Paris-Roubaix 250 kilometer test of strength endurance and sheer willpower a race that
pushes Riders to their very limits and often Beyond I'm Mitch Docker and Peru Bay is my
favorite race I did it 11 times in my pro career but now gcn have sent me back here
to Recon the course and meet up with some of the current Pros along the way to find
out the secrets to writing and perhaps even winning this iconic race
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we're coming into all airs which in my eyes is the first key point of the race in all
my years riding Peru Bay I found that practicing riding the route is one of the best ways to
prepare for the race I've called him my old teammate Ian's kukuler who I've shared many
a recon mission with
[Music] hey there he is lie turn it around what are you doing here back in the old place
let's do it a bit of Ruby have a coffee I reckon it's good to be home yens is a strong
classic Strider with a fast finishing kick he came sixth at para rubai in 2015 and he
loves his race we were teammates at Orica green Edge for several years and we were reunited
for the final part of my career at EF Pro cycling well he ends mate where are we where
what is this place it brings back good memories being here this is uh the Chateau the castle
that we always stayed at with Oracle Greenwich um when we did the Recon so the week leading
up to party River we always stayed here you want me stay here a little bit longer because
we always had some extra Recons um but yeah true it's a trip down memory lane here all
right NZ what is the toughest sector for you in Paris rubai I think that's easy it's um
there's there's a lot of difficult sectors but when you hit Autumn bad hits yeah it's
just something different I think um if we do it today I won't be riding it all the way
to the Finish you just you're just scared that the wheels are going to break or your
bike is going to break it's it's so hard um so yeah definitely autumn what makes a good
Ruby rodder what's the thing that you know builds up to be a really good rube Rider is
it all physical is it mental what are those attributes I think yeah first of all you just
have to be really strong I think never has there been a winner that that wanted by accident
I think that the strongest one of the strongest always wins and the and second like I really
think you have to know how to ride the Cowboys like uh you have to be able to see where you
go on the cobbles you have to feel the cornering as well it's always a little bit different
so um yeah really feeling comfortable on the cobbles I think that's a that's a big big
one as well should we go out and get back into it old style get behind the motors and
I'm ready oh let's do it then I'm looking forward to it [Music]
thank you [Music] [Applause] foreign
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with friends even on training I can I can write to France and as soon as you cross the
border that home region here you just feel like okay this is the roads the little towns
yeah I like this one yeah and that's this is something that changed a lot for me like
I remember the first reverse I did as a professional this was always one of the key sectors because
yeah a lot could already happen on this sector and there was always something that happened
here so this was an important sector if you wanted to be in the front that [Music] foreign
the biggest difference you'll notice between Recon and a race whether you're on cobbles
or on a climb is the speed and the lack of vision if you think about it in rubai you
are almost never going over the cobbles alone with a clear line of sight you need to learn
how to feel the sectors and to be able to ride them at high speed while basically blind
it can be scary
still here
on race day all the Cobble sectors start blurring into one but when you see the old mine on
your left you know what's coming next in the 50s race director Jacques coder decided the
race was becoming too easy it needed more difficult cobbles Jean sablinski a top Pro
of the era and a local who had worked at the mine underneath the forest suggested including
the Arenberg Trench 2 300 meters of the roughest toughest cobblestones imaginable and the rest
is history
oh what do you reckon you end should we hit it ironberg I'm afraid I don't have the right
bike set up today but you're flying on those cobblestones good luck buddy come on I'll
see you another time oh mate don't leave me [Music]
my next stop is another place of real significance it's where history was made not just in rubai
but in the whole sport of cycling [Music] well here we are at honang another tough sector
but this one's newly become iconic because it's the first sector of the very first women's
Prairie Bay in 2021.
I'm going to be joined by Amber vanderholst who's written both editions and we're going
to tackle this one together Amber is a Dutch cycle she competes on both the road and the
track she's well suited to the Cobble Classics and has a fast finish one to watch out for
rubai in the future that's for sure oh here she comes it's coming in hot oh here she is
hey hey Emma hi great to see you yeah nice to be here it's a bit cold yeah it's nice
like the atmosphere you get already here it's really when you arrived here and you came
to this sector this was the first sector of the first edition it was wet that day a little
bit like today maybe even worse what was the feeling like in the Peloton University was
so high oh I still feel it at that moment just was a spring to be in the front it was
like almost for me it was the finish of the race because it can happen especially with
the with the mods and everything you need to be in the front because you don't know
what's gonna happen if your materials hold or the people in front of you can crash and
yeah the moment was here what about these Stones these big cobblestones they're very
iconic after doing the your two additions Do You Love Ruby or do you actually hate it
no I love it you do it yeah I really I it's high on my list too oh I really every year
I hope to raise this uh this race it's it's special also the crowd around the cobbles
and families always standing here to shout to me and it's yeah it's special it's it's
you never know what's gonna happen and who's gonna win there are so many circumstance that
can change the race it's yeah I hope I can end well in the future here do you think you're
suited to Perry Ruby after writing it for a couple of years do you think it suits you
every race I finished here I'm like damn I want to win this race I think it's it's flat
with heart and still technical so and of course the the finishing Federal drum I'm also in
track Rider so it's yeah I hope to be in here well let's get some more practicing for sure
let's go [Applause]
in the first ever women's Prairie Bay in 2021 British star Lizzie diagnan attacked on the
very first Cobblestone sector here in Hunan she rode solo for over 80 kilometers and left
the entire Peloton trailing in her wake it was the most epic way to celebrate the first
women's Paris rubai
they all went
and also you couldn't go through the side of the road so you need to stay on the gobbles
do you practice training on the goggles no never actually no it's just go and don't think
what are the rest of the girls in the team think about Ruby or in the palace and a lot
of pearls prefer you have to write this rate
yeah you love it or you ate it [Music] [Applause]
what do you think is the hardest sector for you what is that the hardest one I think for
sure this one is one of the hardest I think this is the moment where you see everyone
is good or not and I think it's the end of the race yeah those two what about in the
first edition Lizzie dog an attack there and she won the race from there like can you even
imagine that were you there to see it I was there in the front but she disappeared and
I heard on the radio she was gone and they're always on their on their shelf it's yeah it's
amazing what about like I'm trying to learn how to win Paris through Bay you said yourself
you want to win this race if you can imagine the best scenario for you to win what's the
dream for you to win this race [Music] it's great to see if I see in
raise the fellow thrown in with a small group and um make it up in the in the spring what
would you do would you lead it out would you come from behind with all your track experience
I would say hi and full of meters straight down go go it's right across the line thank
you very much see you later well I'm gonna keep going yeah I've got to head on my way
to rubai good luck from there thanks for meeting with me today I see you maybe
the lesson I'm taking from here is who dares wins Lizzie dogdon took a huge Risk by attacking
so early and it paid off Big Time seize the day you'll never know what might happen
yo there he is good to see you man Florin is a local boy one of the few Pros who lived
near Ruby he's the French national champion and he's always one of the favorites when
it comes to Ruby so I've got plenty to pick his brains about so Florian these are your
home roads what was it like growing up with Ruby in your backyard like as a small boy
having Paris rouveau right here where you grew up yeah when I am young I go here with
my friend and uh we imagine some dreams imagine you do paylobe one time with a quick step
team that is Maybe 15 years ago I already did eight times and every time I am disappointed
because I'm not starving the volume or I'm not one what do you find is the most difficult
sector of Perry Bay ah it's a good question because okay around there is that because
the converse is very very but for me that one's a win if you have a crosswind after
one corner example
you have so much snow in the covers plus the hill at the end you know yeah so for me so
the art sector is not something well what makes a good rider for rubai is that the strength
the legs is it the the mentality ah you need to be if you if you have a 60 kilo yeah 65
kilo it's not it smells it's not easy you need to be good position back on the cedar
you need to have also a strong body uh legs but also the the on the all the body and everything
and for sure good concentration a good technique I think also you have to love the rice too
you really have to love yeah I for sure I lost this race because when I want to be professional
Riders it's because I watch every every time I go on the road for watch party yeah and
and that is because I want to do professional cycling because I love my rube and also when
I am young I am non-climber not super good printer but I am strong only on the covers
it's been awesome being with you today but I think this journey I've always wanted to
arrive at the Ruby velodrome on my own so if you think you can keep up good luck all
right now come on Mitch
the final few sectors on the run into the velodrome are nowhere near as severe as Arenberg
monzin Pavel or car for delabra but with over 200 kilometers in the legs they're still gonna
sting
lost hands to attack feels good to be here velodrones are around the corner [Music]
foreign
some seriously incredible moments have happened right here feels good to be here [Music]
[Music] there's so much that goes into winning this race you need the legs and the head and
you need the team to support you and you definitely need a bit of luck it all goes into making
this in my opinion the best bike race on the planet and one I'll be tuning in to watch
for sure we've got every kilometer Live On Demand on GCM plus so go and check it out
and let me know in the comments which rides you think are going to win this time round