Try to ride with a loose grip - your hands resting on the top of the handlebars or on the hoods." Sportive Breaks' guide Christophe Smekens is sharing his advice for tackling the notorious cobbled roads of Paris-Roubaix, but it's already too little too late.
My hands are in bits after my first taste of pavé: the four-and five-star-difficulty sectors Camphin-enPévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre. Blisters are bubbling on my bare palms, while the skin has broken in places, causing a shooting pain whatever grip I try on the 'bars. And this was just a 40km warm-up ride.
The anxiety that had been building in my stomach all week about riding the cobbles has somewhat dissipated though: they're hard going but when they're dry, if you enter with speed, they can be ground out in a big gear without too much trouble. Instead, I'm now worrying about how my hands are going to withstand the following day's Paris-Roubaix Challenge: a sportive that follows the final 170km of the professional men's route to Roubaix's iconic velodrome, including all 30 of the race's gruelling secteurs (cobbled sections).
Returning to my hotel room, I slather on some Sudocrem and rummage in my kit bag for anything that can provide padding to my palms. The only gloves I've brought from home are a pair of waterproof winter ones in case of bad weather. With a clear day and highs of 20°C forecast, they're not ideal, but I'm left with no alternative.
Written in stone
Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Here Tadej...
Even in a thrilling Giro, the shadow of the Tour de France looms large
Tern Orox R14
The Orox just can't be pigeonholed. It's designed, say Tern, for adventure and utility, be it personal or commercial (it even has a built-in tow bar!).
SRAM Apex AXS XPLR groupset
\"Apex shifters are basically the same as on Rival AXS... and the brake units follow the same design as the latest Force AXS brakes\"
Land of the Giants
Warren Rossiter heads to Taiwan to experience the launch of the new Giant TCR
Tourtalk
Eight key talking points ahead of a much-anticipated race
PFEIFFER GEORGI CAPTAIN MARVEL
Great Britain's 2023 national road champion Pfeiffer Georgi is one of the youngest road captains in the peloton. Here she explains this unique job and the pressures that go with it in the season's biggest race
"I help people overcome life's problems through cycling"
Rob Brown, 72, from Yorkshire, has created a haven of inclusivity and accessible cycling in Dalby Forest
Great start
Here's how to avoid ultra-processed foods at breakfast
HELL OR HIGH WATER
The Paris-Roubaix Challenge pits amateurs against an abridged version of the iconic 'Hell of the North' race
Go ultra
Want to go long, very long, in 2021? Here's our proven advice on taking on an ultra cycling challenge such as LEJOG or Chase the Sun in 20214