March 2011

Tags: Cobbles

Photo by Kristof Ramon, see more images on his flickr page

Ben Spurrier, Head of Design at Condor, has ridden the cobbled sportives umpteen times and shares his experience of getting the bike ready for the cobbles.

Flanders requires fewer actual modifications to the bike and kit than Roubaix, but if you are going for Classics Week then you may as well do both, and in fact many of the tweaks will be of value to you and your bike in tackling a UK winter/spring.

Wheels

Something sturdy is the first obvious answer, though I'd steer clear of anything too heavy as the Pavé sections in Flanders tend to be crowded climbs that often require coming to a track stand before starting again. If your wheels are too heavy then you may struggle to get going again.

Tyres

Bigger is better, but similar to the wheel issue; if you go too big you'll compromise rolling resistance. We favour 25mm. The extra width will help prevent your tyres from slipping down into the troughs between the cobble stones. The larger carcass will give a bit more cushioning and make pinch-punctures less likely.

The Rapha Condor Team use the Continental Grand Prix 24mm, which is taller than normal without being too wide, and I'll be using these on my bike.

Some people may opt to run tubular tyres for these events (like the pros) because you can run a tubular at a lower pressure without so much puncture risk. Tubeless UST systems would present a good option but variety of products is still small.

Whatever system you run, you will want to have slightly less pressure in the tyres to aid traction and boost comfort a little. Another tip is to put talcum powder between the tube and tyre, which helps the two to shift around and give less risk of pinch punctures. You can sprinkle talc on your inner tubes and rub it into the tube or purchase pre-talc'd inner tubes.

Double-wrapped bar tape

Double-wrapping your handlebar tape will help to absorb some of the battering from the cobbles. Roubaix is worse because the secteurs are mostly flat and go on for much longer than in Flanders, so you take more of a beating. The fatter bar tape gives a greater contact surface area to hold, which is also easier on the hands.

You can use the Fizik gel inserts under the bar tape, which dissipate the initial force before reaching your hands. If you never normally ride with gel inserts and plan to remove them after the ride, placing them between the two layers of bar tape saves time.

Bouncing around

Tape everything down: pumps, computers and saddlebags will all bounce off onto the cobbles if left unattended. Alloy bottle cages are better than carbon as you can bend them to keep the bottle in place throughout the ride.

A saddlebag that attaches via large Velcro straps is a wise choice as bags with plastic mounts can snap or bend.

Sitting on a bike for a long time is tough. A new saddle, slight rubbing on the palms and new riding positions may seem fine on a short spin. The rough cobbled roads will magnify everything. Double wrapped bar tape takes a bit of getting used to and for some smaller hands can seem uncomfortable, so try it all on a long ride before you take on the pavé.

Rubbing cables and tightened bolts

Where the cable meets the frame the paint will begin to rub away. We've seen it where the nine hour ride from Paris to Roubaix causes as much wear as two full seasons on the road. The carbon has been rubbed to the raw weave or the cable has rubbed the right through the protective lacquer on occasions.

You can buy rubber frame protectors that slot over cable housing, or electrical tape placed at the point where the cable meets the frame works.

Not all of the bolts on your bike will need to be tightened to the same force. There will be a small number listed next to the bolts, varying between 4Nm and 8Nm. It is best to use a torque wrench to make sure you tighten bolts to the manufacturer's specification. Check the stem bolts at the handlebar clamp, steerer and seatclamp bolts.

On Monday we banded around numbers about our longest ride then decided to put it to the floor..

"@condorcycles what's the longest ride you've done.....ever?"

Its fair to say that whatever your longest ride, good or bad those hours in the saddle will be savoured and remembered. We really liked reading all the replies, the stories, the different places and experiences. Thanks

@davemurphy the 410km was done with only 14 hrs on the bike. Legs where fine but head was in another place altogether.

@aslongasicycle 235k Galway-Kilkenny. Beautiful day, hellish ride. Full race setup on Irish roads = pain

@toomuchstu How about 10hrs to do a mere 80km (Transvesubienne) I'd say thats pretty long #assblisters!!

@lukascph 153 km, 2010 Kongeetapen cyclotour. At least 100 km of it solo (behind, not in front)...

@DanFromNam 2008 Desert Dash - 340km on a Mountainbike. 13hours30 later...

@dommyracer to date, the tour of Pembrokeshire - 118 miles. 30+ of it solo, in driving rain with <1 metre visibility. Horrible.

@FatBoyTim 120-mile Etape Anglais in 7h 29m after winning free entry in Guardian comp, had only started road biking 3

@Rockybucket the 2 mates with me were only 13! Had just enough money for cup of t & a mars bar each. We must have been stark raving bonkers!

@onthebummel Did London to Dover (c.140km?) on a 3 speed Pashley - but probably at a much more sedate pace than your other respondees!

@J4Joe Longest ride I've done is the Vatternrundan. A 300km / 186 mile ride round the 2nd largest lake in Sweden. A leisurely 

@cass_kee: @condorcycles 245km on a track bike. #explodingknees << good effort

@LoveTRideMaBike In summer I did a group ride to Tan Hill in the Yorkshire dales, 180 miles, averaged 19.2mph too I was pretty happy.

@maryestall longest ride 216km, two days later came off the bike and seperated my shoulder resulting in 4 months off the bike...

@Joffting DD 2010 - tooting - hackney - dunwich - ipswitch - liverspool st - tooting 170 miles ish

@OAJP24 Dunwich Dynamo - about 120miles

@agadoo69 120 miles when doing C2C with @mycalb. 1st time either of us had ridden road bike, booked hostel for wrong night. Muchos pain.

@CondorWarehouse 150 miles

@keithrhenderson The St James Velo 150 (150miles) with @CondorWarehouse

@deanodowning Same as. 2005 was 2 km too far for me RT @kristianhouse: @condorcycles what am I thinking. 300km. Melbourne to Warnambol.

@manridesbike 168 miles. Day three of my jogle. 1011 miles in 7 days. Unsupported.

@100Climbs 142 miles, ride home from London to my parents near Newark, not that far really, about 7.45 min I think.

@ckingimages the Fred Whitton with a bit of a scenic 'unscheduled' detour.

@collynahart @SarahCary fond memories! http://youtu.be/KVuRE2Ufk70 11.5 hours riding, 14 hours total. 204 miles.

@kristianhouse what was I thinking. 300km. Melbourne to Warnambol.

@seannybucket It's not old its a classic! RT @MrsBYork @condorcycles It's not bad, to say I'm riding a 20 year old 5-speed!

@Brigga14 250k Filey and back fish and chips at cafe :-)

@Rockybucket 172miles, aged 14. Saddlebag, old style cape as weather turned shit, & no bidons! Dad had to pick us up 35miles from home!!!

@kristianhouse 240ish km, this winter in ATX ;)

@msktmartin oh er, has to be Autumn cup ride 180km loop Home-Tenterden-Rye-home, food and then do it again, ending up a night ride, +360km

@benWG vatternrundan in Sweden 300km ish around one of the largest lakes in europe. Friendly too.

@SoloSzabi: @condorcycles what's the longest ride you've done.....ever? RT: 22,5 hours, 566km off-road! Last year 24 hour WC Germany...

@GranCorsaWillem The famous 11 Cities ride in Holland, 240km

@MrsBYork It's not bad, to say I'm riding a 20 year old 5-speed!

@Antz_e done 140 miles on 2 consecutive days last yr as part of a 7day lejog

@benspurrier  also, I've done Mountain Mayhem 24hrs solo MTB -no idea what the distance was, but recorded 16'000 calories burnt though!

@jforbes004 Just over 400 miles, out to the turn and started return leg, PBP 2007. Slept for 4 hours at that point, then continued...

@DavidJesudason Dunwich Dynamo

@adrianfitch My longest rides ever are Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders sportives at around 260km each

@littleleesie 125 miles... Charity ride of 112 miles with a slight detour! Soul crushing?!

@SarahCary 206 miles in July '10, the Seattle to Portland Classic, with @collynahart ..something like 14 hours.

@Dannykelley 189 miles when I only had a road bike for 2 weeks!! I was hooked after that! Although during it I never wanted to ride again!

@JeromeSadou 140km only, but on a track bike! Yokohama to Mount Fuji (then I climbed it) http://bit.ly/aHtetR

@SundaysInHell Flanders then 15km to hotel = 292km

@Lunestock Lancaster to Scotland and back. 170m, 12.5hrs. To raise money for a wheelchair for a team mate.

@PaulSBurke 2004 L'Etape du Tour - 238km, Limoges to St Flour. An awesome ride.

@tomstaniford 128 miles. Mallorca. Lluc, Sa Calobra, Randa, San Salvador. Basically every hill we could find.

@Steve_Berry Kent Cycling Association 12 Hour TT = 276.5 miles

@bikesarebest E'tape 2007, Ironman bike leg, or 14hrs as a messenger way back when

@RossLovell 275 miles Mallaig-Armadale taking indirect route round the West Highlands, also the 330km Tour du Mont Blanc Sportif last July

@Ben Spurrier Gentlemans Time Trial, June '10. Home-Clerkenwell-Brighton-Clerkenwell-Home = 138miles

Tags: Cobbles

Claire shares her experience of using the Garmin 705 to prepare for the forthcoming Paris-Rouabix challenge.

Rarely do I use my Garmin 705 as it was intended: to navigate. Most of the time it is left on the stats menu, feeding back on ride time, distance, heart rate and cadence. Most of the time it's not on the mapping screen because I know where I'm riding. I know the area, or if I'm unsure I've got a trusty printed map from Google in my back pocket along with my iPhone.

In the build up to my Paris-Roubaix sportive ride in just under three weeks I decided to take to some more unyielding surfaces and shake my bones up a bit. I've got the fitness for the length but I know from experience the pavé can suck the energy from your legs instantly.

Last year Rapha ran their inaurgal Hell of the North ride, featuring 20 sectors of 'gravé' based upon the Paris-Roubaix and, for me, good preparation. The trouble is, unless you know the area and bridleways like the back of your hand you can get lost in the woods, end up in a bog or miss really good off road sectors.

It was looking like I could kill two birds with one stone: prepare for Paris-Roubaix and test the Garmin's navigation ability for myself.

As a south Londoner I typically ride in Surrey, Sussex and Kent. I never venture up into north London. Though I should because, as I discovered, it has some lovely lanes that are quiet and really enjoyable.

Getting the route into my Garmin

I'd ridden and recorded the 2010 HOTN and uploaded it to the Garmin-Connect website - a free service offered by Garmin where you can upload your recorded data in 3 easy clicks!

Using the search options within the Activities menu I found the ride data from 2010. 
Plugged in the unit by USB.
Clicked 'Send to Device' in the top right corner above the map.

Once uploaded to the unit, turn on the Garmin.
Select > Training > Courses > Select the Route by name > Do Course

Click Start / Stop button to record the ride data (speed, cadence, heart rate).
Press Mode button to view the map screen and follow the purple line.

And the result?

Completed without a hiccup! We covered the 50 miles completely reliant on the Garmin. The iPhone stayed firmly zipped in our gilet pockets. The only time we went wrong was through talking and no keeping an eye on the map telling us to turn off - you can set the unit to 'beep' to remind you to turn.

The unit told us we were 'off course' when we did make a mistake and we navigated back onto the purple guiding line.

On the run back into London, now slightly muddier than when we departed from the top of Highgate Hill, we pulled into Look Mum No Hands cafe and ate a well earned pie and a couple of slices of cake with the total mileage reading 75 miles door to door.

Bristol based (iL) Soigneur musettes arrived at Condor this week. The premise behind these musettes is so different and so unique that we decided we'd pop a note on the blog about them.

In essence each bag is constructed from waxed cotton, PVCs, wool blend or waterproof canvas; materials chosen for their hard-wearing properties, ready for day in and day out abuse.

Each bag is made by hand from new material. Fabric is purchased locally from markets and fairs in small quantities. When the material is gone, it's gone, so it means there are only ever three other similar designs made into a musette.

Press studs fasten the bag to keep everything inside. Each has a webbed strap and clever reflective highlights.

More over on the (iL) Soigneur tumblr.

A Parisian-based customer of Condor dropped us an email about a short film they had made about Keirin racing in Japan.

The film was launched today on Nowness and has been created by Jonathan de Villiers.

Keirin: Speed Racers on Nowness.com.

Tags: Cobbles

2011 Ronde van Oost Lancashire - 2nd April

Can't make it to Flanders or want to get some epic riding in before a weekend in Roubaix? This will be the perfect opener.

"What started off as my grump about not being able to go back to Flanders after a riotous Ronde sportive weekend in 2008, morphed into an absorbing and eventful group ride for about 35 of us last April.

Using some beautiful Lancashire lanes, hills and leftover cobbled climbs from a past Industrial era, the Ronde van Oost Lancashire seems to have taken on a momentum of its own now."

Date: Sat 2nd April 2011
Start: Pendle Heritage Centre car park, Barrowford, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6JQ

Visit the Cross Junkie blog for the map, cue sheet and more details. This is an audax style ride. Riders will need to be self sufficient.

Images from Dave Haygarth's blog.