It was a Weekend in Hell – for the first time, we had women’s Roubaix on Saturday and men’s Roubaix on Sunday. It was all about the mud, the blood, the snot, the tears, the ache, the cobbles. And we loved it! (Thank you, @abagofspanners, for the phrase Caked Crusaders). Hopefully, we’ll give you a real sense of the weekend and showing you little treasures you may have missed! We also say goodbye to Andre Greipel and Nicolas Roche. Oh – and at the end? We have Italian riders dancing in cleats!!!!!
An historic Saturday
A feeling of history #ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaixFemmes pic.twitter.com/zcW7L0y4jM
— Team Jumbo-Visma Women (@JumboVismaWomen) September 29, 2021
Ashley and Jered Gruber were at both races and, as always, their photographs told such heroic stories. Make sure you flick through all the photos – they are superb.
Riding over Oreos
Let’s loosen up with a few quirky tweets about Roubaix. Sort of like riding on tarmac before we get to the cobbles.
Demonstrating the severity of the cobbles in terms we can understand. #ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaixFemmes
cc. @yuccobicycle pic.twitter.com/DDYoWwLq8K— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) October 1, 2021
Ce sport de déglinguos. 😱 https://t.co/1R92AxgBoY
— Julie Dremière (@ju_drem) October 3, 2021
I’m quite confident that the skills I gained from riding through floodwaters on a BMX as a kid would get me through the giant puddles but I’d take the eels over the cobbles. #CouchPeloton #ParisRoubaix
— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) October 3, 2021
The star rating for nether region numbness …
It is a complex formula based on how numb your nether regions are after the section.
— Race Radio (@TheRaceRadio) October 3, 2021
An epic Sunday
Roubaix is a beast in the sunshine; it’s a monster in the rain
Arenberg. The name gives me chills. It is a lonesome, sacred place – and the riders skidding and juddering through it with baying crowds at the side makes it more lonesome and more sacred.
📸Arenberg #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/ZHVo51JYuf
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 3, 2021
Arenberg is treacherous. pic.twitter.com/IyXqfZFG3E
— peloton® (@pelotonmagazine) October 3, 2021
The force is with cycling Twitter
At one point it looked like Gianni Moscon might actually win. This is why we didn’t want him to.
If Moscon pulls this off the big guns of cycling media like @Cyclingnewsfeed, @cyclingtips and @velonews should follow @bobkeroll's lead.
Above the fold mention of the racial abuse of Kevin Reza, crashing out Reichenbach, punching Gesbert and throwing his bike at Debusschere.
— TheSlowRidePodcast (@TheSlowRidePod) October 3, 2021
— Tom Thewlis (@thewlistt) October 3, 2021
MVDP SINGLEHANDEDLY TRYING TO PREVENT MOSCON VICTORY.
— MWCC (@midweekcycling) October 3, 2021
the karma of the entire twitterverse weighed him down
— Pedals like (@abagofspanners) October 3, 2021
Bike Culture hasn't been this united since Taco won a stage.
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) October 3, 2021
I can't speak for anyone else but I'm just so happy that Moscon got dropped that I really don't even give a shit who wins now.
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) October 3, 2021
Nearing the Velodrome
What ever you are doing today, try and do it with the same level of cool as MvdP. Covered in mud, shaken to bits by cobbles, crashes to the left and right. Unfazed. #ParisRoubaix #couchpeloton pic.twitter.com/9nzRApzsMN
— Anna Mac (@AnnamacB) October 3, 2021
I haven’t seen shoes that white since going to a golf course in Boca Raton
Toujours garder ses chaussures au propre. pic.twitter.com/HMgbQl7rfS
— Alexandre Mignot (@AlexandreMignot) October 3, 2021
Has Van der Poel taken off his shoe covers?!? Look how white his shoes are!!! (For now) #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/AswV6sFdoP
— Rich Mitch (@rich_mitch) October 3, 2021
The final sprint for the line
I think this scene was played out all over the cycling world
Zo trots op onze @FlorianVermeers! 🥈 @Lotto_Soudal @Brentvanmoer pic.twitter.com/WA6aTDpGRh
— Viktor Verschaeve (@VerschaeveV) October 3, 2021
Am I the only one who can see on Colbrelli's jersey the face of Daffy Duck after he's blown himself up with his own bomb? #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/XymXeTTN3b
— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) October 3, 2021
No words, just images #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/HmHw5FwQxr
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) October 3, 2021
Now that you are covered in clay, we will fire you in the Kiln! 😂 https://t.co/po7CxGF3lL
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) October 3, 2021
Florian our Florian
🇧🇪 Huge congratulations to @FlorianVermeers who finishes 🥈 after a wonderful race!
🇧🇪 @FlorianVermeers termine deuxième après une magnifique course !#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/5gbSrUzyNH
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 3, 2021
Vermeersh twice giving the rock a bit of side eye is the best part of that video.
— Beth (@stuckinoregon) October 3, 2021
And is a city councillor
— José Been (@TourDeJose) October 3, 2021
A deep bow for @FlorianVermeers all day in the break. Leading the race for most of the race and still getting on the podium. A future Paris Roubaix and Ronde van Vlaanderen winner. Big step forward this season for him.
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) October 3, 2021
Besides the Boonen comparison, Florian Vermeersch has a lot to say about his love for Paris-Roubaix and how conditions like today's are "no big deal" so long as you have the right mindset.@FlorianVermeers will win this race one day. #ParisRoubaix https://t.co/OJyewqC6Mp
— Kit Nicholson (@kit_e_nicholson) October 3, 2021
The disappointment is real
What a hero. What a fighter. What a champ. Biggest respect ✊. Congratulations for that magnificent result. Dont be sad. Your time will come.
— Da haben wir den Salat (@HabenSalat) October 3, 2021
I feel like this is one race that might just haunt Mathieu van der Poel.
Two very happy riders in this picture and one very annoyed. #ParisRoubaix https://t.co/zs1Tbx42TN
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) October 3, 2021
It looked like he was barely holding it together on the podium.
— Stacy Snyder (@snyderceramics) October 3, 2021
And it’s not just the guys who were tantalisingly inches away from the victory who cried. It’s guys like Yevgeniy Fedorov who wanted to do their best in the Roubaix debut.
😣 Disappointment for Yevgeniy Fedorov as he crashed out of his first #ParisRoubaix luckily without any serious injuries but DS @StefanoZanini & @SteveBauer59 had as always his back. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/TSWggZUvPt
— Astana – Premier Tech (@AstanaPremTech) October 3, 2021
Caked crusader
— Pedals like (@abagofspanners) October 3, 2021
A hearty splash of Mudmen
Cette image ne vous aura pas échappé. Les maillots de face et de dos du trio de tête à 14 kms de l'arrivée.
The jerseys seen from the front and back of the leading trio 14 km from the finish.#ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaix2021 #LesRP #mvdp pic.twitter.com/nFudZjS0KS
— Miroir du Cyclisme (@Miroir2Cyclisme) October 4, 2021
Wout van Aert – hot favourite for the win – finished 7th. Having to ride without glasses for much of the race, at the end, he looked like he’d gone 15 rounds with the cobbles …
OMG. This face🥴😬😱 #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/x5KGKzEMOb
— José 🐝 (@SpoelJo) October 3, 2021
Brilliant bike handling by @woutvanaert #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/bSYr1MLPhW
— @hirnbloggade@bildung.social (@hirnbloggade) October 3, 2021
Which I like.
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) October 3, 2021
Wout certainly doesn’t sugar coat his performance, admitting that sometimes he was too scared on the cobbles, that he wasn’t in a good position and in the end just didn’t have it.
Wout van Aert – Interview at the finish – Paris-Roubaix 2021 https://t.co/0JyNrcnciI #ParisRoubaixFemmes #ParisRoubaix
— CyclingPro.net (@cyclingpronet) October 4, 2021
😈 After the mudbath… That's #ParisRoubaix!
😈 Après un bon bain de boue… C'est #ParisRoubaix ! pic.twitter.com/bKo1njeKjn
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 3, 2021
You have to hand it to Christophe Laporte – riding the cobbles while trying to brake by putting his foot on his backwheel. Je ne regrette rien …
.@LAPORTEChristop prend une très belle 6e place : "Je n'ai aucun regret et je pense qu'on se rappellera de ce #ParisRoubaix". pic.twitter.com/CTe3xjdU8V
— Julie Dremière (@ju_drem) October 3, 2021
Laporte is way too chill for a dude riding #ParisRoubaix without brakes. #CouchPeloton
pic.twitter.com/WLtiOjMX2K— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) October 3, 2021
Taco van der Hoorn crashed hard a couple of times, but hot damn, he still made his lap and a half in the Velodrome. All hail the mighty Taco!
Taco made it! https://t.co/9HZzsU0VMJ pic.twitter.com/A0ez4dNkms
— Robyn is at Roubaix (@robynjournalist) October 3, 2021
Hey ladies, how you doin’?
🇫🇷 #ParisRoubaix#epic pic.twitter.com/zRPEPbLzsS
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) October 3, 2021
I think one of the reasons we all love Roubaix is how it seems to capture the timeless raw beauty of bike racing. This photo could be 2021, 1983, 1925. For six hours, we are transported to another era. pic.twitter.com/6O8kMHfSpm
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) October 3, 2021
The first rainy Roubaix in a generation lived up to the hype…then shot right past it. What a race!
Peloton social is powered by @wahoofitness #Wahooligan#ParisRoubaix #Cycling pic.twitter.com/fRNajhpzLI
— peloton® (@pelotonmagazine) October 3, 2021
The cobbles did not like Stefan Kung on Sunday and they bit him in the ass every chance they got. Whenever they showed a crash, it was pretty good money that Kung would be a part of it. There’s only so much a man can take – Kung was a DNF.
One of those days for Stefan Kung…The image of despair. #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/RbuqXnmUmN
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) October 3, 2021
Kung will change the subject and grab a stiff drink
— Spencer Hackett 🖤💛 (@velospence) October 3, 2021
Granny, why is he crying?
— Susan Westemeyer (@WestemeyerSusan) October 3, 2021
I guess this is one way to get that mud crust to shift, although it looks almost as painful as the race itself …
The good old human power-wash. #parisroubaix pic.twitter.com/ivOiqfsCBG
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) October 3, 2021
Now you can watch all the highlights!
Farewell to the Gorilla
It was Andre Greipel‘s last race in the pro peloton and no, it wasn’t at Roubaix. Wise man.
André Greipel checks in at the start of a wet and windy Münsterland Giro.
🎤 “André, how do you feel taking on the last race of your career?”
____
🇩🇪 #MuensterlandGiro pic.twitter.com/Xw0LgYq4OZ— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@TeamIsraelSUN) October 3, 2021
Enjoy retirement Andre 💪🥳 https://t.co/hg4wHeAJvi
— Laticia Waclawik (@sdbeachgirl9) October 3, 2021
“I did my maximum!”
🎥 @AndreGreipel after finishing the last race of his career. Always with a big smile ☺️
____
🇩🇪 #MuensterlandGiro pic.twitter.com/GCbLXPzvOl— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@TeamIsraelSUN) October 3, 2021
Today also marks the last race for @AndreGreipel, valuable founding member of @TheRidersUnion. Gorilla on the bike, humble and trustworthy as an athlete and human being! pic.twitter.com/0MihSptcoF
— TheRidersUnion (@TheRidersUnion) October 3, 2021
Andre Greipel said goodbye to his pro cyclist career today in Giro Munsterland (and just like I said because there are no coincidences in life, Cavendish won the race). A big smile, 158 victories and always a total gentleman. Danke, @AndreGreipel ! 👏🎩 #MunsterlandGiro pic.twitter.com/6TO6uUJkHj
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) October 3, 2021
And farewell Nico
Nicholas Roche has announced his retirement from cycling after a 17-year career.
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) October 4, 2021
And a little light entertainment before we end. Italians dancing in cleats
Hey @OutOfCycling!🙋♂️ pic.twitter.com/dEjFyzXQNP
— Bas Tietema (@BasTietema) October 1, 2021
The last word
The least we can do is write individual thank you letters to the riders #ParisRoubaix2021
— Gareth Cartman (@clevergareth) October 3, 2021