The Roubaix Velodrome (officially Vélodrome André-Pétrieux) is a
velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
in
Roubaix
Roubaix ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, depar ...
,
Nord
Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to:
Acronyms
* National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization
* New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Film and televisi ...
, France. It was opened in 1936 and has hosted the finish of the one-day "
monument classic" cycling race
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...
since 1943, and the
Paris–Roubaix Femmes since its inception in 2021.
The race moved to the current stadium in 1943, and there it has stayed with the exceptions of 1986, 1987 and 1988 when the finish was in the avenue des Nations-Unies, outside the offices of
La Redoute, the mail-order company which sponsored the race.
The shower room inside the velodrome is distinctive for the open, three-sided, low-walled concrete stalls, each with a brass plaque to commemorate a winner. These include
Peter Van Petegem
Peter van Petegem (born 18 January 1970) is a former professional road racing cyclist. Van Petegem last rode for Quick Step-Innergetic, in 2007. He lived in Horebeke. He was a specialist in spring classics, one of ten riders to win the Tour of ...
,
Eddy Merckx
Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...
,
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak former professional cyclist who competed in road bicycle racing and mountain bicycle racing. Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-c ...
,
Roger De Vlaeminck,
Rik Van Looy
Henri "Rik" Van Looy (20 December 1933 – 17 December 2024) was a Belgian professional Cycle sport, cyclist of the post-World War II, war period. Nicknamed the ''King of the Classics'' or ''Emperor of Herentals'' (after the small Belgian city ...
and
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...
.
The velodrome is located in the ''Parc des Sports'', on the eastern outskirts of Roubaix, less than two kilometres from the Belgian border. The grass field on the inside of the track is used as a venue for Roubaix' rugby team. In 2012, a new multi-purpose indoor velodrome with a 250 m track, the , opened next to the Roubaix Velodrome.
See also
*
List of cycling tracks and velodromes
This is a list of cycling tracks and velodromes for track cycling worldwide.
Velodromes currently in use
Indoor: all the structures are closed inside
Outdoor: the velodrome is uncovered and in open air.
Outdoor, fully covered: all the structure ...
References
External links
Paris–Roubaix
Velodromes in France
Sports venues in Nord (French department)
1936 establishments in France
Buildings and structures in Nord (French department)
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