Boonen Storms Roubaix on Hutchinson
April 11, 2005—Boulder, CO— It’s hard to find a more demandingtest of both rider and equipment than the brutal Paris-Roubaix.  After258km and 26 sections of cobbles Tom Boonen out sprinted George Hincapieto win the 103rd addition of this great spring classic and in doing sobecame only the 9th rider in history to pull the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaixdouble, all on Hutchinson tires.In a race that is often decided by untimely punctures, last year beinga perfect example when Johan Museeuw’s late race flat tire crippled hischances at a record fourth Roubaix win, first and second place Boonen andHincapie came through unscathed.  Both riders race for teams suppliedby Hutchinson Tires, Quick Step and Discovery Channel, and both ridersfinished on the tires they started on.More than any other road race in the world, wise tire choice at Paris-Roubaixis rewarded and with such a prestigious title at stake no chances weretaken by the Quick Step and Discovery Channel mechanics.  With moreand more bicycle and component manufacturers designing specific Paris-Roubaixequipment to satisfy their rider’s requests, the glint of carbon can oftenobscure the view of one of the most crucial pieces of equipment. A riders tires after all are the only contact they will have with the roadand pave for the entire 258km race if they are lucky enough to stay upright.Using technology refined from years of testing under the extreme conditionsof the Northern Classics and Grand Tours, Hutchinson has developed a tireline capable of delivering two of the peleton’s toughest riders to theRoubaix Velodrome incident free in one of the world’s most demanding races. With Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle and Marc Madiot’s domination of their nationalspring classic fading into the distant past, it is appropriate that a Frenchtire manufacturer was represented on the two top steps of the podium inthe 2005 edition of Paris-Roubaix.
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