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Video Reviews:
Paris Roubaix 1896 - 1996 Le Centenaire

Roger de Vlaeminck 4 times Paris Roubaix winner

Monte Carlo Grand Prix in Formula 1 racing, its place in the cycling calendar is assured because of its history and despite being incredibly dangerous. The last 60 miles of this 160 mile race are raced over cobble stones only ever used by farmers for driving their cattle to the fields. Crashes when they happen are savage, weather often extreme, and riders and their bikes are left battered and bruised from 'the hell of the north'.

Roubaix a modest mining town in the north of France is the stage for the finish of this gruelling journey which is considered one of the hardest of the spring classics. Riders often ride into the town's velodrome for the finish, exhausted with blackened muddy faces much like the miners after a day in the mine. Nobody can say that a Paris Roubaix winner didn't earn it the hard way. Perhaps a rider can get lucky and win a World championship road race but the cobble sections (or pave as the French call them) sort the men from the boys.

The great Italian, Fausto Coppi only won the race once but he did so despite three punctures and trailing the leader by five minutes at one stage. His brother Serse also took one victory but only after the winner was disqualified for jumping over the velodrome fence to finish after the police had directed him the wrong way.

Mr. Paris Roubaix himself Roger De Vlaeminck, won the race four times and never finished lower than seventh in all the years he took part. This is particularly impressive when you consider the quality of the opposition at the time; Merckx (who won the race three times himself), Maertens, Moser and Kuiper were all in their pomp.

Overall
This video contracts over 100 years of history into 50 minutes which is no mean feat. Excellent commentary is provided by Phil Liggett and some of the old black and white footage is very interesting from a historical perspective. If you're really interested in what Paris Roubaix is all about I would suggest a main course of A Sunday in Hell. All be it a tasty one, this is just a starter.