Cobblestones stolen from Arenberg and Carrefour de l'Arbre: 'Can be life-threatening'

In just a few more days we will be treated to another magnificent battle in Paris-Roubaix. It is the last true cobbled classic of the year, and perhaps the biggest. There is nothing quite like the Hell of the North. The race holds a special status among both riders and fans. But some over-zealous fans have created a dangerous situation just before the race.

The Paris-Roubaix route features thirty cobbled sectors, each more famous than the last. The first is that of Troisvilles à Inchy, the last is just before the Roubaix Vélodrome. The most famous cobbled roads are of course the Forest of Wallers, also known as the Trouée d'Arenberg, and the Carrefour de l'Arbre. It is precisely there that a problem lies for the organisation: more and more cobblestones are disappearing.

On the famous sectors, cobblestones are being stolen. 'We are dealing with it more and more,' race boss Thierry Gouvenou tells Het Nieuwsblad. 'On this sector "The Forest of Wallers" and also the sector of "Carrefour de l'Arbre" we have a lot of extra work. These are mythical sectors and people steal cobblestones to take home as souvenirs. They just don't realise that in doing so they are creating large and deep holes in the path.'

It makes Gouvenou furious, because it can be life-threatening for the riders. 'It is incomprehensible that they don't think about what consequences that can have for the race. That is guaranteed to cause crashes in the women's and men's race on Sunday. What these people do can be life-threatening. Just imagine what happens when they ride into such a hole... They ride at speeds of 50 kilometres per hour over this sector.'

There are also many goats on the course before the race. Those animals, however, have a positive impact on the race. 'Those goats are there for a reason. The excess grass can also be a risk factor during the race. We let those animals graze there, so that this sector is in impeccable condition on Sunday in that regard, as we haven't seen for years.'

There are also wild boar roaming around in the woods near the cobbled sectors. They in turn create a lot of mud on the roads. It means that the Paris-Roubaix organisation is extremely busy in the week leading up to the race. The cobblestones need to be in the best possible condition, Gouvenou believes. But that is not entirely within his control.

'We repeat our checks regularly in the build-up. At the end of the week we go through everything one more time. Apart from the fact that deep holes are very dangerous, they can also have a major influence on how the race unfolds.

We are of course all looking forward to a magnificent battle between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel. It would be deeply sad if one of these star names were to crash because someone thinks a cobblestone from Paris-Roubaix looks nice on their mantelpiece,' concluded Gouvenou.