Pavé, Pain, and Pesach: Paris-Roubaix 2009

Like many pro cycling fans, I look forward to Paris-Roubaix the same way an American football fan looks forward to the Super Bowl. My whole day was about anticipation leading up to this ultimate bike race, and excitement in preparing for it.

However, unlike most pro cycling fans, I'm an observant Jew, and since Paris-Roubaix this year falls on Chol HaMoed Pesach (the interim days of Passover), I had to curtail, or at least, customize my race-day party in order to fulfill the dietary restrictions of the holiday.

Luckily I'm married to an awesome cycling-supportive spouse, and in celebration of this classic race and in accordance with Pesach, we prepared kosher l'Pesach steak frites, matza pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil, and in lieu of a fine Belgian Ale (beer is not kosher for Passover), we sipped a nice, crisp kosher moscato. No, I don't think this is how they celebrated at the legendary Cafe de L'Arbre.

As for the race itself, Paris-Roubaix is something special. It's the race I saw in 1985 which first transfixed me and made me a cyclist. It's the race which inspires legions of cyclists and fans alike. It's a race which ignites national pride, especially amongst Flemish Belgian. Whether you know it as "The Queen of the Classics" or "The Hell of the North", the very visuals of this brutal race over the worst cobblestone roads in Europe through the barren farmlands of northern France, through the maddened throngs of fans and a backdrop of merciless rain, wind, mud, dust, crashes, and pain captivate us and draw us back year after year.

And it's what draws back men like Belgian Tom Boonen, who survived the merciless cobbles and stomped his way to an awesome third victory in a race which dates back to 1896. With the rare exception of men like Boonen, Paris-Roubaix is a race which favors nobody - the cobbles are blind assassins, but as Boonen himself has said: "You must be willing to suffer, suffer, suffer, and whomever suffers the most wins the race". Boonen knows how to suffer, but he also has that rare Belgian trait, which allows him to have a finer sense when racing at top speed on harsh surfaces in harsh conditions. And now Boonen has three wins, one away from tying the record of four wins by Roger De Vlaemick, though for right now he enjoys the company of great men like Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, and Johann Museeuw.

Trish Cohen is going to the Maccabi Games.

I am please to announce that my fellow Jewish Velo Blogger and fellow Jewish Bike Racer, Trish Cohen, is going to be representing the United States of America at the 2009 Maccabbee Games in Israel. Trish is the person behind the popular OyVelo website and blog, and has done a commendable job of popularizing Israeli cycling and the Israeli bike manufacturer, Segal, here in America.

Trish is also a powerful racer. She's a Cat. 1, which is very impressive since she began racing in 2006 as a Cat. 4. She's a common sight on the podiums in Florida and also races in the Professional National Race Calendar. She will be part of the 900+ delegation representing the USA, and a female cyclist can get lost in a crowd like that, especially amongst competators in more popular events like track or swimming (which, BTW, are more popular, but no where near as exciting). Think of her as the Katie Compton of Women's Jewish Road Racing, and let's give her support, both of the "allez allez" kind and also of the financial kind.

She needs to race $3,300 for the team, and you can help her out here:

http://www.active.com/donate/trishcohencycling

And you can also check out the Oy Velo website by clicking on the link to the right under the "Must-Visit Cycling Websites" section and also by clicking on the link to her blog.

Good luck to Trish, and to all of the cyclists at the Maccabi Games, but for The Complete Jewish Cyclist, he's pulling for Cohen.