Paris to Roubaix: The Hell of the North

The Paris to Roubaix cycling race was first held in 1896 which makes it one of the oldest cycling races. The French call it L’Enfer Du Nord (The Hell of the North). In cycling terms it is a spring classic; a difficult one day race early in the season which anyone can win if they have fitness, courage and luck.

Unlike most cycling races where mountain climbs sort out the contenders, the P-R travels through almost flat terrain. What separates the P-R from other races is the cobbled stoned roads through the forest of Arenberg. The route varies slightly each year but in 2019 it was 257 km long with 52km of cobbled roads over 29 sections.

So the riders are cycling on cobbled stones. “Big deal” I hear you say, “Thousands of cyclists commute every day on cobbled stones in Europe”. We decided to try a section and see what all the fuss is about.

Our friend Bartzie (AKA Gert-Jan De Baets) is a professional photographer for Bahamontes cycling magazine . He recommended the section of cobbles with the toughest reputation. The section is called Trouee D’Arenberg.

Trouee D’Arenberg  (Trench of Arenberg) is a straight 2.3km section of cobbles laid in the time of Napoleon I. It is the section best remembered on TV for its narrowness (3m wide) and barriers to keep the riders off the smoother path on either side.  It is known as the worst maintained road of the race. In the race the riders have a slight downhill approach to it and hit the cobbles at speeds of over 60kmph as they jostle for position. The Trouee is known for its accidents so each rider wants to be at the front of the peloton so they don’t become tangled up in someone else’s disaster. With this in mind we took our mountain bikes and started riding.

We started riding the course in reverse (north to south) and the first impression is just how bumpy the surface is. It is hard to accelerate or even maintain a pace as the back wheel bounces and loses traction. It is consistently rougher than any mountain bike trail I have ridden.  As you get used to the sensation and gain confidence the experience does not get any better: your arms, legs and butt get a thorough work out as they violently shake. We could not image enduring 52km of this. 

To gain a P-R riders perspective of the race, I was keen to re-try the course from the other direction.  I attacked the cobbles as fast as I dared (36kmph), about half the pace of the professionals. My idea was to try and maintain this pace as long as possible, which turned out to be not very long. Without clip-in peddles my feet kept bouncing off the peddles and I very quickly dropped speed. 

How the professionals are able to stay upright on bikes without suspension, skinny tyres and in a packed bunch of other cyclists is beyond me. It is kind of like racing Formula One Cars over a 4wd track only more dangerous.

Apart from the cobbles the other famous section of the P-R is the finish in the Velodrome at Roubaix. The riders enter the stadium weary and depending on the weather on the day, covered in dust or mud. The race usually comes down to a solo rider or a small bunch who have broken away from the pack. They ride a lap of the velodrome before sprinting over the line to claim victory. The winner gets a trophy of a cobble stone mounted on a board and also bizarrely has a shower cubicle named after them in the velodrome change rooms.  

We went to Roubaix and found the velodrome open and empty. It like the cobbled roads is poorly maintained and not at all what I was expecting. It looks like a show ground in rural Australia except with banked corners. I was lucky enough to ride 10 laps of the velodrome with only a few other cycling tragics looking on. The surface is uneven and rough with gaps in the concrete but after the cobbles it felt comparatively smooth. The banks are steep and take some courage as the bike feels as though it could slip out from under you. I tried a few fast laps and threw my arms in the air as I passed over the finish line, imagining I was Phillipe Gilbert (my favourite rider and 2019 winner of the P-R).

After thoroughly enjoying my mini Paris - Roubaix experience, I would like to thank Bartzie for the recommendation but in future I will be avoiding cobble stoned roads.