Bicycling

They tried not using the velodrome for a while, but it is definitely there to stay now. The original point of the race was to publicize the Velodrome. The society that takes care of the cobbles made the decision to put in mortar between the cobbles of Arenberg, which will make it less muddy if it’s a wet one.

They used to burn out the growth, like this:

This article shows what they’ve done this year...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/work-begins-to-mortar-joints-of-arenberg-paris-roubaix-cobbles/

I hope it’s a safe race - as safe as this one can be. Last year there was one fatality, although due to heart failure and not some of the other hazards which have claimed racer’s lives in recent years. What is a tolerable level of carnage in road cycling really needs some more thought.

It will be live on NBC Sports Gold, starting at 4:55 AM and 2 PM on NBC Sports regular broadcast.

Tour of Flanders is tomorrow. Twitter will often have pirated links, and it will show up on YouTube later in the day. Alternatively Flobikes has a monthly or annual streaming plan with all the major races (except for ones covered by NBC) and not so major races, such as the Giro Di Sicilia which wrapped up today’s 4th and final stage at the top of Mount Aetna with 21 year old American Brandon McNulty of Rally Cycling holding the GC lead he took yesterday.