The Paris-Roubaix race is often called "L'enfer du Nord": the Hell of the North. This "classic," a long one-day road race, is held early in the Spring and has run through all kinds of weather, from snowstorms to heat waves. It also includes mud and some of the roughest cobblestone roads in Europe. Many riders who excelled in other kinds of races avoided Paris-Roubaix, or didn't fare well in it: Bernard Hinault, arguably the most dominant racer not named Eddy Mercx (and, like Mercx, a five-time Tour de France winner) entered P-R only once. He won, but vowed never to ride it again, in part because the tendinitis that afflicted his knees was aggravated by the vibration of the cobblestones and the weather
If P-R is the "Hell" of the North, Belgium's Ghent-Wevelgem might be its Purgatory. The annual race winds through Flandrian towns anc countryside and includes those notorious those notorious Belgian cobblestones that challenge the best dental work as well as other parts of riders' bodies.
The Paris-Roubaix and Ghent-Wevelgem are, like other classics including Milan-San Remo, considered Tour-level (elite) races. For decades, they were dominated by riders from northern and western European countries like Belgium, France and Italy. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, riders from former Bloc countries have made their mark, as they have in the Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana). So have cyclists from the Americas, mainly the US, Canada, Mexico and Colombia.
For a long time, observers believed that the first non-European or American riders to establish a presence in the European racing circuit would come from Japan, which has long had a strong tradition of cycling. Also, China looked ready to become a cycling powerhouse because they have done so in other sports and it, like Japan, has a long tradition of cycling.
Perhaps they, or some other Asian country, will infiltrate the ranks of Tour-level riders. But, perhaps not surprisingly, the latest cyclist to interrupt the European hegemony has come from a place that, however quietly, has been turning out other world-class athletes.
Yesterday, Biniam Girmay defeated favorites Christophe Laporte of France and Belgian Dries van Gestel in the latest edition of Ghent-Wevelgem. The 21-year-old hails from Eritrea, an East African country across the Red Sea from Yemen. He rode with a mastery and discipline that belied his youth: Although he mastered the cobblestones, he left enough in the tank for a perfect sprint finish.
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| Biniam Girmay (l) celebrates his victory. Photo by Kurt Desplenter, for Agence France- Presse. |
Perhaps this is a sign that the World Championship will one day live up to its name--in cycling as well as other sports.
