The Trouée d’Arenberg, or Arenberg Forest, is one of the most iconic and feared cobbled sectors in professional cycling. Stretching for 2.3km in a dead-straight line through the dense woodland of Wallers, northern France, it’s where chaos reigns and races are often lost, if not won. The jagged pavé and dark forest backdrop give this stretch an almost mythic status in the men’s Paris-Roubaix, yet frustratingly, it remains absent from the women’s edition of the race.
That omission continues to be one of the biggest talking points in the development of Paris-Roubaix Femmes. While the women tackle a challenging route with brutal cobbled sectors like Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l’Arbre, the Arenberg Forest is still off limits. Its absence leaves a gaping hole in the parcours and raises persistent questions about parity and legacy. For now, it remains the men alone who get to enter the forest’s shadow and emerge battered out the other side.
Photo Credit: GettyA new approach to the old beast
In 2024, organisers introduced a temporary chicane—using barriers and a traffic island—to slow the riders before Arenberg. The sector had previously been approached via a long, straight, and slightly downhill tarmac run-in. Riders would thunder into the forest at speeds pushing 80km/h, often with disastrous consequences. The violence of the entry speed became a consistent rider safety issue. The quick-fix solution in 2024 worked to an extent but was met with backlash due to its hasty implementation and awkward execution.
For 2025, a more permanent and practical change has been made. The route into Arenberg now loops past the mining museum at Wallers-Arenberg, thanks to roadworks and community support from Porte du Hainaut. The roadblock—a mound of earth—has finally been removed and asphalt laid to make the old road passable once more. Riders now make a right turn followed by a left before hitting the forest, creating a natural chicane that gradually bleeds off speed and reduces the chances of full-tilt pile-ups.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou explained the reasoning:
“The approach should be more fluid than with last year’s hairpin. Thanks to the work carried out by the Porte du Hainaut community of communes, the route that we were unable to use in 2024 is now fully passable and has just recently been asphalted over a small section that needed it.”
The Arenberg legend
The Arenberg cobbles—officially called the Drève des Boules d’Hérin—were first included in the race in 1968 at the suggestion of former World Champion Jean Stablinski, who both worked in the mines underneath and raced over the top. That grim dual legacy is commemorated by a memorial to Stablinski near the start of the sector.
Visually, it’s instantly recognisable: a straight, brutal line of cobbles disappearing into a wall of green. It’s become the quintessential image of Paris-Roubaix. Overhead, the remains of the mining bridge only add to the industrial dystopia that surrounds this part of the course.
The cobbles themselves are among the worst in France—jagged, misaligned and often slick, even on a dry day. Riders either cling to the crown of the road or try their luck at the edges, where mud, grass and gutters offer as much risk as relief. Even footpaths once installed to keep fans off the course became targets for riders trying to avoid the carnage.
Danger and drama
The crashes are notorious. The fall Johan Museeuw suffered in 1998 resulted in a shattered kneecap and a near amputation. In 2001, Philippe Gaumont broke his femur. The 2016 edition saw a particularly shocking scene involving Mitch Docker, who suffered a gruesome facial injury after crashing hard. A following motorbike then skidded into Elia Viviani, who had stopped on the course. Somehow, Mat Hayman went on to win that day, having survived from the initial main breakaway of the day.
Even with resurfacing and maintenance by Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix—including the addition of mortar to stop grass growing between stones—the forest remains a dangerous place. It’s this peril that defines the legend.
Women’s race still waiting for its moment
The inclusion of Arenberg in the women’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes has long been discussed. Organisers cite logistics and safety as barriers, with the need for helicopters and camera motorbikes to capture the drama of the moment. But with each edition of the race, the pressure grows to open up the Arenberg to the women’s peloton.
The new entrance route might be a key step towards that future. With reduced speeds and a safer, controlled run-in, the conditions are now more manageable. Yet for now, the riders of Paris-Roubaix Femmes will have to watch from afar as the men once again thunder into the trees alone. The heart of the Hell of the North still beats for one race only.
