Paris-Roubaix Advice Needed

[wifeofbentrim65]

I'm going to this year's Paris-Roubaix. I've never been to Europe to watch a cycling event. Can anyone provide any advice on how to best view it? Any helpful hints would be much appreciated.

 

[Stefan Kindberg]

I'm going to this year's Paris-Roubaix. I've never been to Europe to watch a cycling event. Can anyone provide any advice on how to best view it? Any helpful hints would be much appreciated.

Go to the Arenberg forest to catch the atmosphere. Then go to a local and small bar to enjoy the final with the locals while drinking some beer. By chatting with the local bar people you will get the whole idea of true cycling tifosi. Best regards, Stefan Kindberg

 

[GreggGermer]

I can second going to the Arenberg, it's a great time to be had; lots of crazy partying people and the atmosphere is just awesome! After that try to find a section of cobbles to view on the way to the finish or go straight to the finish in Roubaix. You can get into the velodrome free of charge and there is a big screen to watch the race.

Do be careful not to have any valuables in the car as the area around the velodrome is quite bad. We had our GPS stolen last year (it was tucked away in the glove box, but they still broke into the car as they must have figured it was there by the holder still on the window).

Be sure to get the Arenberg early and park the car pointing in the right direction to get out to make leaving as easy as possible.

If going to the races on your own is a bit of a hassle I offer guided day trips for the day of Paris-Roubaix (and the Tour of Flanders) through my bicycle tour company, Chainring Tours. The trip starts from Oudenaarde, Belgium; includes seeing the races in three spots (Arenberg, another cobble section and the finish). We include a Cheese and Wine lunch buffet at the Arenberg Forest and dinner that night in Oudenaarde. The day-viewing option is 175 euros a per person.

You can see photos from our trip to the Paris-Roubaix here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2630373&id=99237268786

We had a lot of people very envious of our cheese and wine spread.

I hope that helps give you some direction on how to go about seeing Paris-Roubaix.

 

[the delgados]

My friends and I sat in the velodrome last year and had a great time.

We flew in from Canada and our plans to rent a car and follow the race from the Arenberg forest fell through when we realized we had no clue what we were doing.

Instead we grabbed seats near the finish line beside some passionate fans from Belgium and saw them shed tears of joy when Boonen rode solo into the velodrome.

The previous hours were spent watching the race on a big-screen tv and soaking in the atmosphere. Doesn't sound like much, but if you're like me you'll be looking around and saying, "I can't believe I'm at Paris-Roubaix."

 

[elapid]

See this thread in the Cafe section for more recommendations and comments and maps: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=3343

 

[tb1919]

How feasible is it with a car & sat nav, to view the race twice at decent sectors? I want to see it at the Carrefour de l'Arbre but wondered whether I could get there ok if I also went to the Arenberg forest section? Looks like there is about 1hour 30min race time between the 2 sectors, & it looks like it would take 40mins driving. But having never been, I don’t know whether it would take us 20mins just to get back to the car & get out of the area & another 20mins parking & walking at l’Arbre & therefore it’s too big a risk & maybe I should look at seeing it at an earlier sector even if it’s not as exciting?

Or maybe the safest option is to watch at an early sector & then blast off to the velodrome & watch it on the big screen? Does the finish get full early?

Thanks!

 

[Boeing]

Go to the Arenberg forest to catch the atmosphere. Then go to a local and small bar to enjoy the final with the locals while drinking some beer. By chatting with the local bar people you will get the whole idea of true cycling tifosi. Best regards, Stefan Kindberg

good advice. it will be more about the atmosphere and ambiance of the culture than actually viewing the race. I mean the race is everything dont get me wrong but the time spent actually viewing riders going by will pale in comparison to the culture of the event socially. You could spend a fortune pre riding it with some guided tour, and it will be with mostly yanks telling each other how great they are and end up waiting in the velodrome. Or you could mix it up with the locals pre and post race and just go with the flow for a few days, learn a little home brew liquor or beer recipe and local legend stories about the race youd never hear any other way.