The cobbles of Roubaix are totally unsuited for bike riding – which is exactly why you should try them, says Frank Strack.
![A bumpy road ahead](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5312/216978/58f9b140ab0a0/A-bumpy-road-ahead.jpg)
Dear Jon
I’ve always felt that I’d be a natural at riding the cobbles, the same way I’ve always been sure that had I been born into the Star Wars universe I’d be a Jedi. We hold these sorts of beliefs about ourselves steadfastly through the mounting lack of evidence to the contrary.
As it turns out, I was right about the cobbles. A youth spent riding rigid mountain bikes over single-track trails and road bikes over gravel roads in northern Minnesota was just enough to make the cobbles of northern France seem that much less terrifying. My Jedi reflexes helped too.
I’m not sure where you live, but I’m guessing it isn’t in Flanders, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking this question. You’d be asking a question more like, ‘Why do non-Flemish riders notice rain and wind? And why are they all so soft?’
Most of us think of Flanders as being a region in Belgium, but the historical country of Flanders flows over into northern France. The roads on which Paris-Roubaix in France is held are every bit as Flandrian as those that host the Ronde van Vlaanderen and the other cobbled Classics in Belgium. Country borders, as it turns out, were drawn by politicians not cyclists.
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Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de Cyclist.
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The Mur de Montrose
Anondescript city centre shortcut to the shops is destined to become a classic climb when the superstars of the peloton ride it next month
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Ventum NS1
Aracy road bike with more character than its looks suggest
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Colnago C68 Road
The flagship has been refitted, but it's still very Colnago
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Susten Pass
The supersized Swiss climb
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What we ride
Behind every cycling journalist is a long history of bikes. Some come and go-test bikes, first bikes, stolen bikes, I'm going to get into BMX-ing now bikes - but some stay, for their practicality, their dreaminess or just for the joy they elicit. Here are three of the Cyclist team's personal favourites
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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
Over the past 12 years, Italian racer Elisa Longo Borghini has established herself as one of cycling's great all-rounders. She tells Cyclist about her sporting upbringing, how she conquered her self-doubts, and how she hates coming second
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New view on Ventoux
It's possibly the most famous climb in cycling, but Mont Ventoux still has some surprises in store, including this route that takes in the stunning and rarely visited Les Gorges de la Nesque
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All in the mind
The mental aspect of cycling can be just as important as the physical. Cyclist talks to two experts about training the brain for when the going gets tough
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A moment in time Nicole Cooke tames Ventoux
In 2006, Britain's Nicole Cooke demonstrated her absolute dominance in a bravura performance on the Giant of Provence
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Veni, vidi, Vinge?
Felix Lowe makes his predictions for the Tour de France