Last night I sat up ridiculously late watching the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic.  It’s a one day race that stands at the very top of the “must win” list for professional cyclists.  Within cycling circles it’s sometimes known as the “Queen of the Classics” and sometimes “The Hell of the North”.  Cyclists in the 2010 Paris-Roubaix covered 259 kilometres over the day, which for a pro cyclist is a reasonable day’s work.

One of the things that makes Paris-Roubaix so different to many other races, and so sought after is that the course of the race covers long stretches of road paved with cobblestones. Cobblestones that have been in place since the days of the Roman empire – when many of the road were built.

Cobblestones that are rough, uneven, broken, and bone-jarring.

Cobblestones that damage body and bike alike.

Paris-Roubaix doesn’t just include a couple of short sections for the sake of tradition.  This year’s course covered 27 different sections totalling 52.9km of cobblestones.  52.9km! Continue reading →