"As soon I saw Van der Poel’s Tweet I reached out" - Adam Hansen defends Paris-Roubaix course change amidst mixed reaction

The choice to add a chicane before the riders enter the famous Trouée d'Arenberg cobblestone section, to the course of the 2024 edition of Paris-Roubaix is one that has ignited much discussion in the cycling world. CPA president, Adam Hansen insists the right call has been made.

“It’s been a topic since last year and there are a whole bunch of riders who say [the Arenberg] is way too dangerous and should not be part of the race. I’ve had team directors say to me that the section should be taken out and we have been talking about possible ways of slowing down dangerous sections because high-speed crashes aren’t good," Hansen explains of the decision in conversation with GCN.

“A couple of weeks ago, as the race came up and was back in riders’ minds, they came back saying that it was crazy and were asking if we could create some type of diversion. So first I reached out to ASO and they jumped on it straight away. I gave them three options. They couldn't go with A because there was a massive hole in the road, and option B was too narrow, but there was option C, which is a slightly shorter version of what ASO have gone with. They said it was possible but that I needed to make sure the riders were on board," Hansen continues. “I reached out to one rider on every team, or one of the directors. Some of the riders thought about it for a few days and with all the teams, they were happy with one of the three options. Two teams came back with six of out seven riders in support but the rest were all 100 per cent."

When the news was officially announced however, one of the most notable critics became the reigning Paris-Roubaix winner, Mathieu van der Poel. The World Champion took to social media to ask "Is this a joke?" Something Hansen saw and immediately took action to.

"As soon I saw Van der Poel’s Tweet I reached out to one of the guys and asked for his number and I messaged him directly explaining that I wrote to his DS and other riders in his team and that I was sorry it’s gone this way and not one of the better options," Hansen explains. "Van der Poel's not a fan of that option, that’s for sure, but he does support that there should be a slow entry into the Arenberg. I’ve spoken to him about that."

"We can either leave it or make the change. It’s up to the riders," Hansen concludes. "It doesn’t mean that everyone is super happy but it does mean the riders aren’t going full gas into the Arenberg. The only thing this changes is the entry speed into the Arenberg but that was the whole goal. We wanted to slow them down because as we’ve seen over the years, if there’s one little issue it’s a mass pile-up."

What do you think? To make your opinion known, vote in our poll: Paris-Roubaix chicane; positive safety improvement or 'a joke'?