Sheep to weed the Trouée d’Arenberg? The organizers of Paris-Roubaix are planning an unprecedented eco-grazing operation that will make “the queen of the classics” cyclists green again, including the 119e edition is scheduled for Sunday. The idea came directly from the pandemic, from its consequence on the emblematic cobblestone sector of the course. The race, canceled in 2020, was postponed to October the following year. For thirty months, the straight line of 2300 meters, with 276,000 cobblestones (estimated), remained deserted by competition bikes.
“We were taken aback when we realized after two years of non-use that the grass had grown back in incredible amounts. We had only one solution, to do a thorough cleaning to remove all the grass”, explains Thierry Gouvenou, “Mister Paris-Roubaix” within ASO, the organizing company.
“We started thinking about other, more ecological solutions. And so eco-grazing, bringing sheep regularly to the Trouée to eat the grass that grows naturally,” adds the race director. High place of Paris-Roubaix of which it is the international symbol since 1968, the Trouée d’Arenberg is a classified site, managed by the ONF (National Forestry Office). Strictly protected, due to a nearby ornithological reserve, forbidden to vehicles and only frequented by walkers.
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Implementation this summer
“In agreement with the ONF, the municipality of Wallers and the agglo community of Porte du Hainaut, we are going to make an attempt. The ONF is used to working with people who do eco-grazing on certain sites,” explains Thierry Gouvenou.
What volume of herd? How long is grazing? What frequency of passage? “There are still details to settle”, replies the race director. “We are not 100% sure of our shot, but we want to try this operation. We feel that we are being overtaken by the push of the grass and, if we do nothing, we cannot get the race through”.
The calendar foresees an implementation as early as this summer, at the time of the most important surge. “If we arrive at a clean gap at the start of winter, we will be calm next spring,” believes Thierry Gouvenou. “Then all it will take is a little sweeping at the last moment and it will be much better for everyone, both financially and ecologically.”
Are there herds near Wallers? “Associations in the region do this kind of operation. We could also be supported by the FNSEA (the main agricultural union), we have solutions”, affirms the race director without hiding the problems to be solved yet: “We have to find a place to house the animals at night. We are also in an area where there are a lot of pedestrian crossings. It is necessary to find a good collaboration between the animals and the walkers. »
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