Melburn Roobaix : 24th of June 2012

The  Paris Roubaix or the  Hell of the North,  the greatest one day race of them all,  has inspired many cyclist's drive and passion. The Paris Roubaix is one of the toughest and longest (260km) races on the annual cycling calendar. It covers some roads that are centuries old and built with pave or cobblestones. Competitors ride on relatively standard road bikes with longer wheelbases for stability and larger tyres for bump absorption and grip. In the wet, these sections are like riding over a partially dried up creek bed, with the moss on the rocks functioning like grease when wet providing riders with almost zero traction. 

Some cobbles. 

This event has affected many cyclists over the years, both professional and amateur alike. I'm one of those amateurs, many of my rides have been spent out on rough roads in less than ideal conditions and I always catch myself imagining being at the Paris Roubaix duking it out over the cobbles. Another rider who has been affected is Andrew White of Fyxomatosis fame,  Andy has taken this passion to another level, scouting around Melbourne finding all the back alleys and lanes that have been paved with cobbles. To determine the course of his yearly "Melburn Roobaix". Andy takes the best of the cobbled sections and links them together with a route through the city of Melbourne Each year the event gets bigger and better, 2012’s event had 2012 registrants signing up to brave the cobblestones. 

My day started with me riding my Cyclocross bike over to the Hawthorn Velodrome from home, a good 40 kilometres to warm up. By the time I got to the velodrome there was a good crowd filling the infield queuing up for their registration pack.  

A blending of the tribes....

In my opinion the Melburn Roobaix is easily one of the most inclusive of all cycling events. There are roadies, mountain bikers, casual commuters, BMX riders, unicyclists, tandem riders, cyclocross riders and pretty much everything in between. The atmosphere and camaraderie is fantastic. Everyone is willing to lend a helping hand when needed and no one is racing - we are all just enjoying being on a bike, of any description.

At registration riders are given the course map which highlights each sector of cobbles, but the way you choose to get from one to the other is entirely up to each rider. This leads to some interesting moments where you feel confident you are going the right way until you see a group of riders coming the other way down the same road. "Do I change direction and follow those guys or stick to my guns and keep pushing on?"

Map check time, where do we go now?

   

One of the early sectors.

 

An early uphill sector of cobbles.

In between each sector of cobbles, we get the chance to choose our own adventure on the way to the next sector. Sometimes this provides an oppurtunity for a quick stop for coffee and a snack or just a chance to regroup and tell our stories of nearly falling on that last sector, or how much fun was had (mostly the later). These sections were mostly done on bike paths, a great chance to catch your breath, have a friendly chat and enjoy some of Melbourne's beautiful scenery.

Riding along the Yarra between sectors.

The Capital City Trail.

Towards the end of the day, you come upon the "The Koppenberg", a reasonably long sector of cobbles that, like it's namesake is almost all uphill - a tough sector. You need to hold your speed to stay up on top of the cobbles, as soon as you slow down, the ride becomes much rougher as you fall down into all the gaps between the stones. So trying to maintain enough speed to make the ride easier is quite difficult to do while also going uphill. I LOVE this sector! This year I turned around and rode it again two more times. It is a challenge but also a great atmosphere as there is always a good crowd along the climb to cheer you on.

The Koppenberg, (Melburn Roobaix style).

The actual Koppenberg, Belgium.

After the Koppenberg, there are a few more sectors that we string together to make it to the Brunswick Velodrome. With each passing sector though the realisation that the day is coming to an end comes creeps up on you. There were more than a few of us who were suggesting, somewhat tongue in cheek, that we might go back for another lap. But that would have meant missing out on the party that was happening at the finish so we pressed on after going back for one more lap of the last couple of sectors.

The finish was at Brunswick velodrome, by the time I got there, there was a reasonable crowd gathering waiting to cheer on everyone else that was still finishing. The music was pumping, the food was being devoured and the beer was tasting GOOD.

At the finish, Brunswick velodrome.

At the finish, Brunswick velodrome.

Well earned

"Blue Edge"

This is easily some of the most fun I have ever had on a bike, I did this event for the first time last year and promised myself to never miss another one. I had a couple of friends with me this year and it was even more fun so hopefully next year you can all come to join me too.

A big thank you to Andy White for organising this event, I can't wait till next year.

- Brad.