Cobble hoppers
Tip 1 Don’t overdo it
We’ve heard rumours of certain eager beavers managing to catch Roubaix at five different secteurs of cobbles. While we admire the logistical prowess of such an achievement, we cannot help but think that with all that rushing about, you’ll not get time to truly enjoy the atmosphere.
As such, we recommend aiming to see the race at three points, and certainly no more than four. This allows you to catch the action on multiple occasions but also gives you time to soak up the event and immerse yourself in the surroundings while you’re there.
There’s nothing quite like it. The Hell of the North, the Queen of the Classics, the toughest, most gruelling day a professional can have on a bike, and the one race you have to watch roadside before you can truly call yourself a cycling fan. Paris-Roubaix is the greatest single day of pro racing on the calendar, the ultimate high-wire act at the WorldTour circus.
But if you do decide to go, how do you tell your Camphin-en-Pévèles from your Carrefour de l’Arbres? How will you know where to stand without being blocked off by a race moto? Which side streets should you take to avoid road closures? And crucially, where do you keep your beer so it stays cold and doesn’t get stolen?
