Tag: Cobbles

  • The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix

    The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix

    No matter what the Belgians say, the biggest Monument of all is definitely Paris-Roubaix. Its sheer brutality, unpredictability and stones that make their kassien counterparts look wimpy by comparison all add up to the most anticipated race of the Spring, and a fitting end to the cobbled classics, still the most exciting time of the…

    Click or not: The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix
  • In Den Hengst

    In Den Hengst

    The Classics are more than just bike racing. It’s the melting pot of people that fill the cafés and bars, most not cyclists but each and every one with a knowledge of the sport, the history, the riders. You can pick out anyone from the throng of lubed fans lining the cobbles and kassien and…

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  • Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest

    Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest

    Every year the most sadistic of road racing fans hope for one thing; a wet Paris-Roubaix. We want the most epic of races to be even harder for the riders, the punishment of the pavé amplified by a decent coating of precipitation, the ancient farm tracks made more treacherous by adding to the already slick…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest
  • Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest

    Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest

    If you happen to be unfortunate enough to be listening to Phil Liggett calling Sunday’s race, you’re odds on to hear him utter the phrase “You can’t win the race here, but you can lose it here” as the riders tackle the brutal pavé of the Troueé d’Arenberg secteur. And he’s right on this one;…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest
  • Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery

    Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery

    It’s the most exciting week in professional road cycling… the Spring Classics bookended with the two greatest monuments, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and the Queen of the Classics, Paris-Roubaix. Last year’s edition of the Hell of the North was a true fairytale story, with the King of Belgium Tom Boonen going for…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery
  • Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level

    Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level

    Consider yourself a true enthusiast of Flandrian racing? Then try these brief video delights, all focused around Le Samyn, a Belgian one-day Classic locally known as “Little Paris-Roubaix”. Racing coverage and the English language are both in limited supply here, but you do get a sense of the passion and atmosphere that surrounds bike racing…

    Click or not: Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level
  • Hurt Yourself, Drink Beer, Have Fun

    Hurt Yourself, Drink Beer, Have Fun

    Have you ever really wanted to hurt yourself? On the bike that is… not just riding a really long way, or climbing an alpine pass, or crashing your brains out on a nasty trail. We mean taking the long distance, adding in the toughest cobblestone secteurs of Paris-Roubaix, detouring over to the steepest and roughest…

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  • Dirt Is The New Road: Schaal Sels

    Dirt Is The New Road: Schaal Sels

    What do you do when your 90 year old road race needs a breath of fresh air to put it back on the map? Well you take it off-road of course. Schaal Sels in Belgium’s Merksem region did just that in 2014, adding in not only some typical pavé but also dirt roads, farm tracks…

    Click or not: Dirt Is The New Road: Schaal Sels