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Arenberg restoration gets big boost

By Agence France Presse
Published: Dec. 6, 2005
He's having fun, isn't he? George Hincapie on the cobbles of the Arenberg Forest
He's having fun, isn't he? George Hincapie on the cobbles of the Arenberg Forest
Photo: AFP (file photo)

The legendary cobbles of the Forest of Arenberg could make their return to the traditional route of Paris-Roubaix, after a regional council voted to allocate 220,000 euros to aid in the repair of sections that have collapsed in recent years.

Last January, the Amaury Sport Organization, the organizer of “The Hell of the North,” pulled the feared 2.4-kilometer stretch of cobbles from the race route because large portions were determined to be too dangerous, due to mining subsidence.

At the time, Race director Jean-François Pescheux said that past coal mining operations in the area triggered a sinkhole, creating a 200-meter gap in the road. That area has filled with oily water, much of which has spilled out onto nearby cobbles, making the pavé exceptionally slippery and dangerous.

On Monday, the regional council of Northern France voted unanimously to commit 220,000 euros ($260,000) to rehabilitate the ruined sections, with the stated objective of ensuring that the Arenberg be returned to the “Queen of the Classics” by the 2006 edition of the race.

Organizers replaced the infamous Arenberg pavé with a 2.7-kilometer section at d'Avesnes-le-Sec. Some repair work has been underway since the January decision, but the infusion of funds to repair the most severely damaged section will add new impetus to the effort. The cobbles of Arenberg are owned by the regional government and regarded as an historic resource.

Pescheux and ASO applauded the vote and suggested that a final decision regarding the inclusion of the Arenberg would be made by mid-December after the organizers assessed the progress of the restoration effort.