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Video Reviews:
A Sunday in Hell (Paris - Roubaix 1976)

The great Eddy Merckx leads the riders accross the cobbles

Danish film director Jorgen Leth epic two hour documentary film about the 'Hell of the North' is an excellent portrayl of the 1976 edition of Paris Roubaix. The film follows the stars of the race; Merckx, De Vlaemick, Maertens and Moser before, during and after they do battle over the cobblestones.

The contrast in styles of preparation is interesting with Merckx a stickler for perfection, constantly measuring and adjusting parts of his bike to optimise its performance. His Flemish rival De Vlaeminck seems more relaxed, enjoying a massage and a rare steak. Moser and his Italian team mates pour over maps and discuss tactics in detail. Leth excellently builds up the tensions and importance of the race before the start. This increases as the start is disrupted by a strike of local French miners as the riders leave the Paris suburbs.

The mid-seventies peloton is a far cry from the modern age with riders raising their arms to attract the team cars. They didn't have the radios that Lance Armstrong and co. benefit from these days. Apart from that I wonder how much has actually changed in racing in nearly twenty years.

You often associate Paris Roubaix with classic scenes of howling winds and muddy cobbles with riders crashing in bloddy pile-ups. However in 1976 the event was dry and dusty and often sunny in places. It's hard not to feel a little sorry for the Director who was probably expecting the mud, sweat and tears of previous races. Their are a few crashes, most notably Maertens who crashes out (on asphalt rather than the cobbles ironically) while trying to chase the leading group.

The finish is an excellent climax to the film with a break-away featuring De Vlaminck, Moser, Kuiper and De Meyer sprint for the line in the Roubaix velodrome. De Meyer narrowly beats De Vlaminck with Moser third.

Overall
The definitive cycling flick and an essential for anyone interested in the sport.