Paris-Roubaix image of the day: Eddy Merckx on the cobbles of Arenberg

One of the most popular vintage Paris-Roubaix images circulating on internet is a picture of Eddy Merckx passing through Trouée d'Arenberg, the 2,3 km long cobbled road considered one of the most hardest and most iconic sector of the "Hell of the North". 

Eddy Merckx leading a bunch of riders through the famous cobbles sector Trouvèe d'Arenberg during Paris-Roubaix 1969

The picture was taken most likely in 1969,  dhring the 67th edition of Paris-Roubaix, won by Walter Godefroot. Merckx finished 2nd, two and a half minutes behind the winner. 

Trouée d'Arenberg was added to the program oy a year earlier. Jean Stablinski,  former winner of Vuelta a Espana (1958) and several individual stages at Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, who used to work here in the mines before his professional road cycling career proposed the idea of including the road. 

Trouée d'Arenberg, partially because of the high possibility of crashes, is usually a turning point in the story of a Paris-Roubaix edition, ofter there is a breakaway group including the favourites is forming right after the peloton leaving the woods. 

If you don't like the idea of a road cycling race being famous due to spectacular crashes, you might  find this article relatable: 

The fading glory of Paris-Roubaix

The almost 1000-day hiatus between two Paris-Roubaix editions (2019, 2021) became symbolic in several ways in the most recent history of road cycling


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