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Looking at doing either Flanders or Paris Roubaix Sportive next year. Just wondered which one people would recommend if you have done both etc or any experience of either of them.
Looking at organsing it ourselves rather than a travel company.
Thanks
Flanders is very busy, Roubaix less so. Flanders is rideable with no real concessions as the cobbles are pretty smooth. Roubaix has some extremely rough sectors of cobbles.
You'll need to book accommodation before Christmas as it gets booked up very quickly.
Entering both is easy, why not do both?
Flanders is also a nice loop with achievable hills and some mild rough bits.
Roubaix is like getting punched in the kidneys while being kicked in the balls, for 6hrs or so.
Done both.
Flanders was a smashing day out.
Roubaix I'm SO glad I've done. Not going back... Easily hardest ride of my life.
The full-length P-Rx is no longer run by Velo Club Roubaix which runs every 2 years - the ASO event in April is the upstart 'shandy-drinkers' version 😉 Flanders is a tough old day in the saddle but is no match for the brutality of full-bore Paris-Roubaix - over 10 years since I've ridden either plus Flanders route is now different. My abiding memory is being in the front group at Flanders for the 2002 unofficial Flanders club championship riding out to DePanne and Koksidje at 45kph for the first few hours in driving rain - side winds split the bunch at Gistel and getting a handy tow from a passing motorist, glued to the bumper of a Corsa at 50kph! Also, leading a big bunch into Arenberg going full-bore (most didn't know what was coming) and turning around after a few hundred metres to see the trail of destruction!
Its making my body ache just reading this 😐
Paris Roubaix (but I am biased living in Flanders)
The atmosphere is way better. Old Flanders was better with the Muur
I'll be riding Flanders in 2017 after riding it for the first time this year. I was really impressed with the organisation of such a large event.
Flanders is a cracking day out. 150k flavour. start early smash the bergs eat chips and drink beer. great atmosphere. Then watch the pros on the sunday. Not done PR.
I believe we are getting the Muur again next year 🙂
One of the benefits of the Flanders sportiv if you are staying locally is that there are a few viewpoints' set up where the route passes a couple of times and you can spend a brilliant day the next day watching the race, eating frite and drinking Kwarenberg
Edit: Unless mikeyp gets there first and eats them all :). I'm too slow
I've done Roubaix with mates who have also done Flanders. The consensus is that despite Flanders being longer and hillier, Roubaix is the harder ride. I must say that I didn't find it too difficult but my jaw and finger joints ached for days after.
A couple of other points:
Flanders is rammed with people, to the extent that you might end up walking up some of the climbs, apparently. Roubaix is more laidback (and of course has the velodrome finish). Roubaix win.
Flanders is a loop, Roubaix is A-B so there's a transfer to the start, which is a bit of pain. Flanders win.
Also I reckon there's probably a bit more to see and do at Flanders; Roubaix is a bit of hole.
All things considered, I'm probably going to do Roubaix again, because it is an epic ride. Flanders, not so bothered about.
P-Rx definitely for the full-on, hard-core workout if that's what you want - however, not the place for soft-tapping as the pave really hurts if you're in survival mode as you really need to be driving on the front of a group as you get the choice of line and the faster you go, you don't get bounced as much.
Haven't done PR, but Flanders this year was a brilliant weekend away - the sportive is top if you set off early and Sunday is a huge party.
To be fair this year the weather was amazing (20 degrees plus on the sunday) and we spent Sunday riding out to the race and getting hammered on the Kwaremont (pics exist somewhere of me swinging a huge Flanders flag in huge crowd of pissed up cheering Belgians), so might not be as fun if it's proper Belgian weather.
For the sportive on Saturday we set off around 8am and did every climb without getting caught in congestion. That was the medium route which began on the cobbled loop from Oudenaarde as we didn't really fancy the trudge from Bruges to the fun stuff...finished in around 5 hours, and that was with a lot of pissing about at the very generous food stops and fixing an exploding headset.
A massive plus was that although it's not officially closed roads, it essentially was; there's virtually no traffic on the cobbles/back lanes which make up 80% of the route, and the police were stopping cars at junctions whenever riders went through.
A mate is dead keen to go back next year and do P-R, but my knees are shot through from footy (and I'm only 27 😥 ) and I was suffering pretty badly by the end, so wouldn't fancy anything rougher on skinny tyres.
I've done PR four times (full distance three and once the new shorter sportive) and full distance Flanders three times. I really enjoy Flanders but PR is sometime else with how difficult the cobbles can be in certain conditions. I'd certainly do PR if you can only do one of them.
I've done the full Flanders 15 times now and the vc roubaix p-r 4 times. Always preferred Flanders but this year I had the perfect bike for p-r and had a blast.