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2011 Sportives: Paris - Roubaix or L'Etape du Tour?
So, which one would be hardest. The P-R course is 269km, compared to about 180km for the etape (I know the stage hasnt been announced yet)
But which would be toughest? No real climbs in the P-R but longer with not much chance to rest going down mountains like you can on the etape. The P-R is in April which means lots of training over the winter. Hmm...
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Depends on how hard you ride the likes of RvV or P-Rx - ridden both a few times and enjoyed them a lot more than L'etape. I've taken hardened Etapists and Ironmen to P-Rx - they found it far harder - particularly if you ride every secteur like it should be ridden - full-bore and down the middle! I enjoy the Veloclub Roubaix P-Rx event for it's informality - not sure I fancy hitting Arenbereg when there's 10,000 other riders on the course which is what I expect an ASO event would turn into. There's also the charm of riding through quiet villages at dawn in a small group.
If you do the Paris-Roubaix sportive, do it on a cheap steel frame. Much more comfortable. The pros might use 3000 quid crabon-fibre superbikes, but they get'em for free and, for them, every little advantage counts. If the countless miles of punishing cobbles cause you do a Hincapie, at least your best bike will still be safely tucked up at home.
i might go for it in 2015
It's Paris-Brest-Paris year next year
So join AUK now and start qualifying in January
Paris - Brest - Paris has been running as an event since 1891, pre dating Le Tour. It is 1200km and the public give the riders a great reception, standing and cheering in the middle of the night and setting up tables giving out coffees
I did it last time in 2007 and the weather was the worst in 50 years, so we are due a better one this time
Official info here
There's loads here if you're looking for something that's a bit different to the standard ones...
It's Paris-Brest-Paris year next year
So join AUK now and start qualifying in January
Paris - Brest - Paris has been running as an event since 1891, pre dating Le Tour. It is 1200km and the public give the riders a great reception, standing and cheering in the middle of the night and setting up tables giving out coffees
I did it last time in 2007 and the weather was the worst in 50 years, so we are due a better one this time
Official info here
This one is good too
That Bernard Hinault event is the sort of thing I tend to like doing. This year I did a very small one called Le Meusienne, over near Verdun sort of way.
Not a big event at all but that was part of the charm - the registration was in someone's front room in a tiny village.
But come the day of the ride it was a pretty serious business up front.
I also like doing them in northern France or Belgium so you can get over and back in three days. The Ardechoise is fantastic but it's a long way for a single ride - I'd only do it again if I could do the three or four day version.
What's good about the Hinault ride ?
Why not do both?
Is the ASO Paris-Roubaix event confirmed, then? I'd heard rumours but can't find any official information. Link much appreciated if you have one!
plenty of other great events in that france too, this is one of my particular faves:
www.ardechoise.com
I have no desire to do the Etape or Marmotte so I'd suggest Paris-Roubaix, or Ronde van Vlaanderen.
If you want degrees of difficulty I reckon riding over those cobbles makes up for the mountains.
I also think it's good to 'support' the classics. In my view the main reason I never liked Lance Armstrong was that he placed the Tour in the public perception as the be-all and end-all of cycling.