Ian Stannard: 'A wet and messy Paris-Roubaix suits me'
Some riders may be fearful of bad weather during Sunday's Paris-Roubaix, but Briton Ian Stannard isn't one of them
Sky's Ian Stannard says that he prefers a wet and messy Paris-Roubaix for Sunday (April 10). Local weather forecasts show rain likely the day before on Saturday, and on race day.
Stannard is leading team Sky alongside Luke Rowe, with Geraint Thomas back to stage races and Michal Kwiatkowski aiming at the Amstel Gold Race next Sunday.
He reconnoitred the key cobble sectors that make up the 257.5-kilometre course in northern France on Tuesday. Luke Rowe and others are doing so today.
"I didn't find the recon too bad, the mud in between the cobbles was bad, but the top of the cobbles was fine," Stannard told Cycling Weekly.
>>> Paris-Roubaix 2016: Latest news, preview and more
"If it rains, it's going to be a mess. I like those conditions, and the colder the better, as well. A dry Roubaix is probably nicer to race, but a wet one is better for my riding characteristics."
In recent years teams have found dry and dusty cobble sectors. Not since 2002, 14 years ago, did they have to navigate wet and muddy cobbles. That year, Johan Museeuw won his third title and Tom Boonen, then racing for US Postal Service, marked himself as a future winner by placing third.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Over the border, Belgium enjoyed one of its warmest days in recent weeks on Sunday for its Tour of Flanders. However, the mercury dropped over the last two days and rain clouds constantly circle over the flat farmlands.
Regardless of the weather, Sky appears to be edging closer to a win in one of cycling's monuments. Ben Swift placed second behind Arnaud Démare (FDJ) in Milan-San Remo three weeks ago and Rowe rode to fifth in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.
"The confidence is building in the team, individually as well," Stannard said. "We are still going in a great direction."
Kwiatkowski gave the team a second win in the E3 Harelbeke two weeks ago and drew out eventual Flanders winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) with an attack. He is backing off to return in the Amstel Gold Race, which he won last year as world champion. He leaves the door open for Stannard and Rowe to start Roubaix as defined co-leaders.
General Manager David Brailsford said: "In the past, we had a strong group who all think that maybe they have a chance, so you lack that real clarity of who's going to give what for whom. Now, it's a lot clearer in the roles and who's doing what."
"It's down to me and Luke, and we are both looking forward to it," Stannard continued.
"We have two more defined leaders, rather than four or five of us all trying to get into the final and then race. E3 really showed that, we kind of missed it on the Taaienberg and Luke and [Salvatore] Puccio got straight on the front and did what they needed to do, there was no hanging around. There was a clear decision, and that comes from knowing who your leaders are."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
'I've never seen the cobbles as bad as this' - Inside one team's Paris-Roubaix recon
Tom Davidson joins British Continental team Lifeplus-Wahoo as they prepare for the most feared race of the season
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Marianne Vos is still boss, Lorena Wiebes raves, and Geraint Thomas issues a warning
While some riders hope to manage one win in their career, Marianne Vos has 250
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Wout van Aert’s Classics dreams go up in smoke, but all is not lost for Visma-Lease a Bike
Attention turns to another promising squad member after their talisman is ruled out of Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel-Gold Race with 'several fractures'
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert 'in a good place' ahead of Tour of Flanders despite Visma-Lease a Bike illness and injury crisis
Loss of Christophe Laporte and Dylan van Baarle 'a big blow' says DS Grischa Niermann as team builds for Monument double header
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Five things to look out for ahead of the Tour of Flanders
Lidl-Trek's impressive form and Mathieu van der Poel's explosive start to the Classics season could make for quite the contest this weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert gears towards career-defining fortnight in new, enlightened mindset
Belgian admits pressure has weighed heavily on his shoulders in the past as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix come around once more
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Can Lizzie Deignan bag another Monument? Cycling Weekly’s big predictions for the 2024 season
It is time for our writers to look into their crystal balls and give their predictions for the season ahead
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour of Flanders, Giro d'Italia, Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Cycling Weekly's races of the year for 2023
Our writers pick their best moments from an enthralling 2023, what do you think?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jumbo-Visma perfect until it really mattered: Five things we learned from the men's cobbled Classic season
Tadej Pogačar should be lining up a tilt at Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu van der Poel has won almost everything he can, and Ineos Grenadiers underwhelmed
By Adam Becket Published
-
‘It was just agony’: Inside the Paris-Roubaix debuts of four young Brits
Josh Tarling, Zoe Bäckstedt, Sam Watson and Alice Towers lived very different days at the Hell of the North
By Tom Davidson Published