Roubaix Perspectives

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Tornado Tom Boonen's victory at Paris-Roubaix before the week ended. We wouldn't be much of a cycling site if we didn't.

Perhaps our lack of mentioning his win this past Sunday is a product of his seeming dominance in the northern Spring Classics. His favorite status has many of us in the cycling world expecting him to win. But the fact is, this was only Boonen's second victory at the Hell of the North. [I say "only" not to diminish what an accomplishment it is to win even one P-R, but because it really does seem as if he practically owns the cobbled races].

Nonetheless, it is quite an accomplishment for the 27-year-old, which is made even more impressive given the media scrutiny he constantly faces.

"Sometimes I simply don't get it why particular journalists keep on trying to focus on the bad things and leave the good things aside. I was a very young rider when I sort of appeared from nowhere and everyone in the press was happy about my efforts and results. However, when things go not according to plan, they try and write you down."

The price of stardom, I guess?

For fans of the Spring Classics, it looks as if we may be in the midst of the type of Classics "golden age" when men like [Eddy] Merckx, [Francesco] Moser, and [Roger] De Vlaeminck battled on the cobbles. Sunday's podium resemblance to that of 2006, with Boonen (age 27), Fabian Cancellara (age 27), and Alessandro Ballan (age 28) on it, looks to be the harbinger of titanic tooth-and-nail clashes for years to come.