drain on every bend for the entire course?

There is no end to what you can do.

Bike racing, especially downhill is always going to come with risks you can't reasonably control.

The genesis here is rider error

dahat

Remco came in there at 78km/h on bumpy uneven road, rider error all day long & the rest was a knock on effect for me.

Thud

Stick some bales on the corner, serge two purposes as a visual warning uts a risky corner and something to bounce off if you do go off

at1withmyself

How many bales should be put down and which corners, what's the criteria, who pays for it?

Thud

bales aren't that expensive and farmers can have them back afterwards. Race organisers put them out

at1withmyself

But which corners get the bales, and who will pay for this service?

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121982946#Comment_121982946

rider error? Are you serious? There was absolutely no barrier between the road and the drain. It’s bad course design. You have to make the course as safe as possible. You know 100% riders are descending fast and on the edge. IT’S A RACE.

As I said, this race has poor form with protecting riders. If it was a once off I wouldn’t have commented.

Thud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983205#Comment_121983205

it's not that complicated, they race organisers pay. Surely they have a safety team to assess which corners should require barriers but they obviously didn't do their job correctly

Dodge

is the implication here that the race organisers can’t afford to make certain things safer?

It’s not like anyone is suggesting an enclosed course, but allowing that ditch to go uncovered on a downhill bend was clearly a mistake. I’m sure they’ll learn from it to be fair

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983313#Comment_121983313

We'll deal with one step at a time.

Barriers/hay bales are a protection once a rider has left the road and is heading for drain. The drain/concrete barriers doesn't cause him to leave the road; ergo its rider error which causes him to go off road. Are you seriously debating that? How can a rider leaving the course here not be as a result of rider error unless you have some information about road material/bend camber/PSV/surface irregularities outside normal parameters?

The placing of barriers are secondary controls in the event of riders going off road.

Without the value of hindsight and according to you "you have to make the course as safe as possible" where are these controls necessary? On every bend? Just the downhill ones? What is your design criteria for choosing where to use them? Would wet weather conditions call for more controls, if not why not? The risks are higher and you have to make it as safe as possible

Working back with 20/20 vision for a singular accident and saying you should have done a,b,c to avoid it that scenario means you have to do a,b,c everywhere.

If you make racing as safe as possible it won't be racing. Safe as reasonably practicable considering its a high risk pursuit is probably more achievable

at1withmyself

Have you seen some of the alpine descents that have no side barriers. The point is that it's impossible to make 100's of km safe, there will always be risks. Sure look at the controversy at PR at the moment trying to slow riders down.

breezy1985

The problem with that turn compared to an alpine climb is the decision the rider makes when it goes wrong.

On a mountain side you bail and take the road rash but some of those riders the other day clearly thought they had run off which is the safer option.

Riders crash on all sorts of road but not flagging that weird drain was the crime here.

dahat

the turn in question

Raoul Duke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983528#Comment_121983528

Exactly, the problem was the surface of the road combined with the bend. They should at a minimum have been made aware of the dodgy surface.

dastardly00

Live coverage of the Women's Paris-Roubaix is on Eurosport/Discovery now.

75 km remaining and they've done three secteurs. Loads of riders gone out the back of the peloton already

at1withmyself

Who's been dropped, any big names?

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983449#Comment_121983449

this is very simple. Lots of races make an effort, the Tour of the Basque Country doesn’t bother. Every year there’s something with the race. This time people got badly hurt.

They love a sprint finish on a descent, with a hairpin with 200m to go.

Any other race I’d say “that’s racing”, with this one it’s negligence because every year there’s something.

dastardly00

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121984089#Comment_121984089

None of the major favourites.

It's compelling viewing. I need to do stuff around the house but I keep coming back to the TV to watch the cobbled secteurs 🤣

Brian?

A man with a flag. A cone. ANYTHING could have helped. They just don’t bother.

dastardly00

Kopecky on the attack

mewso

Meanwhile in Basque country a break of 20 riders has 3 minutes on the chase making Rivera the leader on the road. A long difficult stage for Trek ahead I think.

ednwireland

Kopecky tightening her headset on the move

dahat

Not much going on here at all, some small attacks for Kopecke. A big front grpup together with 50km left.

dastardly00

Fantastic crowds for the women's race.

Looking like Kopecky vs Vos for the win

dastardly00

Some power from Kopecky in the last few hundred metres. I thought that once Vos hit the front that she would win, but she ended up not even getting on the podium

retalivity

Poor kid is 18 and only 57kg, in his first monument!

Good to see Kelly back as well, not heard from him since Paris-Nice I think.

https://twitter.com/NairoInGreen/status/1776907804646809961

Dodge

August is the youngest rider in Roubaix in 100 years. Mental really

just about to hit the first cobbles…

retalivity

This is looking so so easy for Alpecin & MVDP, and still with 150k to go

breezy1985

Alpecin just ripped everything to bits with a cobble then crosswind combo