Paris Roubaix

10th to 13th April 2026

Part 1 - Andre Petrieux Velodrome & the Sportive

Paris Roubaix Sportive

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Jump to Part 2 - Sportive Part 2, Roubaix Sights & Pro-Race

A weekend trip to Roubaix for the Paris Roubaix Sportive and Pro Race

Enjoying the view in the Tunnel...

Tunnel

Miche overwhelmed by it all...

Miche

Roubaix Town Hall (Mairie) under leaden skies...

Town Hall

Miche checking that they are still stocking the Big Bobble Hat that she designed - 'Shepherd's Delight'...

Hats

Board of this year's participants...

Names

Easy when you know where...

Name

Miche outside the Velodrome Andre Petrieux...

Velodrome

By the giant cobble outside the Velodrome...

Cobble

Outside the Van Rysel Cafe...

Van Rysel 1

Inside... the most recent winners of the Pro races...

Board 1

Kwaremont synonymous with cycling in the region...

Kwaremont

Miche enjoying the tradition...

Miche approval

Salut!

Salut

Outside the registration area...

Exterior

'Race' day for the amateurs

Awaiting my wave at the starting line...

Start line 1

Not long now...

Start line 2

... and I'm off...

and away

Nice smooth tarmac for the first part...

Ride 1

...

Ride 2

Orange arrows marking the sportive course...

Ride 3

The start of the cobbled sections...

Cobbles 1

Whenever you saw RV's you knew there would be a cobbled section nearby...

Cobbles 2

...

Cobbles 3

I gritted my teeth so hard over the cobbles that I had to see a dentist when I got home and had toothache for nearly 2 weeks...

Cobbles 4

...

Cobbles 5

...

Cobbles 6

Carrefour de l'Arbre, the 5 star cobbled section on the route I was doing, 2.1 kms of grim, angular cobbles...

Cobbles 7

A pause after finishing Carrefour de l'Arbre, as I could see the next cobbled section just a couple of hundred yards away...

Cobbles 9

The shaking went all up the arms, I have some dampening features built into my frame, it would have even more brutal for those without...

Cobbles 10

Crossing the finish line inside the Velodrome...

Finish

Next - Sportive Part 2, Roubaix Sights & Pro-Race

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