Much-discussed chicane for Bos van Wallers does not cause any problems for favorites

Sunday April 7, 2024 at 2:44 PM

The much-discussed chicane before the Forest of Wallers did not lead to a crash among the favorites for Paris-Roubaix. A big advantage was that the peloton was already very thinned out due to executioner work by Alpecin-Deceuninck and fan formation. Ultimately, Mads Pedersen was the first to turn into the Bos, ahead of Tim van Dijke, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel.

Last week a chicane was hastily added to the course the Hell of the North. After a call from the riders’ union CPA, organizer ASO changed tack and decided to create a diversion in the course, just before the entrance to the difficult cobblestone section. In this way, the speed had to be reduced, thereby reducing the risk of falls.

The late addition of the chicane, which actually consisted of a 180-degree bend around a traffic island, caused a lot of discussion in the peloton. World champion Mathieu van der Poel called it a joke. He stated that this chicane was not safer, but was happy that a solution was being considered. Within Visma | Lease a Bike were satisfied with this solution.