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Luke Durbridge’s busy weekend of cycling will feature one hell of a Sunday. The Australian lost the overall lead on Thursday night (AEDT) in the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe, where he is defending champion.
Durbridge was off the pace in stage four, finishing more than four minutes behind French winner Pierre Rolland.
The Team Europcar rider also took the overall lead.
After the last stage on Friday, Durbridge will have a day off before Sunday’s famed Paris-Roubaix classic.
Paris-Roubaix is nicknamed the Hell Of The North for its brutal racing conditions, particularly the cobbled roads that define the event.
Durbridge is part of Orica-GreenEDGE’s eight-man team that features 2007 Paris-Roubaix champion Stuart O’Grady, the only Australian to win the race.
O’Grady now has team captain duties on the road, with Dutch rider Sebastian Langeveld the main hope for the Australian team.
Durbridge will be one of their domestiques, responsible for supporting Langeveld.
While the terrain for Paris-Roubaix in north-eastern France is almost pancake-flat, the cobbles and the intensity of the racing make it a brutal event.
Depending on the weather, either the relentless dust or mud also make it miserable for the riders.
“We all obviously love one thing, right? Pain and suffering. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be in this sport,” O’Grady said.
“I guess it’s all about pushing the body to the absolute limit – you either love it or hate it.
“None of us, when we get to the finish, unless we win, feel anything but pain.
“The body is buckled and it’s the most pain you put yourself through that I can think of.”
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