Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix tips please.

gez747
gez747 Posts: 23
edited January 2011 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Bike Radar friends,

I'm scheduled to ride Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix in April. I currently ride a Pinarello FP2, but am concerned about the large amount of cobbles en route.

Does anyone have any tips on bike set up or choice. I have a Bianchi ML3 (aluminium/carbon forks) and am wondering if I would be better on this?

Any tips on tyre pressures, riding style, bike choice, bike set up, would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Gez.

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    You can do RVV with pretty much any bike, use 90 psi for your tyres and you'll be fine

    PR is a different story, the cobbles are much rougher and there's lots more of them. You really need bigger tyres, 25-28, robust wheels and a lot of determination to get through all the sections (although you're probably doing the ASO one, a watered down version of the real PR).

    Most importantly, you have to learn to ride the cobbles aggressively, or they will ride you and you'll end up bouncing all over the place.

    If you are worried about your carbon frame, then use your other bike, but normally frames survive the cobbles pretty well... wheels might give you more grief
    left the forum March 2023
  • blim
    blim Posts: 333
    agree with ugo.santalucia about RVV, though I'd add that wire/alu bottle cages are best. You wouldn't believe the number of bidons that litter the Flemish countryside, having popped out of carbon or plastic cages.

    Make sure everything is tight or lubricated as necessary - my headset kept working loose, but the mud kept clogging up my front mech.

    As ugo says, try to ride the cobbles with as much welly as you can muster. I found the hills easier than flat sections of 'kasseien' (flemish cobbles), because although they're steep and often slippery, at least if you're going uphill you expect to be going slower. Trundling slowly over something like the Kerkgate or Lippenhovestraat cobbled section is very demoralising. Flemish and Dutch riders will power past you in little groups - try to latch onto them.

    Oh, and padded gloves - i still have the scar from a blister that developed, swelled and burst in the space of 5 minutes.

    Enjoy it though, and the pro race the following day. Nothing beats Flanders.
    kop van de wedstrijd
  • the_saint
    the_saint Posts: 7
    Sorry to butt in, but I'm doing the Tour of Flanders too and was advised not to you use my usual wheels-Shimano DA CL 7850. In your experience, do you think that they'd be ok?
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    edited January 2011
    I used Rolf Sestrieres with 25mm Conti GP4000 on the T of F. 90 psi front and 100 rear. I am 75KG. No problems at all. and they were supposed to be a weak wheel at 1500gm. Bike was a Trek 5200.
    +1 about the bottle cage.
    My Fleet.
  • bobgfish
    bobgfish Posts: 545
    175KG on 1500gm wheels? Where can I buy some of those? :lol:
    CyclingInTheLowMountainsOfSchweiz

    CyclingInTheFlatlands
  • jpchoff
    jpchoff Posts: 1
    I'll also do RVV and Paris-Roubaix.

    I planned to do both on my second bike (just to avoid risking my recent bike) with 25mm tyres.

    One friend told me Paris-Roubaix is so bad that he will do it on a mountain bike equipped with "slick tyres" (a quite high end carbon mountain bike in fact).

    Do you see drawbacks to this approach? I guess he will just be a little bit less "aero".
  • bobgfish
    bobgfish Posts: 545
    Doing the RVV on my Aluminium Specliazed Secteur. Just cheap Mavic wheels with 32 spokes. Same as they fit to there Cyclocross bikes so should be up to it. May fit 25mm tyres. Will swap bottle cages to steel as broke my plastic ones on dutch cobbles this year allready. What is the web site for the Paris-Roubaix? Guessing it's the following weekend? Also what sort of training are people doing for it? Plan to do a few 160Km rides before hand and aiming to do the full route at RVV. Enough or need to cover the full distance first?
    CyclingInTheLowMountainsOfSchweiz

    CyclingInTheFlatlands
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    blim wrote:
    agree with ugo.santalucia about RVV, though I'd add that wire/alu bottle cages are best. You wouldn't believe the number of bidons that litter the Flemish countryside, having popped out of carbon or plastic cages.

    Make sure everything is tight or lubricated as necessary - my headset kept working loose, but the mud kept clogging up my front mech.

    As ugo says, try to ride the cobbles with as much welly as you can muster. I found the hills easier than flat sections of 'kasseien' (flemish cobbles), because although they're steep and often slippery, at least if you're going uphill you expect to be going slower. Trundling slowly over something like the Kerkgate or Lippenhovestraat cobbled section is very demoralising. Flemish and Dutch riders will power past you in little groups - try to latch onto them.

    Oh, and padded gloves - i still have the scar from a blister that developed, swelled and burst in the space of 5 minutes.

    Enjoy it though, and the pro race the following day. Nothing beats Flanders.

    Another vote for riding hard over the cobbles. Try to eat after them though; they take a ot more out of you than you would expect. And expect to want to stop for pee, too, as you're bladder gets bounced around a fair bit. :lol:

    Be prepared to improvise with your line up the bergs, though - people are all over the place. Is it "links" and "recht" (dodgy spelling, I know) for when you're passing on the left and right respectively.

    Double-bar tape and padded gloves.

    I used 23mm GP4000S tyres at 90psi. They were great, but I can't imagine anything' particularly great if it's wet. :)

    Curiously, my experience of the local riders was that they weren't as fast over the cobbles or up the bergs, but that they loved powering along the flat roads. Some of them were barking on the descents, though.

    Definitely take time to have a couple of beers after the finish and savour the experience.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    jpchoff wrote:
    I'll also do RVV and Paris-Roubaix.

    I planned to do both on my second bike (just to avoid risking my recent bike) with 25mm tyres.

    One friend told me Paris-Roubaix is so bad that he will do it on a mountain bike equipped with "slick tyres" (a quite high end carbon mountain bike in fact).

    Do you see drawbacks to this approach? I guess he will just be a little bit less "aero".

    No drawbacks, except a huge "what's the point?"
    left the forum March 2023
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    the_saint wrote:
    Sorry to butt in, but I'm doing the Tour of Flanders too and was advised not to you use my usual wheels-Shimano DA CL 7850. In your experience, do you think that they'd be ok?

    My experience is that I have no experience of doing the RVV on Dura Ace wheels, so I've got no idea.. plus it very much depends on how you ride, more than the road per se.
    left the forum March 2023
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    bobgfish wrote:
    175KG on 1500gm wheels? Where can I buy some of those? :lol:
    Don't know where the '1' came from. Finger trouble. :oops:
    My Fleet.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    John.T wrote:
    bobgfish wrote:
    175KG on 1500gm wheels? Where can I buy some of those? :lol:
    Don't know where the '1' came from. Finger trouble. :oops:

    Ahhhh, I couldn't quite figure out how a 175 Kg rider could fit on a 130 mm wide saddle...
    left the forum March 2023
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    the_saint wrote:
    Sorry to butt in, but I'm doing the Tour of Flanders too and was advised not to you use my usual wheels-Shimano DA CL 7850. In your experience, do you think that they'd be ok?

    My experience is that I have no experience of doing the RVV on Dura Ace wheels, so I've got no idea.. plus it very much depends on how you ride, more than the road per se.

    The first time I did it, I swear I saw a chap on some deep section flyers on the Kwaremont - I did a double-take!

    Personally, I'd go for a cheaper wheel, and one that can be re-trued during the ride if needs be (I'm sure there are mechanics at certain points on the course, too). I used handbuilt 32-spoke Ambrosios last time, and they were lovely.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • the_saint
    the_saint Posts: 7
    cjcp wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    the_saint wrote:
    Sorry to butt in, but I'm doing the Tour of Flanders too and was advised not to you use my usual wheels-Shimano DA CL 7850. In your experience, do you think that they'd be ok?

    My experience is that I have no experience of doing the RVV on Dura Ace wheels, so I've got no idea.. plus it very much depends on how you ride, more than the road per se.

    The first time I did it, I swear I saw a chap on some deep section flyers on the Kwaremont - I did a double-take!

    Personally, I'd go for a cheaper wheel, and one that can be re-trued during the ride if needs be (I'm sure there are mechanics at certain points on the course, too). I used handbuilt 32-spoke Ambrosios last time, and they were lovely.

    Many thanks for your input, I think I will get some handbuilts
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    the_saint wrote:
    cjcp wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    the_saint wrote:
    Sorry to butt in, but I'm doing the Tour of Flanders too and was advised not to you use my usual wheels-Shimano DA CL 7850. In your experience, do you think that they'd be ok?

    My experience is that I have no experience of doing the RVV on Dura Ace wheels, so I've got no idea.. plus it very much depends on how you ride, more than the road per se.

    The first time I did it, I swear I saw a chap on some deep section flyers on the Kwaremont - I did a double-take!

    Personally, I'd go for a cheaper wheel, and one that can be re-trued during the ride if needs be (I'm sure there are mechanics at certain points on the course, too). I used handbuilt 32-spoke Ambrosios last time, and they were lovely.

    Many thanks for your input, I think I will get some handbuilts

    How would you feel about building your own? If you live nearby, I could help you.

    Here's some pave' wheels I've built earlier
    P1010082.jpg
    left the forum March 2023
  • blim
    blim Posts: 333
    (I'm sure there are mechanics at certain points on the course, too).

    Yeah, there was Mavic back up last year at quite a few points. They were quite busy at the foot of the Koppenberg...
    kop van de wedstrijd
  • dragon66
    dragon66 Posts: 18
    Gez

    I also doing Tour of Flanders with the same dilemma.

    I asked local bike shop for advice on which bike I should use. My carbon or Bianchi Aluminium Via Nirone with Khamsin G3 wheels. He suggested Bianchi but maybe some handbuilt wheels with 25mm tyres. He had built some wheels for someone who had competed in it last year.

    Looking through forums the advice seems to be Carbon bike fine but 25mm tyres. So I am going with Aluminium Bianchi with 25mm tyres!
  • Christophe.cdb
    Christophe.cdb Posts: 36
    Guys,

    I lived for 25 years and cycled for 10 in the region where the Tour of Flanders finale is...
    there is no need to specifically buy a new set of wheels... whilst it has some cobbled sections and cobbled hills... I cannot recall ever getting into trouble with wheels or frame... a flat tyre yes, but spokes that snap or wheels that crack... no...

    If you want to be comfortable lower your pressure and/or put wider tyres...
    next to that... the biggest annoyance I find is that due to the popularity some of the hills you will be walking up as it is too crowded or John who cycles once a year decided to come out today and has to put foot on the ground everytime it goes up...

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