After a thumping introduction to the cobbles two years ago during the Tour of Flanders Cyclo my cycling friends and I agreed: We must and will also take part in the Paris-Roubaix Challenge again. Cycling over the cobbles is such a unique experience that is not enjoyable for anyone, but is somehow strangely addictive.
Text: Marten Schuurman
Preparation
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this tour is the anticipation. As the big day approaches, preparations become more serious. Not only do you train more, but you also take a serious look at your equipment. What tyres will you put on? I chose the Challenge Paris-Roubaix. Do you put an extra layer of handlebar tape? Are you buying special, new gloves? What kind of weather will it be? Beforehand, I was secretly hoping for rain, but as the day of days approached, I was very happy that the weather forecast looked favourable.
I was riding my brand new Canyon Ultimate SLX CF, which I am an ambassador of Maserati Cycling a year. This bike is not specifically made to dock over the cobbles (on the other hand, what bike is...?), so I was quite excited to be at the start with featherweight equipment. In hindsight, it turns out it all went well. This bike holds up fine on the cobbled lanes of Paris Roubiax!
Course 145 kilometres
Everyone knows Paris-Roubaix from television. The legendary race is arguably one of the most extreme races of the year. One can think of dozens of reasons why the pros would not cross the finish line. Danger lurks behind every bend and, above all, bad luck is a bizarre factor. We rode the 145-kilometre version, first riding some 50 kilometres south from Roubaix before being presented with 18 cobbled sections totalling some 33 kilometres in the last 100 kilometres. So you have to imagine that from that point onwards, you ride an average of two kilometres on asphalt and then encounter a kilometre of cobblestones. That makes for a unique experience!
The forest
With 100 kilometres to go, the Paris Roubaix Challenge follows the exact course of the pros. The pros ride 27 cobbled sections, we do 18 today, and we start immediately with the most legendary. The Wallers forest is in relatively good shape, but it is still slipping and sliding. The rain of the previous days has persisted and many riders cannot cope well with the stones that have been plonked down obliquely in the forest. I don't want to know what this strip looks like when it has just rained. It must be impracticable (and, more importantly, life-threatening).
Cobbles, cobbles and more cobbles
After the Wallers forest, things fortunately improve. At least the rest of the cobbled sections are dry and during the day the sun even comes out from behind the clouds a few keen. Riders around me take off arm and leg pieces. I keep them on just to be sure, always afraid of the cold. The next few cobbles run smoothly. Just like on a col (like alpe d'huez), you can count down the lanes. Fortunately, the rest of the cobbled sections are in much better shape and we can bang along a lot faster than the Wallers forest. The Paris Roubaix tour does not involve crowds of people. This ensures that it is nice and quiet and at no point does it get boring at bottlenecks.
Psychology
Besides your legs, your head does much of the work on this ride. I think that is what makes it so unique. After about ten stretches, your hands start hurting, the first blisters appear. At some point, the fact that your hands, wrists, arms and back have to take repeated blows starts to eat away at you. No matter how many kilometres you put into your preparation. You cannot prepare for the blows you receive during the Paris Roubaix tour. So make sure you are at the start of this tour with the right mindset and don't start too soon with countdown. If you want it to be over, it actually takes even longer. The trick is to enjoy the cobblestones. Talk to them, yell at them that they are not stronger than you, growl at them, sneak a few metres to grab the gully that looks more attractive every kilometre. Anything to take your mind and body off the cobblestones.
Bad luck
Bad luck is part and parcel of Paris-Roubaix. There is no rider who crosses the finish line without telling a story where he or she had bad luck. Unfortunately, me and my cycling mates had a full layer of bad luck. Two punctures, mechanical breakdowns, a crash and someone falling into my rear wheel which forced me to continue the tour with a knock in my rear wheel. All in all, that was not to spoil the fun, it just makes the ride even more heroic than it already is.
The reward
And finally you get to cycle onto the legendary Roubaix cycling track. At that moment, when you realise which greats rode there too, which fantastic exploits took place on the track you have just completed, you get goosebumps from head to toe. You have made it. As a reward, you get a nice medal, but the real reward follows a few minutes later. This is because Roubaix's legendary showers are opened to participants after the ride. So make sure you bring a towel, shampoo and clean clothes in advance so you can reward yourself with a Roubaix shower. You don't have to carry your bag all day, you can leave it with the organisation at the start and pick it up there. If you still have time, you can enjoy a free massage.
Care
When I saw that there was a refreshment point after only 30 kilometres, I thought it was rather excessive. So we had agreed that we would just cycle past that. During the first hour, however, you start having huge doubts. Did I choose the right tyre pressure? Are my bottle cages tight enough? Isn't it wise to eat a banana after all? So at the first stop, we were definitely already stopped, just to have the deflator of one of us replaced by the very helpful mechanic.
In short
If you want to have an experience you will never forget. Then sign up for this classic soon. As far as I am concerned, it should be on the bucket list of every cyclist, both pro and amateur.
EN 
NL 
DE 