L’Enfer du Nord, the Hell of the North, is a mean beast that exacts its toll not only on your bike but on your body too. No mean feat to battle through those brutal, cobblestone-littered kilometres, Paris Roubaix isn’t your regular ride and once completed your satisfaction levels will be soaring.
A people’s celebration in the truest sense of the phrase, this fatiguing ride in the coal mining regions of Northern France brings idols to their knees in exhaustion as millions flank the roadsides, cheering and clapping their heroics. Unlike many other races, Paris Roubaix is exacting, demanding and the six hours of racing over 27 sections of pave offer no hiding places until the crowning finish at the velodrome in Roubaix.
But pro rider or not, why shouldn’t you take on the challenge as well? The twisted desire to suffer means that thousands descend on the same stretches of road one day before the pros. And while the kilometres take their toll on the legs the following Sunday as the pros do battle on these hallowed roads, you can relish the opportunity to celebrate cycling from literally an arm’s length.
You might wonder whether the event is even tougher on the amateurs, whether that Saturday morning excursion of 172 kilometres (or even 145 km or 70 km) comes too early in the season for amateurs, whether the winter has taken its toll on their fitness? But that’s the beauty of this challenge: there’s no pressure, the belt has been loosened and you’re out to ride an experience and not a race. Although we do recommend that it’s wise to hit the pavé with some speed because as they say: the quicker you go, the less it hurts (unless you decide to test how hard the cobbles are with your body!).
We’re now six weeks on from Paris Roubaix and we’ve left Belgium a long way behind. The Classics this year provided their usual drama, and our pain has just about subsided. Damn those cobbles. The pride is still there though, and Paris Roubaix has that in abundance.
Heroes and heroics at Paris-Roubaix:
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Words: Robin Schmitt Photos: Noah Haxel, Daniel Geiger
