Velonews talks to Mike “Meatball” Friedman on the eve of his first run at the infamous Paris-Roubaix.

Said Mike: “Tomorrow is the day you take all of the risks. It’s the day you shoot for that hole and just go for it. Sometimes you make it through that hole and sometimes you go down. I know I’m going to crash tomorrow. It’s just a matter of how many times I go down, and how many times I get back up.”

The blue tape you saw on some of our riders during Paris-Roubaix is called Kineseotape (right, Will Frischkorn’s tape job). It’s an adhesive tape that sticks to the skin. It provides support to damaged joints as well as weak muscle, ligaments and tendons.

Most importantly, since the tape only stretches in one direction, when it is applied properly it assists the muscles in pulling on the joints to retrain them. The joint can then be used correctly without compensation after an injury. It’s worn 24 hours a day (so not only when racing) to speed up the healing process.

The tape needs to be applied according to proper joint bio-mechanics and neuro-muscular firing patterns.

Dr. Kevin F. Reichlin, Slipstream/Chipotle H3O Team Chiropractor

P.S. The tape comes in bright pink and tan, along with the blue. The doctor who created the tape says to always start with the blue tape for an injury; since the blue has a little less stretch, it is more joint supportive. Then progress to the tan. The bright pink is for when there’s a chronic arthritic condition (which none of our guys have!).

We’re just lucky that the blue matches our kits!

The Napa Valley Register kicks off the bi-monthly column by Napa native and professional cyclist Lucas Euser.

Lucas writes: “I’ve taken it upon myself to try and bridge that gap from the everyday Register reader to the everyday American cyclist living and racing in Europe, which to the best of my knowledge is a bridge that has never been built — for many reasons, most notably the one where you say, ‘What the heck do I care about professional cycling in Europe?’ “

Velonews.com profiles Dutch prodigy Martijn Maaskant, the unexpected 4th place finisher of the 2008 Paris-Roubaix.

“It was very difficult; a very hard race,” said Maaskant, who is Dutch, but lives in Belgium. “When Boonen attacked that was the hardest part of the race for me.”

Bicycling’s Bill Strickland features Mike “Meatball” Friedman as the “Bicycling magazine intern and lunch ride legend” in this personal profile of the “kid who once tried to sooth a saddle sore by mashing a banana into his chamois…”

Strickland continues: “He was better than any of us in that indefinable yet unmistakeable way, but no ever knows how far that goes.”

The 24-year-old Dutch rider Martijn Maaskant (above and below) hung with the world’s best cyclists today to finish a fabulous 4th - and just off the podium - in his Paris-Roubaix debut.

Sticking to the front of the race as the main group gradually dwindled over the dusty pavé, Martijn made the decisive break that included Boonen, Cancellara, O’Grady and Devolder. That group split with about 20 km to go with Boonen, Ballan and Cancellara leaving the rest behind. Coming into the velodrome, Martijn attacked his chase group (O’Grady, Devolder and Hoste) to ride his final track lap solo.

Martijn’s trainer, Sports Physiologist Adrie van Diemen was thrilled with the young athlete’s performance today.

“I’m so glad that Martijn managed to be in top shape for his most preferred top classic races. Flandres 12th and now Paris-Roubaix 4th,” said Adrie. “There are only a few professionals who have done this in their first year as a pro. Martijn was in top condition today and was able to make the best of each opportunity. Fantastic!”

Slipstream Roubaix Results
1. Tom Boonen 5:58′42″

4. Martijn Maaskant +3′39″
57. Tyler Farrar +16′48″
67. Chris Sutton +16′48
112. Christophe Laurent +19′21″
DNF Magnus Backstedt
DNF Julian Dean
DNF Mike Friedman
DNF Will Frischkorn

My hands are blistered, my shoulders ache, and I can barely turn my neck…It’s awesome!

I set out today to ride some of the Paris-Roubaix route with JV, Matt White, and some friends from Chipotle, Garmin and Shimano. It’s a chance to share with our loyal sponsors some of what tomorrow holds for Magnus and the team.

After a brief roll through the farmlands of Northeast France, we hit pavé section 28. No amount of coaching could have prepared me for what followed.

I gripped my handlebars in fear. My skull shook like a bobble-head, blurring my vision. Whitey screamed for me to loosen my grip and the world came back into focus.

Eventually I got into a groove. Pushing a bigger gear was more stable than spinning. I moved from the center crest of stone to the sandy sides, picking out a smoother route.

Before I knew it, we were back to pavement. Our group of eight reassembled and we set off again. Over the next couple of hours, we conquered six more sections. Some with steep inclines, others with troubling descents.

Back in the van, now, I’m looking forward to a bath and good meal. Some people say having a bike team is like owning a yacht. Today it felt more like having an aluminum rowboat pulled by a tractor across the dried-up sea of Aral. - Doug

It seems there isn’t a single person on the whole Slipstream/Chipotle H3O crew who isn’t at least a little passionate about the pavé of Roubaix. One person who will be cheering the Argyle along with all his heart is Yvon Corbel (right), our amazing French bus driver. Not only is he one of the fittest bus drivers in the pro peloton, he has competed in the amateur version of Paris-Roubaix. And he held his own on the cobbles, finishing 6th in 1994!