Tom Boonen stormed to an emotional victory at the Paris-Roubaix, winning the 'Queen of the Classics' for the second time in an exhibition of perfect tactics and unbeatable sprinting. 'Tornado' Tom and his Specialized Roubaix were the driving force behind a decisive attack in the final 35km that forged the winning three-man move in Sunday's six-hour test of wills across Europe's roughest roads.

Boonen's team, Quickstep, already have two classics wins this season and attribute much of the team's success to their Specialized Roubaix bikes, specifically engineered for rough roads like those at the Paris-Roubaix. "I guess the bike works!" Boonen said as he climbed to the top of the podium yesterday. "This bike (Roubaix) is perfect for Paris-Roubaix because it's comfortable on the pavé, but fast on the smooth roads."

Whether a Pro racer or enthusiast, the Roubaix is engineered for maximum vertical compliance; the top tube and seat stay design soaks up bumps, and a generous wheelbase keeps the ride as smooth as possible. Best-in-class lateral and torsional rigidity combine to give the Roubaix just as much speed as it has endurance.

There are several models in the Roubaix range to suit all budgets: Elite ($2999), Comp($3499), Expert($4499), Pro ($5999) and S-Works ($7999). Please visit us in store to check out the awesome Roubaix bikes or go to http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=08Roubaix for more information about the Roubaix. 

Boonen's bike blends the Tarmac SL2 with the Roubaix

The front end bears strong resemblance to his usual custom Tarmac SL2 with its giant-sized down tube and chain stays, slightly curved top tube and the tapered and oversized 1 1/8"-to-1 1/2" front end. To soften the blows of the cobbles, though, the Roubaix SL-like seat stays include the now-proven Zertz elastomeric inserts which are also found in the fork. The frame was also likely reinforced with additional carbon plies as is usual for Boonen and the frame geometry appears to reflect the longer and lower front end that Specialized made just for the Belgian superstar last season to accommodate his sensitive back and longer physique.

For more information please see http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/apr08/roubaix08/tech.php?id=/tech/2008/features/paris_roubaix208.