"We cannot take into account only a handful of riders" - Cyrille Guimard thinks CPA's decision to add the 'chicane' ahead of Arrenberg was not discussed enough
Cycling
As a reaction to the request from CPA, Paris-Roubaix organization added the so-much discussed chicane in front of the entrance to the famous Arrenberg sector. Cyclism'Actu columnist Cyrille Guimard has mixed thoughts about this last-minute craft, yet he's shocked to see the reactions of some of the riders (f.e. Mathieu van der Poel) who seem to have not been communicated with about this change. This contradicts Adam Hansen's (CPA chairman) previous confirmation that CPA acted on riders' request.
"First of all, I must say that it is embarrassing to do something in a hurry. In principle, thinking about putting in place means to avoid major falls seems entirely legitimate to me, but here we can talk - be something that is going to be more dangerous than normal entry onto the cobblestones. And what bothers me the most personally is that the riders were not warned and consulted, just like the teams. We don't ask them for their opinion," he begins.
"It's absolutely nonsense, it's something serious not to consult the people who are the main stakeholders. The way it was set up is anti-democratic and dishonest because all the cycling families are not respected. We started with a reflection of four or five riders. We cannot take into account only a handful of riders, and especially on a problem as serious as safety."
Finally, Guimard spoke about the reason which, according to him, largely explains this increase in crashes. "I'm tired of seeing lots of thirty riders on the road, it ends up disgusting me. And the biggest danger for riders is earpieces and GPS. If we want to protect them, let's not impose on them tools that make them lose their vigilance and their ability to react. We know that when someone speaks into your ears, you have a total loss of attention," he concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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Riders reached, and we acted on their behalf. Now, with a slower entrance to Arenberg, riders won't hit it with speed and momentum. It's going to make this sector even harder than before.
⚠ For safety reasons and following a request from @cpacycling, the #ParisRoubaix organisation is modifying the approach to the Trouée d'Arenberg. The route will take a chicane just before the entrance to the sector in order to slow the speed at which the riders enter the sector
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