{"id":5811,"date":"2023-11-10T11:59:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T10:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?p=5811"},"modified":"2023-11-10T11:59:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T10:59:30","slug":"mastering-the-cobbles-why-dont-we-avoid-them-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2023\/11\/10\/mastering-the-cobbles-why-dont-we-avoid-them-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Cobbles \u2013 Why Don\u2019t We Avoid Them Instead?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Riding on cobblestones is not a particularly pleasant experience, especially on a road bike without any suspension. Why do road cyclists do it to themselves? And why are there even races on this hellish surface? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cobblestones have been used for roads for thousands of years because they provide a durable surface that drains rainwater, doesn\u2019t get damaged by freezing, and isn\u2019t too dusty. They were of crucial importance in the Middle Ages when horses and carriages were the main form of transport and became the norm by the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century. But we are in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century now and there are much smoother surfaces to choose from. So, why are cyclists insisting on riding on cobbles?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Added difficulty for the pros<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cobblestones, also known as pav\u00e9 in French, were originally added as a part of cycling races to increase difficulty for the riders. The cobbled sections of these races, with their jagged and sometimes loose stones, slippery surfaces, and unpredictable gaps create a unique and treacherous environment that tests the skills and endurance of the peloton. Some of these races predate even the Tour de France and they are still going strong.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Cobblestone classics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most well-known are the cobbled classics, 4 races held in March and April that feature many sectors of pav\u00e9. Two of these races have risen to the status of cycling monuments and they are so tough that even professional riders often just try to finish, no matter how far behind the winner.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Paris-Roubaix<\/strong>: This is the oldest cobbled classic, first run in 1896. It\u2019s often touted as the most challenging of them with 20 cobbled sectors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tour of Flanders<\/strong>: This is the second of the 2 monuments along with Paris-Roubaix and was first raced in 1913. It\u2019s famous for its short, steep climbs and, of course, many cobbled sections.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gent\u2013Wevelgem<\/strong>: This cobblestone classic runs on the last Sunday before the Tour of Flanders and has been held annually since 1934.<\/li>\n<li><strong>E3 Harelbeke<\/strong>: This one was first raced in 1958 which makes it the most recent one but it has fully developed into a prestigious and desirable event.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now we know what started the madness of cycling on cobblestones. It\u2019s very understandable considering the most famous pav\u00e9 race was established in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century. The question still remains how has this troublesome cycling surface survived in races to this day? A part of the answer may lie in the thrilling stories that cobblestone races often bring.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5814\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5814\" style=\"width: 990px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5814\" src=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404.webp\" alt=\"Paris-Roubaix\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404.webp 990w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2023\/11\/Paris-Roubaix-Cobbles-Cycling-profimedia-0769212404-400x267.webp 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5814\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paris-Roubaix, one of the cobblestone classics. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>2014 Tour de France, stage 5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/letour.fr\">Tour de France&#8217;s<\/a> stage from Ypres to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, was marred by rain, which turns the pav\u00e9 into one an extremely unpredictable surface. Despite the organisers&#8217; efforts to mitigate the chaos by removing two pav\u00e9 sectors, the wet roads ruthlessly thinned the peloton of several favourites. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/07\/25\/the-story-of-chris-froome-and-his-legendary-mont-ventoux-push\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Froome,<\/a> the reigning champion, crashed before the first cobbles and abandoned the race after a second fall. Others, like Andrew Talansky and Tejay van Garderen, met the ground too, while Alberto Contador lost time as a result of mechanical issues.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amidst this battlefield, it was Vincenzo Nibali who danced across the cobbles best, distancing himself from other GC contenders. While Lars Boom seized the day&#8217;s victory, it was Nibali, with a blend of luck, skill, and the support of Lieuwe Westra who made the race and ultimately managed to secure the GC victory. One could argue that losing many other GC competitors made the Tour less nail-biting overall but the excitement that cobbles brought on the day is undeniable.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>2016 Paris-Roubaix<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mat Hayman had a reputation as a devoted, hard-working domestique who gave up his ambitions of winning races in favour of helping his teammates. But the cobbles of the 2016 Paris-Roubaix brought something completely unexpected \u2013 the biggest race win of his entire career. He entered the race as a veteran, seemingly past his prime, who was unlikely to even be in the final sprint. His triumph over the 4x Roubaix champion, Tom Boonen, was nothing short of poetic. Boonen seemed destined for a historic 5th win but instead, we got a major upset.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several years prior, Hayman was in a winning position but tactical missteps cost him the gold. It appeared that might have been Hayman&#8217;s best chance at winning the monument. In 2016, he was older and also recovering from an injury which caused him to train indoors for most of March. Hayman&#8217;s unexpected victory stands as a testament to the power of grit and determination.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Impact on cycling culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stories like the ones above become a part of cycling lore and draw the new generations to cobblestones. And it\u2019s not just about the riders trying to prove themselves, it\u2019s also the spectators who enjoy the exciting and unpredictable outcomes, and unusual challenges. It seems like no matter whether you\u2019re riding it yourself or watching others do it, pav\u00e9 has some mythical quality that allows it to survive.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re caught by the cobblestone bug, keep reading. Next time, we will look at how to get ready and conquer this cycling surface even if you\u2019re not a pro.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Riding on cobblestones is not a particularly pleasant experience, especially on a road bike without any suspension. Why do road [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":5818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-5811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-the-latest"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mastering the Cobbles \u2013 Why Don\u2019t We Avoid Them Instead? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2023\/11\/10\/mastering-the-cobbles-why-dont-we-avoid-them-instead\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mastering the Cobbles \u2013 Why Don\u2019t We Avoid Them Instead?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Riding on cobblestones is not a particularly pleasant experience, especially on a road bike without any suspension. 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