Upcoming Belgian star uncertain about Paris-Roubaix
April 10, 2015 § 26 Comments
Phenom Tiesj Benoot, the 21-year-old speedster with Lotto-Soudal who pulled off an amazing fifth place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen was allowed to speak with the press yesterday about his expectations for Paris-Roubaix. Benoot, who is clearly on form after a string of strong early-season performances, sat down with CitSB to discuss the big day on Sunday.
CitSB: So you’re unsure of what to expect in your first professional Paris-Roubaix?
TB: Yes. I’ve ridden it as an amateur, but as a professional it will be completely different. I really don’t know what to expect.
CitSB: You don’t?
TB: No.
CitSB: Can I help you out with that?
TB: Well, sure.
CitSB: It’s going to be really fucking hard.
TB: Yes, but …
CitSB: There is no “but.” You’re going to get your ass handed to you on a plate.
TB: The Belgian press believes I may be Tommeke’s successor, of course that’s ridiculous, but still …
CitSB: The Belgian press believed that the Kaiser was going to invade France through Nigeria. You are gonna get stomped.
TB: Since it’s my first professional P-R, I’m unsure how it will play out. My director sportif says …
CitSB: Your director sportif will be sitting in a leather chair behind the wheel of a Mercedes sipping espresso from a spill-proof cup while The Wiggster has your nuts in a vise and holds them out for the rest of the peloton to jump on. You will get your fucking head staved in.
TB: That’s kind of negative.
CitSB: And what the nut-crushing doesn’t accomplish, the jagged paving stones will. Expect a complete beatdown.
TB: If you say so.
CitSB: I do.
*Note: After this interview, CitSB reached out to several past winners of P-R to ask them what they thought Tiesj should expect. Here is a sampling of their responses.
Eddy Merckx: It will be very difficult and hard. And long.
Roger De Vlaeminck: De Paris-Roubaix, it has a hard day. Very hard. Difficulty and hardness.
Tom Boonen: What can he expect? A hard day in the saddle, much pain, difficulty, struggle, unpleasantness, misery, dust, perhaps rain and mud, bone-jarring exhausting. Perhaps a few crashes. Hard day, for sure.
Fabian Cancellara: He can expect the hard.
Francesco Moser: Itsa hard carrera. He will have the hard day.
Frederic Guesdon: Tres dur. Dur, et difficile, sans doute.
END
————————
For $2.99 per month you can subscribe to this blog and learn lots of pro tips. For example, P-R is a hard race. Click here and select the “subscribe” link in the upper right-hand corner. Thank you!
You can also follow me on the Twitter here:
Follow @sbwanky
Cycling in the South Bay 
Sounds as if it may be hard for him, but I’m no judge.
Hard to say.
Lol, he can expect the hard. You old dream crusher you!
Loved that line too!
The hard, it is expected.
The hard is expected.
I knew it, you DO love ‘The Wiggster’!
He has matured from whiny Cofidis track drunk to hairy leatherballs of hardness.
Hard not to like your poetry today!
Thank you, sir!
rule #5
Hmmm …
As Tiesj mentioned in other interviews, Tommeke came in 3rd in his 1st P-R at the same age [for US Postal btw] … but no pressure of course…
Pressure? In Belgium? For a Begian to win P-R? Noooo way!
“And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard
And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall”
Bob Dylan
Dylan was a ripoff artist. Try this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNaKfyLf7FE
He’s going to be working like a dog.
Did you invite him to ride with you?
Yes but he was uncertain about what to expect.
And deep mud is almost worse than dry cobbles.
But he probably knows that, right?
I will check.
The Hard…..
Thank you for this genius. This goes right up alongside the Eric Zabel interview in my all-time favourite writing about cycling.
Thanks!
He probably has a hard life- being a Cambodian Belgian trying to make a living on the bike.
Raining so much outdoors as it does.