My weekend in Hell

Boys and girls, with the Hell of the North quickly approaching I only saw it fitting to make my own pilgramige to the cobbles. A couple of teammates and I were invited to Roubaix with the masters VIPs, and since we were there, with our bikes........that's right, we did our own day on the cobbles.

We started with the infamous Arrenburg Forest. Quick bio on the race for my parents, this race if 260 km, and really the race doesn't start until this section. Of 28 sections of cobbles this is number 10, and it is by far the worst. Literally it is an all out sprint to get to this section and those that are still around after the seperation usually are the big hitters. And the forest really is the worst section. It feels and looks like some farmer thought it would be funny to toss a bunch of stones in the mud, all in a straight line for 2.7 km, and 5 meters wide without any rhyme or reason and call it a road. You have stones sticking out in all kinds of wierd angles and really wide spaces, like a said no reason to the work. By the time I finished that section (less than 5 km into the ride) I had blisters on my hands.

We continued on with the ride and you would think it would get easier, now that we finished the hardest section, right? Think again, it only gets tougher. The sections range from 3.7 km to 470 meters, and they are all tough. It's all about power and lines, pick the good line and even if it's not the best, stick to it. The few times that I switched lines then tried to power back up, it was over and all momentum was gone.

All in all it was a fun experience. Hard, but fun. I suppose my opinion would change if I had to race it. If I was flying into the Forest at 60-65 kph, then worrying about picking a line, that would be a whole other story. The way we rode today, hard on the cobbles then easy on the road is actually the opposite of what really happens. It's a race just to get to the cobble section then maintain position, then race again to the next session. All new respect is definately an understatement to these "hard men of the north".

My hands are now covered in blisters, and rear hurst and I'm exhausted, and I only did 80 kms and 13 sections of 28 of pave. 260 kms is forever and even longer when it rains and is windy (as it usually is). I can't wait to see who wins, my money is on Lief Hoste, so we'll see.