It was announced today that the cobbled secteur of Biastre in Paris-Roubaix will now be named after the late Michael Goolaerts, the young Belgian rider who lost his life at the race this April.
Reported by French radio station, Radio 2, the 3km stretch of cobblestones will now be called 'Sectuer Pave Michael Goolaerts' with the official inauguration and revealing of a commemorative monument taking place on Sunday 10th June.
The unveiling of the monument and sectuer will be attended by friends and family of the rider from Hallaar, Belgium.
Biastre comes early in the race after 100km and represents the second section of pave in the race. At 3km long, organisers ASO assign this particular sectuer a rating of three stars.
Biastre was also the unfortunate setting for one of the sport's saddest moments. With the race reduced to several groups due to an earlier crash, Goolaerts found himself chasing down the main peloton on the second secteur of cobbles.
The young rider then suffered a cardiac arrest on the bike, subsequently crashing. Goolaerts was airlifted to a nearby hospital before being pronounced dead later that evening.
The tributes to Goolaerts will also extend to the Heistse Pijl race next Monday. The small one-day race finishes in the hometown of Goolaerts, Heist-op-den-Berg, and will now become an annual remembrance of the late rider.