2024 On The Road Today

[Miller]

Ride with me and enjoy us amateurs bumbling through the Arenberg Forest. This was in the Paris-Roubaix Challenge sportive on Saturday.

[basilic]

Well done Miller, as smooth as Mathieu.
(but why oh why ride the asphalt in the middle of the video? you paid dearly to eat cobbles!)

[Miller]

Well done Miller, as smooth as Mathieu.
(but why oh why ride the asphalt in the middle of the video? you paid dearly to eat cobbles!)

Just experimenting with the surfaces and not to worry, in the next 18 sectors I rode on lots and lots of cobbles as I will soon show.

[pastronef]

Well done Miller, as smooth as Mathieu.
(but why oh why ride the asphalt in the middle of the video? you paid dearly to eat cobbles!)

Just experimenting with the surfaces and not to worry, in the next 18 sectors I rode on lots and lots of cobbles as I will soon show.

amazed at how busy and messy it is. the amount of cyclists wow. I don't know if I'd ride with those many other riders around

[Miller]

amazed at how busy and messy it is. the amount of cyclists wow. I don't know if I'd ride with those many other riders around

Nearly 6000 entries across distances of 77km, 145km, 178km. Even if they didn't all start there's probably 5000 total on the road so yes, I was never on my own. I enjoyed the busyness. It was interesting, it was an event. It did add a layer of difficulty, getting round people on the cobbles, letting people past. Now imagine being a pro and doing all that much closer and much faster.

[liam7020]

Nice video Miller - would you care to share your camera setup?

Also amazed at the sheer number of riders standing by the side of the road with mechanical issues!! Had you any issues throughout the ride Miller and what bike/wheel/tyre setup were you using? I'm particularly interested in this because I've ridden a lot in Flanders, including the De Ronde sportive on several occasions, but never quite had the courage to try Paris-Roubaix!! Not yet anyhow......

[liam7020]

amazed at how busy and messy it is. the amount of cyclists wow. I don't know if I'd ride with those many other riders around

Nearly 6000 entries across distances of 77km, 145km, 178km. Even if they didn't all start there's probably 5000 total on the road so yes, I was never on my own. I enjoyed the busyness. It was interesting, it was an event. It did a layer of difficulty, getting round people on the cobbles, letting people past. Now imagine being a pro and doing all that much closer and much faster.

The numbers remind me of the De Ronde sportive...I think they're now capped the entries at 16,000!! Always fun on the Koppenberg etc with those numbers LOL!

[Miller]

Nice video Miller - would you care to share your camera setup?

Also amazed at the sheer number of riders standing by the side of the road with mechanical issues!! Had you any issues throughout the ride Miller and what bike/wheel/tyre setup were you using? I'm particularly interested in this because I've ridden a lot in Flanders, including the De Ronde sportive on several occasions, but never quite had the courage to try Paris-Roubaix!! Not yet anyhow......

I don't know why anyone shows up at an event like this with tube-type tyres, tbh, but there you are. Inner tubes are many people's happy place.

The Arenberg vid was done on my main cam, a GoPro 11 Mini. I also had a GoPro 8 with me and a Sony RX0ii for stills. Which took the below photo thru what became a slightly smeary lens (a croissant rubbed on it). This is what has been my standard road and gravel sportive bike in the past year or two, it's a chinese frame with Ekar. Tyres are G-One RS in 40mm width. I had no flats or mechanicals. The Ekar gears got slightly discomfited across the cobbles, I've not had time to take a close look at the bike yet, as much as anything it may have been road dust removing all lubrication from the chain. I used a tether on both computer and GoPro but neither budged.

You should do the P-R sportive, I loved it, it was a total blast.

[GaBa]

amazed at how busy and messy it is. the amount of cyclists wow. I don't know if I'd ride with those many other riders around

Nearly 6000 entries across distances of 77km, 145km, 178km. Even if they didn't all start there's probably 5000 total on the road so yes, I was never on my own. I enjoyed the busyness. It was interesting, it was an event. It did a layer of difficulty, getting round people on the cobbles, letting people past. Now imagine being a pro and doing all that much closer and much faster.

The numbers remind me of the De Ronde sportive...I think they're now capped the entries at 16,000!! Always fun on the Koppenberg etc with those numbers LOL!

And me of Maratona Dles Dolomites, capped at 9,000 entries. Starting at the back is quite an experience if you have good legs and have to overtake. Doing Campolongo and Pordoi (first two climbs) is amazing, roads flooded with cyclists.

Nice video, @Miller. How did you find the cobbles? Rough on your 40mm setup or doable?

[Miller]

@GaBa, the people who really tamed the cobbles were the sizeable minority riding MTBs of various types. But what's the point of that? Plus slow.

On my 40mm tyres the cobbles remain rough or very rough, no getting round that. But frankly a strong rider can absolutely blast along the cobbles on that setup. I'm not surprised that the pro averages have become so fast. I wore mitts and arrived back in Roubaix with hands and rear in good shape.

[Miller]

Here's my video of the full event. This one is quite long and shows almost all of the 19 sectors I rode. There are three crashes visible in this, all kind of blink and you'll miss them, but people really did come off, mostly by getting tangled with other people.

[Miller]

Bringing you yet more cycling in exotic locations.

[HammerTime2]

Riding between those buses at the beginning looks rather precarious - if one of them starts moving, you have no place to go. Would not be my favored cycling location.

[Miller]

I wouldn't recommend it for a training ride but there is a great deal of cycling-as-transport in London. It's a good way to get around and there's a fair bit of supporting infrastructure.

[Miller]

Gravel racing in Scotland - the Gralloch.