VC Paris Roubaix sportive 8th of June

steveinthepeaks

Anyone else doing the VC Roubaix sportive on the 8th of June? Anybody ridden it before?

Bikes all prep'd ready to go (double wrapped bars, 32 spoke wheels with 25mm tyres) can't wait

ugo.santalucia

Yep, I'm in.

Did it in 2010... they have since changed the length of the course, but the cobbles are always there...

The size of the tyre is not as important as the quality of the tyre... you can get the biggest Gatorskin in the world and it will still be a crap ride on the stones. High TPI tyres bounce a lot better... Vittoria Pave' is good. Generally TPI costs money, so cheap tyres are unlikely to ride well

steveinthepeaks

Yep, i'm hoping to use some paves. Been using a few stretches of cobbled roads to practice on, but I bet it will be now't when we hit the cobbles of Arenburg

ugo.santalucia

by the time you get to Arenberg you have had enough cobbles for a lifetime... and then there is Mons en Pevele... :twisted:

greasedscotsman

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The size of the tyre is not as important as the quality of the tyre... you can get the biggest Gatorskin in the world and it will still be a crap ride on the stones. High TPI tyres bounce a lot better... Vittoria Pave' is good. Generally TPI costs money, so cheap tyres are unlikely to ride well

I bet you couldn't tell the difference between a "high TPI tyre" and "cheap tyre" when riding through Arenberg. It feels like you bike is about to collapse!

Most people over think their tyre choice for this sort of event. It's the same with Flanders. Is it really worth buying an expensive set of tyres for one event? Yes, a bigger tyre is a good idea for Roubaix, but you don't need to spend huge amounts.

ugo.santalucia

greasedscotsman wrote:

Most people over think their tyre choice for this sort of event. It's the same with Flanders. Is it really worth buying an expensive set of tyres for one event? Yes, a bigger tyre is a good idea for Roubaix, but you don't need to spend huge amounts.

People spend thousands for some stupid plastic rims, how come spending an extra 20 quid for a decent tyre is a waste of money?

greasedscotsman

ugo.santalucia wrote:

People spend thousands for some stupid plastic rims, how come spending an extra 20 quid for a decent tyre is a waste of money?

Where have I said anything about rims?

But if you want to spend more money on something you are only going to use once (and then not even be able to notice the difference) then go for it.

ugo.santalucia

greasedscotsman wrote:

But if you want to spend more money on something you are only going to use once (and then not even be able to notice the difference) then go for it.

Why do you have to use them once? You can use them as many times as you like.
I did P-R on some Gatorskin 28 and I wish I had different tyres... I have also ridden in the Flanders with Vittoria tubulars and they glide over the stones in a different way, even at the same pressure.
There is a reason why half of the peloton (and certainly those at the front of the peloton) use FMB 27-30 mm for these races, then of course you can ride a pair of 9 quid Vittoria Rubino wired or any other plastic tyre, but for many it's the cycling trip of the year and investing in something a bit better, that allows you to go that bit faster on the stones, it's not a crime. I don't have money to waste in plastic frames and rims but I do like my tyres and like to spend money for decent rubber as it makes more difference IMO

greasedscotsman

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Why do you have to use them once? You can use them as many times as you like.

What if I don't usually ride 28mm (or bigger) tyres?

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I did P-R on some Gatorskin 28 and I wish I had different tyres... I have also ridden in the Flanders with Vittoria tubulars and they glide over the stones in a different way, even at the same pressure.

Is that really any great surprise? You're comparing tubs at Flanders to tyres at Roubaix.

ugo.santalucia wrote:

There is a reason why half of the peloton (and certainly those at the front of the peloton) use FMB 27-30 mm for these races, then of course you can ride a pair of 9 quid Vittoria Rubino wired or any other plastic tyre, but for many it's the cycling trip of the year and investing in something a bit better, that allows you to go that bit faster on the stones, it's not a crime.

I'm sure I've seen you post in a similar thread that what the pros use is irrelevant. Anyway, if people want to go out and get some expensive fat tyres for Roubaix, then go ahead. I'm just saying you don't need to. One year I used some 23mm Michelin Pro 2s without any problems, just ran them at a lower pressure.

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I don't have money to waste in plastic frames and rims but I do like my tyres and like to spend money for decent rubber as it makes more difference IMO

I'm not really sure what this has to do with what we are talking about. I haven't suggested that you need a carbon frame or wheels to ride Roubaix.

durhamwasp

4 of us doing it, the 75 mile route starting at Arenberg. Just sorted our Eurotunnel out, can't wait!

steveinthepeaks

Slight change of plan for me, came off the bike last Saturday and broke my hip. So that's me off the bike for 4 months :shock:

steveinthepeaks

As I can no longer ride this due to being on crutches, I'm offering my place up for grabs.

I was riding with a great group of lads and the trip was being organised by Polocini Cycling

Included in the cost is transport from Romiley in Manchester, euro tunnel, hotel near the start, entry fee (including souvenir cobble) support van during the sportive, hotel room in roubaix. And return travel.

If anyone is interested please DM me and I can can you further information.

Cheers

durhamwasp

Well, can't believe I had a day as good as that for €10!

122km from Arenberg to Roubaix, taking in more cobbled sections than the 'official' sportive in April, a cracking sunny day with temperatures around 30c, a lap around the velodrome and showering in those famous showers!

€10 got you some of the best stocked feeds stations ive seen in any sportive - pre-packed super market sandwiches, waffles, cakes, drinks, fruit, meats, chocolates... and a free beer at the end!

1700 people did it, and the next one is in 2016, its well worth the trip over! Great day!

Blog and Photos at http://wp.me/P14q1s-at

ugo.santalucia

I wish I did the shorter route... I felt good until after Arenberg and terrible for the final 4 hours... it didn't help that I sampled the cobbles with my body too, after that my wrist did hurt exponentially more and I just couldn't put down any power anymore, but ultimately the afternoon was hot and I was running on empty. I wholeheartedly hated the last 10 pave' and I will never do it again... not the long one at least...

Last famous words... :?

kirkee

What a day! Ive wanted to do it for years and was not dissapointed. The rain at the start In Bohain was hammering down and Im glad I got to experience the earlier cobble sections in the mud and wet. It dried out as the day went on though. Ill never forget the mix off shock and excitement as I hit the first section at Troisvilles, awesome. It was hard but in terms of the experience- the best day on a bike ive ever had. 25mm tyres at 95 psi went well (more luck than judgement).The Arenberg section was brutal, It shook my front quick release skewer open and as is the mental noise and shaking I didnt even realize till halfway along. Respect to anyone who has done this ride and even more so if you've gone back and cracked it a few times.

ugo.santalucia

kirkee wrote:

What a day! Ive wanted to do it for years and was not dissapointed. The rain at the start In Bohain was hammering down and Im glad I got to experience the earlier cobble sections in the mud and wet. It dried out as the day went on though. Ill never forget the mix off shock and excitement as I hit the first section at Troisvilles, awesome. It was hard but in terms of the experience- the best day on a bike ive ever had. 25mm tyres at 95 psi went well (more luck than judgement).The Arenberg section was brutal, It shook my front quick release skewer open and as is the mental noise and shaking I didnt even realize till halfway along. Respect to anyone who has done this ride and even more so if you've gone back and cracked it a few times.

I felt the same when I did it 4 years ago, happy to have finished it but this time I wanted to nail it, rather than just survive it... I felt strong for the first 4-5 hours, hammering one secteur after the other... then I fell off on a patch of mud and that combined with the afternoon heat and exhaustion meant I just wasn't able to ride the way I wanted... I don't think I have the will to train to do a 212 Km event like that full on. I think I have ticked the box, twice now and probably won't go back

Monty Dog

Shame they shortened the route ;-) it was more fun when it was 269km and the temperature hit the mid-30s.

Paolo, you should have ridden the Retroronde - reverse of last years route meant a bit more Kaissen at the beginning and lots of entertainment at the check points - no soup though, ice cream instead!

ugo.santalucia

Monty Dog wrote:

Paolo, you should have ridden the Retroronde - reverse of last years route meant a bit more Kaissen at the beginning and lots of entertainment at the check points - no soup though, ice cream instead!

It's a great event and they change the route every year to keep it interesting... did you win the criterium?

Monty Dog

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a great event and they change the route every year to keep it interesting... did you win the criterium?

No, with no racing in my legs this year, plan was to take it easy. Qualification races were twice the size as last year so with so many riders trying to squeeze through the small gap around the back of the church, I took it easy at the start and then started to pick riders off and to my surprise qualified for the final in 7th. Final again was manic - again just riding steady. Nearly got taken out by a Dutch rider who was riding like a kn*b - he'd already crashed and rejoined by crossing straight into my racing line as I was doing 40kph by the barriers with no room to move. Funny thing he nearly crashed again at the same point on the next lap as he pushed too hard into the corner. Don't even know what the final result was.