Roubaix to host 2021 World Track Championships.... but not the velodrome you're thinking of
The famous French town is more known for the 'Hell of the North' than track cycling
The UCI has announced that Roubaix will hold the World Track Championships in October 2021, but sadly not on the iconic velodrome that springs to mind.
Roubaix's most famous velodrome is the outdoor track where the Monument Paris-Roubaix finishes, after covering huge stretches of cobbles over North-eastern France.
The venue being used in this year's Worlds is the nearby indoor track, Vélodrome Couvert Régional Jean-Stablinski or as it's locally known 'Le Stab', between October 20-24.
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This was not the original pick by the UCI though. This year's event was meant to take place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan between October 13-17 but it had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Paris-Roubaix has also been postponed in 2021 due to coronavirus, now taking place on October 3 rather than its usual slot in early April.
The track Worlds haven't been held on an outside venue since 1994, when the event was hosted by Palermo, Italy at the Velodromo Paolo Borsellino.
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On the new host for the 2021 event, UCI president David Lapartient said: "I would like to congratulate the Roubaix organising committee, led by the FFC and its President, Michel Callot, and all the authorities involved, for the quality of their candidature file.
"Roubaix has long been a fabled location on the international cycling scene thanks to the famous Paris-Roubaix Classic. Its name will now be associated with the history of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
"I am convinced that the magnificent Jean-Stablinski velodrome will showcase an exceptional event."
The track Worlds is the first major competition on the boards after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as riders battle for the coveted rainbow jerseys.
There will also be riders looking for revenge with Denmark's male team pursuit team keen to retain their world title and maybe retake the world record that was broken by Italy in the Olympic final.
Other riders such as Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald may be heading to northern France, hoping to add rainbows to their gold at the Olympic Games where they absolutely dominated the Madison field, winning by over 40 points.
Tim Bonville-Ginn is a freelance writer who has worked with Cycling Weekly since 2020 and has also written for many of the biggest publications in cycling media including Cyclingnews, Rouleur, Cyclist and Velo.