Why goats are helping ready Paris-Roubaix's cobbles for spring

Cared for by a local charity, a herd of goats are enjoying their new duties in the Forest of Arenberg

Goats on the Arenberg forest at Paris-Roubaix
(Image credit: Twitter/@parisroubaix)

This piece was first published in March 2023. The goats have returned for 2024.

It’s one of cycling’s most famous, and feared, cobbled sectors, but right now Paris-Roubaix’s iconic Forest of Arenberg is but a calm idyll for grazing animals. 

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Tom Davidson
Senior News Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.