We Rode Cobbles Too Rough For Paris-Roubaix!

The infamous cobbles of Paris-Roubaix comprise one of cycling’s most famous routes, but when you stray off the incredibly beaten track, some even rougher sections lie in wait. Conor and Hank took to Strava to find the road less travelled and equipped the latest Shockstop components from Redshift Sports to seek out cobbles that are too rough for racing.

In association with Redshift Sports: https://gcn.eu/RedshiftSports

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Would you be confident keeping the pace high on these treacherous cobblestones? Let us know 👇

Watch more on GCN…
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🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Beyond the Western Horizon – Howard Harper-Barnes
Breakfast in Paris – Trabant 33
Burning Tires – Ballpoint
Chimera Chasers – Ryan James Carr
Dangerous Forests – Experia
Electrical Glitch 2 – SFX Producer
French Connection – Medite
Funky Ninjas from Hell – Duke Herrington
Go Time! – Cushy
Gone & Found – Sum Wave
Hallowed – Billo Boi
Hazy Horizon – Aiyo
Joker – PW
JUMBOTRON – BLUE STEEL
Locked In – Aiyo
Next Move – Silver Flaw
Osaka 3AM – Ooyy
Pablo – Cushy
Prank in Sight – Stationary Sign
Raise Your Shoes – Splasher!
Rave – STRLGHT
Realm of Gabriel – Golden Anchor
Runaways – Aiyo
Soiree Riot – Far Orange
TMI – PW
TRU LUV – Hank Lotion
When We’re Alone – Medite
Whoa – Jobii (1)
Whoa – Jobii
Windy Day on the Beach – SOOP
You Want It (Instrumental Version) – STRLGHT

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📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images

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Parry Ru the toughest roughest roads you can possibly ride on oh today we’re taking on the route this is one of the longest Sectors but I’ve redesigned the route with a Twist for this even crazier Max out the fun covered in man I don’t know what I’ve got myself in for luckily we’ve got the bikes for the job with red shift kiters out to smooth out those bumps will we make it to rub let’s do

It the route I’ve designed here is 120 km long and begins at arenburg Forest the first five-star sector of the race from here we’ll continue along the race route until deviating east across the Belgian border and take on a number of lesser known mystery cobbles before hopefully

Rejoining the route and heading on to Rue Bay one big day of rough stuff and arguably the toughest place to ride a bike right here we are then the beginning of our route arenburg Forest perhaps the most brutal Cobble sector you can possibly imagine and we have got

An epic ride planned today how you feeling about it mate not going to lie pretty nervous I’ve been nervous I mean I’ve never for ridden the adamberg forest I’ve always wanted to 15 years of being absolutely addicted to the sport and one section of PVE that I’ve always

Wanted to do but never done it I can’t believe you’ve never ridden Ru cobbles it’s like a pilgrimage for any cyclist the roughest roads you can imagine and today I’ve designed the route which is going to take in them all thankfully we’re kissed out with red shift stem and

Seat post to smooth out those bumps so we got the perfect ride he was nice and comfy a roughest ride to keep us nice and comfy come on mate let’s do it Iron Burger Waits oh I should have got G for us on the C right here we go goes nothing come on

EG oh my God who wow yep we’ve got suspension on our stems and our seat post more on that in a bit it’s definitely going to help on RADS like this I Bo Forest is synonymous with paruay arguably the biggest classic of them all the biggest Monument that I

I think you can dream of winning it all kicks off on this sector over 2K long Cobble rougher than you can imagine huge holes between the Stones it’s hard to ride let alone Race how’ you find that mate oh wow first time completing the arenburg forest nailed It P Gib us awaits a sector famous in paru you like my friend Jackson there I just like my friend jackon this next one is Iconic though I seed in beach for a while it’s taking off the race what it was restored by the amid rub charity organization that looks after these

Cobble sectors since it’s been back it’s been Christen Pon gibbus affectionately after zilber duas the South for TR who won this race in 92 and 93 and what makes it famous is the bridge that we’re going to fly through it w speed cobbles aren’t as bad as arenburg so bit of a smoother

Ride a a it’s just like Ruby without the crows over the Railway Bridge make sure no trains are coming and then through the Great Bridge of PT gers this is p now this is where the action’s on 31 K hour 35 K hour P givers goes to Hank the tank that’s aronburg

And the great Punk gibbers ticked off done two sers down many more to come and realize what we’ve got ourselves back in for again this is one of the longest sectors it’s John Dean cobs yeah so this one 3.7 km long longest of the entire race

In paru Bay an absolute Beast just goes on forever it’s been named after Dr and dead and cob after the man stood in and made sure that py Junior’s race continued raising the necessary funds so he’s now forever got a p sector named after him which is such a

Tribute there’s no hiding for us though [Applause] [Applause] Winer winner chicken inner you didn’t call that out in a race if I was in a race and you didn’t call Road furniture out where your next I’ll be like w are you there you’re next to me you’re not blind are you let him have it let him burn himself out

That’s what I say here we go another Cobble section won by Hank I have currently won all of the Cobble sections except irber hang W that one again how many sectors have you won to now oh one aronberg first one that count see one1 are you still thinking about

Your food well I’m doing out a nice proper AET lunchtime m3k in and I’ve said I’m hungry so we’re stopping that’s what it’s all about Hanks Hank’s not getting away with no lunch today it’s on Dad’s orders do you know what the best thing about riding in France is all the

Amazing B leres available I tell you what the french do bread like n another we on 30k now the coues have come thick and fast it really is astounding faster than I expected actually like seeing as you know when P Bay goes over that they’re covering these Flat Road

Sections so quickly that it must just feel like a continuous stretch of cobbles it’s amazing isn’t it just every town you leave there’s another sector another sector another sector we’re continuing on the race route now we’re heading towards Monon Pavel five star sector is L was brutal as we enjoy lunch

And think about Our Fate now is a good time to talk you through our bike setup the bike I’m using for today’s ride is my Canyon Grizzle set up with 35 mil tires G myself as much comfort and grip on these cobbles as possible but what is special about my bike today is

That I fitted it with red shift componentry seat post and stem which I used it Unbound last year and I was a big fan so I’m glad of it today red shift call the post I’m using their shock stop Pro suspension seat post and it has 20 mil of active travel thanks to

This parallelogram design so you’re always able to kind of float through the bumps as you ride now the suspension comes from a Duo combo of alasas and springs which provide two energy absorbing elements that can be tuned depending on your riding preference and body weight so you

Can get exactly what you’re looking for depending on the terrain I like Connor have also got red shift attached to my bike I’ve got the same seat post as Connor’s got I’ve also got the shock stop Pro suspension stem providing 20 mm of travel which is all customizable thanks to these swapple

Elastomers which fit inside the stem allowing you to tune your exact setup these are definitely going to help us out but you don’t need to live near Rue Bay or ride on cobbles for this sort of tech to prove advantageous because even if you’re riding on less than perfect

Rose surface chip and tar that slightly rough surface that I often experience in in Ireland I’m not going to lie then these can really smooth out your ride and make it feel like you’re on the perfect tarmac of mior which I think is a massive Plus for any bike

Ride the rest of our route though is definitely not perfect tarmac as we jump back on our bikes after lunch the cobbles are ramping Up a little weas I’ve got this got on of the bag another sweet win oh my gosh I feel like I’m King of the Goble 3 2 One oh 50k of pure toughness i’ say absolutely absolutely but I’ve got to be honest cuz I’ve done these covers quite a lot now and I’m not feeling the same state as I did on previous attempts normally on roads like this your hands it’s your hands and your shoulders it

Almost like seizes up and you get onto these T sections in between you’re just trying to kind of undo yourself but in that respect I’ve been a lot more comfortable so I’m glad of that but now do you know where we’re heading next well I have a feeling cuz you talked a

Lot about it we’re heading into another five star sector monz on pil which I think is ah it’s up there the three five star sectors in this race are brutal Ser Two Broke who here we go mon on pel what are you do behind me so rough what are you complaining about now And then I just remember this next bit being so horrible oh squeezed Him slight Road blockage I told you that bit of a time I’m quite glad for a a we got a bit of a blockage now because laam Ru are doing more work on the route this is a group which are volunteer is it comes to the course and

They help fix the cobblestones ahead of the race we’re a few weeks out from it so conditions aren’t the best we’re actually hidden it quite a tough time we really are aren’t we but it’s amazing just to see these guys working on the cobbles they’re enormous aren’t they they

Are almost from here then mate from here this is where I’ve made a few twist in the tail oh no we’re going off piec if we weren’t already oh no After completing Monson Pavel we now Head East deviating away from the race route and heading towards the Belgian border what awaits is unknown but what is guaranteed are more rough roads however even I naively thought the route wouldn’t deteriorate quite as much as what we encounter so now we’ve gone off

The paru bay parve and the routee Conor has decided to take us down Farm tracks so the SE in ruet as you can see really well maintained they’re looked after but it’s so many cobbles in this area soon as you turn off the course as we’ve done we’ve

Been making our way across France towards the Belgian border we’re finding these sorts of sectors covered in mud absolutely covered in mud I’m really curious to see what it’s going to be like on this next part of my rout oh my gosh got the deer there oh there a deer

Yeah Road Deer wow I think he fell off looking at the deer got through rush hour they really are just Farm tracks aren’t They these cobbles are better than the Farm tracks proper cobbles Again as we find ourselves roaming deeper across the border into Belgium the sector’s become increasingly tougher to complete a covered it man absolutely covered why can’t we stay on the PVE cuz I told you we’re headed to Belgium and I want to find the new sides of Haru Bay

Yeah but we’re getting just dirt roads brief update then we are well and truly in Belgium and the trails and tracks have managed to sniff out let’s just say they’re rougher than even I anticipated hanks’s got a bit quiet so I thought I’d leave him be but if this was

An alternative P Bay route it would be pretty it’ll be pretty mental it is just crazy how many different tracks and Roads and sectors and routs you can take around here how much history there is how some of them are being reclaimed by nature and some of them like this one relatively good

Condition but we’re just being smashed all over the place mud surface water and tracks verging on single track become a common theme however we managed to continue along my wacky Ru route until suddenly we hit a proper roadblock mud now but we did say was the roughest

Toughest place to ride a bike the road is just wet and Bug ahead and I think to be honest I think Connor we’ve just reached your limit on your route planning we’ve given it a good go we’ve discovered some amazing roads some amazing sectors that have been kind of

Almost forgotten with mud and grass going on them we’ve had our fun but I think we’re kind of accepting a little bit of defeat because that is Mountain bik territory turning back we rejoin a main road and stick to the tarmac which I’m not going to lie does feel like a

Blessing Crossing back into France though that feeling won’t last for long because as we rejoin the Rue race route we’re straight back into what is arguably the hardest cobbled stretch of the entire par Ru Bay He’s going for the wind you know what mate that’s the worst that’s another sector I just absolutely spash you on and at one point I actually thought that I might take you there you were never going to take me I wasn’t absolute sh I am too actually I’m

A bit of a shell we when I said at the start of the day that we were riding the roughest toughest roads you could do I wasn’t exaggerating because it is absolutely outrageous that one’s the worst car for Al arra you’re inside 20K from the finish to

Ru imagine what that must feel like at the end of the race the Reds just St the seat post they’re cracking job I think the seat post especially actually on those rough cobbles cuz it did keep you planted you could focus on pedaling and able to get the power down yeah whereas

Previous experience when you do hit those big ruts big St bounce all over the place you’re using momentum right to rub we go to rub with the final tough stretch of brutal cobbles under our belt we continue on north towards Rue Bay at this stage of the race you must just be

Yearning for that famous V drone and we were looking forward to our very own finale water s sites behold the smoothest tarmac of the whole ride it is pretty incredible you can imagine the riders coming in though and just like how how they must feel when they hit the

Vone having gone through all that I know brutal cobblestones brutal I think for Good Times mate we’ve got to do a one lap race would this be my moment to at last beat Hank here it goes and we’re Off well not all nearly ended in tears at the end there that was close that was close but I tell you what I have one Ru well yeah I thought I’d have got you if it wasn’t for that football either one I have one I was winding it up epic

Ru I had the L ride you thought I wouldn’t even survive and I haven’t just survived I’ve won anyway a big thank you for everyone watching if you enjoyed me winning this absolute battle across the cobbles make sure you let us know in the comment section below and uh I’ve got to say

Massive thanks to Red shift because without red shift I think we’ be in even more of a state well you’d have to carry me home for one yeah cuz you’re buckled I’m absolutely buckled we need to come back though and I’m back on form and I’ll take the win next year you’ll

Never you’ll never take the win