Paris Roubaix is always a race that defies predictions. But this year, oooh lala, the weekend of cobbles really gave us one of the wildest rides in a long time. This is a melange of tweets, loosely categorised (very loosely), with plenty of tweets from fans during the action. Confusion reigned and it was GLORIOUS. [Lots of f-bombs in this column, by the way.]
The beauty of the race
Roubaix wouldn’t be Roubaix without some outstanding Insta galleries from Jered and Ashley Gruber.
Action!
It was balls to the wall racing from very early on … and that was the work of these guys. Instigated by VeloVoices favourite, Michal Kwiatkowski
Kwiat knew exactly what he was gonna do LMFAOOO pic.twitter.com/S9i9S63jxw
— Nairo Quintana Fanclub (@NairoInGreen) April 17, 2022
For more praise of Ineos’s classics season (yes, really), have a listen to our podcast where we practically live in Ineos corner (when not running over to Wanty corner).
Amstel Gold Race with Michal Kwiatkowski.
Brabantse Pijl with Magnus Sheffield.
Paris-Roubaix with Dylan Van Baarle.
Three in a row.
Ineos Grenadiers is a classics team now.#ParisRoubiax pic.twitter.com/Mi3AUnVlki— Neal Rogers 🇺🇦 (@nealrogers) April 17, 2022
Dan Deakins is the oracle – predicting this well before the end of the race.
In the greatest character arc in history, Ineos are going to win Roubaix#ParisRoubaix
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) April 17, 2022
Domestiques go to grand tours to sacrifice themselves for others and for the Spring they deserve a chance to gain a reward for all the suffering. Dylan van Baarle encapsulates this very well. Terrific, unspoken hero of the peloton. A well-earned victory. #ParisRoubaix 🚴♂️🇫🇷
— Will Luker (@CallmeWill97) April 17, 2022
Some people don’t like the enthusiasm and of-the-moment emotion that Adam Blythe brings to the commentary booth but we LOVE it. All that we love about him is in this second film.
Living for the noise that @AdamBlythe89 makes in this clip #ParisRoubaix2022 pic.twitter.com/eVmdmu8Pbo
— Peter. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🚴♂️ (@PBXscribes) April 17, 2022
I pray to all the cycling gods that Filippo Ganna will one day set his sights on being the best Classics rider he can be. Judging from this footage of him chasing back after a puncture, that period would be one of great style, swagger and power.
🇮🇹 @GannaFilippo is giving his all to stick with the main group, he’s managing it!
🇮🇹 @GannaFilippo fait l'effort pour recoller au groupe tête !#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/5RTfBCc7e0
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) April 17, 2022
GANNA IS A FUCKING ENGINE 🤯
— Cycling What Ifs (@cyclingwhatifs) April 17, 2022
F**k me, the speed of Filippo Ganna over those cobbles. #ParisRoubaix
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) April 17, 2022
Wanty Wanty Wanty!
Strange but the fact is that Intermarché has been the best Belgian team this spring!
Quick-Steps’ curse also played a part in Roubaix for poor Lampaert. A spring to forget while it was magical for Intermarché ❤️🇧🇪
— Rasmus Nowak Franklin (@NowakFranklin_) April 17, 2022
#ParisRoubaix 🇫🇷@TacovanderHoorn checks the counterattacks in the peloton pic.twitter.com/mRmUuhjCHO
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) April 17, 2022
For those who thought they could call the race before the final 5-star sections … ho ho ho. Who do they think they are? Dan Deakin?
not quite
there's still time and two more 5 star sectors— VeloVoices (@VeloVoices) April 17, 2022
You just never know with Roubaix, though
— VeloVoices (@VeloVoices) April 17, 2022
The most iconic stretch of cobbles in cycling: The Forest of Arenberg. All the atmosphere, all the pain, all the power. Yeah baby
😍 La Trouée d’Arenberg 😍#ParisRoubaix
📸 ASO / @PaulineBallet pic.twitter.com/HgZ6ye5OjQ
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) April 17, 2022
Der Arenberg rastet aus! Volksfest in der Hölle des Nordens! #ParisRoubaix (cc @radsportmagazin) pic.twitter.com/2Ado3O88r6
— LaufRuhr (@laufruhr) April 17, 2022
Insane!
One of cycling’s best images!#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/V7Zk7iIUfv— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) April 17, 2022
Will never forget the first time I went to and saw the Arenberg. There is something distinctly haunting about it. #ParisRoubaix
— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) April 17, 2022
Wout just kept chasing back. Tenacity, thy name is van Aert
𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙚́𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙚💥 pic.twitter.com/TDxAzfTeUV
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) April 18, 2022
He also had a quick bike change.
Wout. Box box.
–
Copy.
–#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/pLrbR1XTmG— Rich Mitch (@rich_mitch) April 17, 2022
EMBRACE THE CHAOS
Tweeters from around the world tried to make sense of the race at various points. These capture the atmosphere as much as the film clips of Arenberg!
We're just over halfway, so here's our update:
Some people on bikes are leading another group of people on bikes… It's so chaotic we're not really sure where anyone is… (and we love it)
Oh, and we haven't even hit Arenberg yet.
7 of 30 sectors complete.
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) April 17, 2022
In case you haven’t been watching Paris Roubaix hommes. Race summary so far. pic.twitter.com/5b7hvchcPx
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) April 17, 2022
Refreshing the #ParisRoubaix tracker. Chaos. #CouchPeloton pic.twitter.com/xoH8nVJXo7
— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) April 17, 2022
By the way this race is going I expect a sinkhole to swallow 16 riders on the Trouée d‘Arenberg #ParisRoubaix
— Ullrichs Erben (@ullrichserben) April 17, 2022
Your race summary of #ParisRoubaix so far https://t.co/QUr7A7j56z
— Calum Lonie 🇮🇪🇨🇵🏴🇪🇺 (@CalumLonie) April 17, 2022
When InnerRing calls it a wild race, you know it’s totally out of control
Wild edition of Paris-Roubaix and we haven't even got to Wallers-Arenberg yet
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) April 17, 2022
#ParisRoubaix has exploded again in a completely chaotic way. <3 this race.
— Paul Treloar (@PaulieTandoori) April 17, 2022
Paris-Roubaix is like watching a madison on the track. You don't really know what's going on half the time. You just have to embrace the chaos and figure it all out when the dust (literally) settles. #ParisRoubaix
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) April 17, 2022
How I imagine someone just tuning in on the race :#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/q89EZTRMYh
— Cycling What Ifs (@cyclingwhatifs) April 17, 2022
Love that the time gap graphics is all 🤷
— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) April 17, 2022
The only thing I’m sure of about #ParisRoubaixHommes is that van Baarle won. You could tell me anything else and I’d believe you.
— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) April 17, 2022
Van Aert puncture! Mohoric puncture! Ohmygooood the chaos 😮💥 #ParisRoubaix
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) April 17, 2022
“Just pedal, you never know.” Knaven from somewhere.
— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) April 17, 2022
This is like an existential soap opera.
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) April 17, 2022
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 17, 2022
*rattle rattle rattle* puncture *rattle rattle rattle* crash *rattle rattle rattle* feed *rattle rattle rattle* attack *rattle rattle rattle* hesitation *phew, nice and smooth* velodrome!
— Racejunkie (@racejunkieblog) April 17, 2022
So they ride cobbles? Yes.
The whole way? No.
Do they crash? Yes.
What happens? Nothing.
Nothing? Maybe a Band-Aid from a moving car?
What? 🤷🏻♀️
Do they ride special bikes? No but they do have people with tyres roadside.
…? There’s also occasionally a train and a scary forest.— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) April 17, 2022
Brad on a Bike was supposed to help us understand the race. It was in fact … not helpful
I’m not sure what value there is in Brad coming on talking about a group of riders who ain’t going to win talking about a road they aren’t using and the next turn they’ve already taken, adds to the entertainment 🤷🏻♂️
— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) April 17, 2022
Brad there, revealing his serial killer knowledge with his baby’s heads thrown from helicopters line. Dark.
— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) April 17, 2022
Bradley Wiggins just said "It's on, like Donkey Kong"
That's a thing that happened #parisroubaix
— Kadoomed (@kadoomed) April 17, 2022
#ParisRoubaix current status pic.twitter.com/M4ZwthPMvN
— Grimpeur Bros Specialty Coffee 🏳️⚧️🌻 (@GrimpeurBros) April 17, 2022
Brad’s like some kind of performance art.
— John Galloway (@NowJustJohn) April 17, 2022
“Brad Wiggins” is really some of Steve Coogan’s best work.
— Always bet the break (@BreakAlways) April 17, 2022
Feelin’ the pain
The wheel said, ‘I'm done with these cobbles.’ #parisroubaix pic.twitter.com/jRqF32J5NK
— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) April 17, 2022
😂😂 love it. https://t.co/9cciqGdX8v
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) April 17, 2022
Ganna’s Bike was a terrible teammate today.
— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) April 17, 2022
The stress dreams that mechanics get before a Paris-Roubaix must be insane. #ParisRoubaix
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) April 17, 2022
Casper Pedersen apparently was abducted by aliens #ParisRoubaix
— Nairo Quintana Fanclub (@NairoInGreen) April 17, 2022
Long story short the day of Roubaix my body just wasn't ready. It's a race where you need luck&legs,I had neither. Unfortunately the whole team was struck by bad luck,so the fight for podium turned to a fight for a top 10
Even with all of that there's no other team I rather be on pic.twitter.com/eNFmNysj5z— Toms Skujiņš (@Tomashuuns) April 18, 2022
Mads P: ‘Shit crash, shit puncture. Wasn’t my day. It was less fun last year, but still not great standing here after not having ridden something remotely close to a final. I tried to get back and made it after the crash, but then had the puncture. Just bad luck’ #ParisRoubaix
— Dennis Korsbæk Præst (@DennisPraest) April 17, 2022
🥵 After a fast day in the Hell of the North…
🥵 Après une journée à fond dans l’Enfer du Nord…#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/DqdaHLZ249
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) April 17, 2022
Feelin’ the love
What a way for Roubaix weekend to start! Fantastic
They’ll be making one for you now, @ElisaLongoB!
📸 @harperjojo pic.twitter.com/i6SsCWyEQJ— SRAM Road (@SRAMroad) April 16, 2022
"If you go, you have to believe from the beginning. I was just full gas. You don't fuck around, just go."
– @ElisaLongoBMore great quotes below. ⬇️#ParisRoubaixFemmes https://t.co/R0aFjO9t8B
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) April 16, 2022
— SRAM Road (@SRAMroad) April 16, 2022
— Javier Gilabert C. (@tourdegila) April 16, 2022
GREAT MOMENTS IN PARIS-ROUBAIX!
Upon seeing, of all things, a woman holding onto the sacred winner’s cobble of Paris-Roubaix, Patrick Lefevere spontaneously combusts. pic.twitter.com/HawxSCnp89— Rob Whittle (@PolkaDotRob) April 17, 2022
Same mate, same. How I feel after watching this #ParisRoubaix2022 https://t.co/0ZXfz1E5Be pic.twitter.com/DcrUhBL3NY
— Peter. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🚴♂️ (@PBXscribes) April 17, 2022
We had the whole world in our twitter feed …
For UK people that’s 12.26 for the first cobbles and 13.56 for the Arenberg.
For American viewers it’s after first cup of coffee for the cobbles and just out the shower for the Arenberg.
For Aussies it’s “how bloody late?” https://t.co/p1MXPGBloV— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) April 17, 2022
It was the first time he reached the velodrome too.
— Rasmus Nowak Franklin (@NowakFranklin_) April 17, 2022
PARIS ROUBAIX in the books. What a day and what a race. I’m really disappointed how the race went for us in the final. We did everything right and had all under control. It looked perfect until the crash of Florian and the one of Yves. I’ll come back to this race. I just love it! pic.twitter.com/ddxg3BbYdT
— Jannik Steimle (@SteimleJannik) April 17, 2022
THE HERO OF THE DAY @TomDevriendt ends #ParisRoubaix in 4th place 🎩 @adrienpetit62 came in 6th 👏 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/6hDKPihB9k
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) April 17, 2022
We have something we want to share with you.
Despite everything that happened today and despite all the bitterness, we still love @Paris_Roubaix to the moon and back.
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/dbihAav7vn
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) April 17, 2022
💬“I’m not sure if it was the fastest Roubaix ever, but for sure it was one of the fastest. On the pavé and in the velodrome it’s really nice to have the spectators again, it makes for such a good atmosphere which is special to me.” – @johndegenkolb #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/zNAwn15GTI
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) April 17, 2022
Taco Taco Taco! Wanty Wanty Wanty!
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😄😄 @TacovanderHoorn 😄😄
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😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄 pic.twitter.com/hKA0Ixcbw2— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) April 17, 2022
In post-race interview, Van Aert discusses "carnage and chaos," bad luck, adds that's "the beauty of the race." Says normally finishing second at Roubaix would be a "big disappointment," but coming off COVID, it's a huge achievement. Also says strongest rider won. #ParisRoubaix
— Neal Rogers 🇺🇦 (@nealrogers) April 17, 2022
Cheeky response from Wout
Wait untill you see my runner up list in CX
— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) April 18, 2022
Babies and birthdays
At the end, this is what counts the most. pic.twitter.com/YmcFI6Xa6U
— Christophe Diels (@denbokkerijder) April 17, 2022
😍 The best way to cheer up after your bad luck @yveslampaert.
😍 La meilleure consolation possible après la malchance pour @yveslampaert. #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/EuiADm472o
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) April 17, 2022
🎙 "It was a nice birthday in Hell."
🎂Happy Birthday @Jasperstuyven!! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/G9lmEvbvST
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) April 17, 2022
Petition: no time cuts at #ParisRoubaix. Everyone gets to finish in the velodrome. Don’t @ me. Unless you’re signing the petition.
— Belinda (@reallyspoketome) April 17, 2022
Just a few more
As the dust slowly settles on #ParisRoubaix…
WHAT a team performance by these Grenadiers. We took the race on early, kept going despite some knocks and got the win 🏆
Amazing job @DylanvanBaarle @benjeturner @GannaFilippo @kwiato @cameronwurf @LukeRowe1990 @MagnusSheffield pic.twitter.com/RnSdBVOf09
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 17, 2022
📸#ParisRoubaix#AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #RideDifferently © Gruber Images pic.twitter.com/47tre9lPnw
— AG2R CITROËN TEAM (@AG2RCITROENTEAM) April 18, 2022
Product placement with bells on
Historic race. Historic showers. End of our 2022 @parisroubaixcourse. pic.twitter.com/j3luylQ7f2
— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) April 17, 2022
The last word
Mon jardin a retrouvé son calme #wallersarenberg #parisroubaix pic.twitter.com/fPDevQJ3FR
— Providence (@Providence_IV) April 18, 2022
That was lovely. Thanks for putting that all together…
Thanking you, jeffrey! 🙂