Although several of the 29 sectors of pave on tomorrow’s Paris-Roubaix were significantly worse than last year, South Africa’s Ryan Gibbons said it would be the run-in to these cobblestone sections that could prove decisive.
“Of course, the crashes and splits happen on the stones but you generally do not move position much once you are on them,” the 23-year-old DiData domestique told In the Bunch from his hotel in Soissons in France today.
“It is always the 2km leading up to each sector which is crucial and the main fight.”
Gibbons said he and the team did a route recce on Thursday on a course that was still largely wet and muddy.
DiData’s Ryan Gibbons was hopeful that conditions for the Paris-Roubaix would improve slightly after the wet and muddy route recce they experienced on Thursday. Photo: Stiehl Photography
Apart from the Trouée d’Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and Le Carrefour de l’Arbre five-star sectors, he said the section named Pont Thibault a Ennevelin was “extremely slippery” as proved when both he and his Belgian teammate Julien Vermote went down.
“The mud made a few of the early sectors very treacherous and even more slippery than they usually are,” said Gibbons, who will be riding the year’s third monument for the second time in his career.
He was hopeful that conditions would improve slightly before the 257km race got underway in Compiègne.
“It has not rained since [the recce] and tomorrow is expected to be clear and dry so the mud should harden a bit.”
Gibbons said his role would be to look after Vermote and Norway’s Edvald Boassan Hagen in the team’s quest to get one of them onto the podium.
“I will be following the moves in the beginning and try to be in the breakaway if a big enough group goes away,” said the South African, who found himself in an 11-man breakaway group at the Tour of Flanders last Sunday.
“If not, I will try to lead Eddy and Julien into the first sector as high up as possible and then push on and stay as close to them as long as possible.”
Staying close to his team leaders was high on his personal agenda, he explained.
“It is easier and quicker to get a wheel or bike from a teammate, and both Eddy and Julian would be able to use my bike if need be.”
Gibbons, who was nominated for the African Cyclist of the Year award alongside Louis Meintjes, Daryl Impey and Willie Smit last year, felt you had to be both the strongest and luckiest rider to win what is known as the “Hell of the North”.
“If your goal is to simply finish and not to add value and support to the team, although still very tough, the race is definitely manageable. To win it is completely a different story.
“In a race like this, there is almost a guarantee that you will have a mechanical of some sort and to be able to get the right support and as fast as possible is crucial.”
As part of their preparation, he said the team had been watching highlights from previous races to see what sectors stood out and to remind themselves at which points the action traditionally started.
“We also watch video footage of each of the sectors that have been driven and recorded by our DS (Roger Hammond) to familiarise ourselves as best as possible.”
Gibbons said all winners of Roubaix – no matter the circumstances of their triumphs – were remembered as strong and tough bike riders and they are evidently keen to go down in history as such.
See DiData’s full line-up.
