How Hard Is It To Cycle On The Cobbles Of Paris Roubaix? | Non Cyclist Vs Amateur Vs Pro
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Just how hard is it to cycle over the infamous cobbles of Paris Roubaix? The savage pave of northern France are brutal, and require immense bike handling skill, raw physical power and resilience to ride over at speed. But just how does an amateur compare to a professional rider, or a non cyclist? We went to the Carrefour de l'Arbre to find out....
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Leave us a comment below!
How do you think you would match up to these three? Let us know 👇
Global Cycling Network I would be non cyclist even though I'm a cyclist as I'm only 10
Me probably like 7 mins cuz good weight and fitness is good also I cycle alot
Somewhere between Ollie and George. I've got the miles in my legs, but the weight isn't there. But I'd love to give it a go.. on a dry day, with a Dogma or something in that class.
With my Niner RDO, I think I would do half decent. I live in West Virginia, USA and our roads are terrible. Not cobblestone but ours are gravely, potholes and rocky on the less maintained roads.
Full-on George. Same size, older...
The 'regular person' should be a feature of all GCN does science pieces - brings it closer to the outcomes most of us flying doughnuts can expect!
Agree, but maybe someone with 6 months to a year of experience, closer to where a lot of us are.
@@efusco you'd need a regular refresh anyways;)
Come to think of it, is cover still pro? They should hijack s guy from the prototype for each science bit.
The antithesis of the stig, I love it.
I volunteer to be an Average Joe cyclists in a future video!
“I think what we learned today, Pros are faster than amateurs”. Well, I’m glad we cleared that up
Still Watched it 😂😂
Please consider adding to GCN all time quote vault: “My hands are absolutely frozen and my gooch is on fire” -George (Aka the cobble master)
Ollie should win a prize for his bravery: "Borrowing his Dogma to a non-cyclist to ride a time trial on a wet cobble segment! - you are the man Ollie!!!
Lending
Bro I agree. Literally the first thing I thought when he handed the bike over. I cringed on the inside.
Why on earth you'd do it on a Dogma I'd never know. Even the Pros aren't that sadistic. :)
hehe but he changed the wheels from the visions to some less expansive mavics :-P
Maybe George could be featured on additional things with Ollie’s bike like “George figures out how to replace Ollie’s bottom bracket.”
LOL
George: I didn't bring a bike
Ollie: that's okay, borrow my £10k one...to ride on a 5* secteur. In the wet.
🤣🤣🤣
I was thinking the exact thing. He obviously gets his bikes comped.
My gooch is on fire. Arguably one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard.
He should have added "...and me two cobbles are cobbled!"
My aunt Joyce used to call it an itch in her gitch LOL
Well done George, punctures and then no gloves for the late run. Brutal.
George, you legend. Well done mate. As a commuter I've never done cobbles either, and now I know that I wouldn't be able to. 😊 Hats off to you. Give us more George!
kudo's to george for riding the cobbles , great to see someone with less experience trying a difficult ride
George for presenter?
It's fun to see a new perspective.
George: gets handed an f12
Also George: oh ok
I laughed at that one..
They didn't tell him how much does the bike cost so he wouldn't have to clean the mud off of his jaw :D also he would be significantly slower if they told him, because he would hold back, being afraid of damaging the bike. I have ridden my full carbon road bike on terrain before and it felt like it would break in half any second. I hate that feeling.
Me: “I could never be a professional cyclist, I’m too tall”
Conor: “Hold my beer”
Welcome to GCN, GeorgeB! Thank you for taking one for the team (the viewing audience).
YES George B!
Is he one of your team, or just some random bloke?
go George!
He's a beginner but a pro in our hearts
@@matthewlewis2072 He's her bit on the side.....
Please have George on the show more often, he represents more of us than the usual ( _and much loved_ ) presenters.
I did the Paris Roubaix Sportive last year. Once I cleared the Arenberg I said never again will I put myself through that madness. After the Carrefour de l arbre I was already thinking about 2020.....theres something special about the cobbles...like a moth to a flame
Did the Superklassiker a few years ago and same thing, can't stop thinking about it.
thanks for keeping us entertained during the quarentine
They should do this with Jeremy to see how a CX rider fairs
Toby Turner great idea, but good luck flying him over there for a while
Jeremy could even run carrying his bike! He has many skills
I would like to recommend looking at how Wout Van Aert did. Considering he had very bad luck he was one of the strongest men of the day in the 2019 edition.
or send one of the GMBN boys down this. Blake would likely eat this for breakfast
Way to go George! Welcome to the channel; hope to see you in the future.
If you've not seen it, check out George, Conor, and Ollie's hour record challenge from last year: gcn.eu/WHRPace Thanks for the support!
George for the win.
Mix up the amateur in the post discussion next time. Wanted to hear George’s comments the most, actually.
Chapeau George ! Top work to take a 2nd run
We were all beginners once! Cheers to George!
I see 2 blokes riding a bike and 1 in low-earth orbit!
More new-rider stuff please. 😁
Edit: Including new riders who are women.
george being the beginner, doesnt get a mic at the end... how sad
poor Geroge didn't even get a mic at the end. nice video :) I'd love to ride that section one day.
I totally get the tradition of Paris-Roubaix, but one must also consider: why do this on a road bike? Or any bike? Seems like madness. Good on George for giving it a go and finishing
Nice way to demo the challenge of the cobbles chaps.. great to see how supportive you were of your beginner rider too.. love the "Conor-Stenics" at the end too.. fine drumming!
Nice job GCN, its the ole pro vs joe scenario, I like it. This helps us mere mortals feel ever so slightly better about ourselves, this should be a regular segment.😀
Cheers, Paul! If you've not seen it, check out our Pro vs Amateur vs Rookie video from last year where Ollie, George, and a well disguised Conor tried to hold hour record pace for as long as possible: gcn.eu/WHRPace . What other videos would you like to see in this series?
Top video!! Conor is a totally GREAT addition to the GCN team. It was my privilege to take part and complete without puncturing or falling the 1982 Paris Roubaix cyclo-tourist event. (The very weekend the British armed forces invaded the Falkland Islands). The experience was out of this world and one of my life's moments! My body shook for a week after. And my wrists hurt like hell from about 150kms in to the event!! When we finished, me and my 3 mates, we still had 50kms to cycle, in the dark and the rain, to get to the hotel.
George is a hero.
And the comment about cycling being amazing because anyone can go ride the same roads is absolute truth.
God, I wish I was George in this video to get to ride the Dogma beast, even on the cobbles 😔.
I remember doing the Tour of Flanders route last year and after the last section of cobbles my hands and lower arms felt a tingling numb from the constant vibrations. Having had that experience and knowing that Roubaix's cobbles are even more mental, I can only don my hat at the pros flying over them at 40km/h and to George for finishing the section as a beginner!
“doff” my hat…….
I rode the amateur version of this race on a Steele eddy Merck's in 1991 normal width tryes but low pressure, don't think I was doing 40k ..I would be lucky to be doing 30 K an hour over 220k.
There was a comment last year from a pro who rode Paris Roubaix for the first time: He said that during the recce he was alone and able to choose his line through the cobbles but on race day he was in the bunch and unable to avoid the holes and other obstructions which made it much tougher.
I would be curious what time George would have managed with a full suspension XC bike
With road 2 inch MTB tires. The bike would be substantially slower at baseline but it's shock absorbing ability may or may not overcome that. It would be significantly more comfortable and safer.
@@sevenrats when Matt Stevens tested a hardtail XC bike, a Cross bike and a road bike on cobbles in an older video the XC hardtail was the fastest. So I think a full suspension XC bike could be faster.
Easily faster, it's not even a question....
@@MAGAIVER I would be surprised if the full suspension would be faster than the hard tail. The reason for riding a hardtail MTB is that you can ride trails faster than on a full suspension bike at least until the trails go beyond your ability to stay upright on the hardtail. I'll say that I wasn't surprised at all by the results of the comparison they did a few years ago.
Thank you gcn. it's an amazing experience to rise the pavée (I rode them last year during the Paris roubaix challenge, so hard) harder that what you think before rinding them... the 'tranchée d'Aremberg' is even worse than the 'carefour de l'Arbre' !
Florence et Alexis Martel Agree! I was not prepared the first time I did it. Way worse than I had imagined.
9:54 guys, give George a mic, will ya? His voice is so muffled without it, contrast to the Conor and Ollie.
Get George as a regular presenter, please. He provides a good view for someone who’s new to cycling.
i am full on team George
@@Vokunos agree
Thirded. Motion to Pass?
I enjoyed the cobbles. Roubaix is my fave. The format of the three levels was excellent. Thank you.
3:14 The car in the background is massive.
It just looks like that cause the person in the background is a little girl
Dacia Sandero ;)
Another great vid but I’m not a fan of that “looking at the wrong camera” technique.
me neither
imagine giving up a pinarello that easily...
My respect, well done George !!
Im not a roadie.. but i miss the Matt Stephens & Simon Richardson Tandem.
Oh good old days.
I love my Specialized Roubaix Sport. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to ride that section of cobble!
Nice one George! We rode many of pavé sectors on a tandem in 2018 in the run up to the race, and it's bloody difficult! On the Carrefour de l'arbre and the Arenburg Forest we had to get a balance of speed and control, with control being the determining factor. And yes, the vibrations are tougher than you could possibly imagine. So it was amazing to see Peter Sagan and Sylvan Dillier blast past us on the Carrefour de l'arbre near the end of the race. No race this year, but hopefully it'll be back stronger in 2021.
I hope to see more of George!
Holly cow Ollie, some major cross chain pedalling there, biggie bigs @ 5:00 Are you guys sure you weren’t the beginner. Rofl 🤣 don’t let Manon or Jon see this lol 😂
As much as I enjoy the GCN channels, this video stung a bit. I was supposed to leave for Paris in three days and then on to Roubaix for the PR Challenge. I’m pretty sure that many others are feeling the disappointment as well but it’s really nothing when you look at the big picture. It will be that much more meaningful when we get the opportunity again. Let’s hope that we can soon put this pandemic disaster behind us. Stay well everyone.
“my gooch is on fire” Brilliant!
This is like classic GCN content. More of this please.
I am confident that I could get through it with minimal problems! Oh, I did forget to say that would be on my FS MTB.
Glad to see the road is properly crowned with the appropriate swales on either side to drain away the storm water....
Whenever I'm riding on rough roads, I'm more worried about my bike than me (other than the fear that something is going to break causing a crash). So, I don't now how fast I could do it, but faster on someone else's bike than on mine.
great video! would love to see more in the "Non Cyclist vs Amateur vs Pro" series - it provides a nice reference point especially for those of us who are somewhere in between the Non Cyclist and Amateur ...
Conor doing 'beeps' has made my day
The bike throw by george at 7:56 😍
I see that GCN has equipped George with a helmet from a former sponsor...
11:13 actually the Trouée d’Arenberg is only opened for the Paris Roubaix race weekend. On Saturday for the amateur course and on Sunday for the pro course.
Conor - I love you! When I saw you start to ride the cobbles, I had the insane thought: "that's what it would look like if a stork rode a bike!" No offense intended at all - I really do like you and your presenting style. You've been good for GCN
I wanna do the Paris-Roubaix Challenge next year! Also, nice vid!
Jelle do it. It’s scary, but brilliant
Any quick info on bikes, tires and pressure for this?
Guys you could have explained what gears are to George!
Conors Frameset is the biggest I’ve ever seen!
Mine are bigger :))
Sorry to say that, but GCN did a video on the cobbles several years ago, which somehow just had more content and was more fun to watch. Watch your own archives.
Love cycling videos just what I need to get it going the blood I love it. I always watch these before I go out and get my body moving. I always watch one of these, and then put up my heavy playlist like Delta Parole, Three Days Grace, System and then I just go haaaaard!!!! Tactic hasnt let me down yet.
Love these kinds of videos :)
I have a very important question!
Would riding on cobble stones like Roubaix seriously reduce the life span of a bicycle frame?
I'm sure it would have some impact
George!! So good to see a normal person on the show again! Hey, guys, give George a mic!! George, if you're ever in Houston, we can take you out for a ride with tacos and maybe even a beer.
what a warming video thx guys. i would be on a trip to belgium mid april, but i get thats not gonna work out. as long as im not sick and my kickr works im fine
Great fun and really enjoyed watching the event, but I was terribly disappointed not to have Conor and Ollie discuss and demonstrate the appropriate technique for riding cobbles - and then see if Ollie could improve his time... that would have been a great video!
Personally I never understand why there’s no attempt on Hem, the last real cobble section. It’s nearly as hard as carrefour, but for a longer time and really difficult to navigate.
George, you finished and you didn't get hurt. Good on ya!
After a London to Paris effort myself and our group sprinted the cobbles of Champs to finish. My hands were vibrating 48 hours later, 2km would be brutal
While not in France, there are a few sections of cobble roads in Philadelphia, PA USA and it's always a treat to ride them. Not for 2+ km, though... Personally, I usually ride sections like this in the drops for a bit lower COG as well as getting the full length of the bars' vibration damping. And as some others have said, not really sitting on the saddle, but slightly hovering - although that does burn the quads after a few minutes.
I'm surprised you didn't give poor George at least a few tips before sending him out. Kudos to him for just getting through staying upright.
If you happen to be in America anytime stop by Richmond, VA to check out the cobbles from the 2015 World Championship race course. I just road Libby Hill yesterday.
george's entrance music was sweet as hell!
Global Cycling asks what do we think? Well... As Ollie gave the beginner his Pinarello Dogma... I was like "Ok, this has to be a sponsered bike, nobody gives such a bike to a beginner for trying getting a time over wet cobble stones, crazy!"
Amazing, great video, congrats to all of you 3 guys, well done!! 👏👏👏
Big lad (me) takes big cear, low cadence, semi standing... thats why it is hard but bike take it (bike that is) easyer when it can dance over bumps.
On the middle of the road, cutting the corners. Not holding the steer to strong and lifting your ass a bit up at the worst parts. Easy said, but I used to cycle amateur level and I live in Gent-wevelgem area. Like you guys having a heart for the sport. New to your channel 👍
Please, more of you three again! Fantastic video. Just please give the beginner a proper mic 😜
Check out Conor, Ollie, and George's Hour Record Challenge from last year! gcn.eu/WHRPace
Connor nailed the "d dum dunne tish" at the end
Would be curious to know how a gravel bike offsets the technique element from the perspective of non-pros.
We know from a previous video that a hardtail MTB is faster than a cyclocross bike is faster than a road bike, for Matt Stephens anyway. Fair to say that the difference would probably be even bigger for a complete amatuer.
In Chechz Republic there is a race Pave tour Milovice. Its 100km long with about 40km cobblestone its for all categories, i was riding last year it was very painful but i was happy to finish it.
I suspect the faster you go, the smoother it becomes... Maybe do it again and fit something to the bike that measures vibration..
Top marks to George for staying upright over those in the wet. It’s hard to describe just how crazily hard that section is. Not as bonkers as Arenberg, but still very, very hard. Such a shame the 2020 race can’t happen.
George: A beginner but a pro in our hearts
I wonder how much of an advantage if at all running tubeless is on a section like this with regards to puncture resistance (and possibly being able to run lower pressure).
It should be better than inner tubes, but Alexander Kristoff last year had several bad punctures in a row with tubeless. Tubulars are probably the only reasonable thing to use there.
That sector is brutal Chapeau on completing it George
Let’s have George do more videos with GCN. The everyman’s perspective. Recreational/fitness rider amongst professionals. Also, he seems to be a cool guy. Of course after riding and training with you lot for a year, we’d probably be seeing a new George. George the hammer!
We're super proud of George for taking this on and smashing it. Have a look at the Hour Record Challenge he took part in late last year: gcn.eu/WHRPace Thanks for the support!
Oh yeah. I forgot about that one. He didn’t get to say much on that one. “Buzzer” for your Hour Record Mention, Ollie!
Big shout out to George for taking this on.
Should have done a similar length of flat road and compared the splits for each rider. Would be interesting to see the comparison between surfaces as well as between riders.
How about doing it again but have a high speed camera recording the bike frame to see how the carbon frame flexes while riding on cobbles. Would be fun to see and scary at the same time.
Curious if you put the amateur on a gravel or XC bike with wider tubeless tires (40 to 50mm) whether he would have shaved a minute or two off?
I think they ALL would have been faster
Based on the past video where Si and Matt tested MB vs cyclocross vs road on a section of cobbles, more likely 5 to 10 seconds, or maybe Si and Matt were just much better than Ollie so the MTB would make a bigger difference for Ollie.
That will be the only racing well see on those cobbles for some time... :( - personally I love Paris-Roubaix, but I use a cantilever cross bike with 30mm tires. I would not attempt it on hard 25 mm tires. I have destroyed some rim-edges on the cobbles, but never punctured. (Last year, my front tooth gear blades came loose having only 2 bolds left holding it together, I skipped the last 3 cobble sections)
Ivar Brouwer there are some old P-R full race videos on RUclips. I've started watching those in absence of any current racing. It's amazing to see the guys in the 90's and the bikes they had back then.
It would be really interesting to compare these runs to ones on the newer offerings from Specialized and Trek that have more compliant seat tube setups and suspensions inside the head tube.
Try Calderdale and Keighley West Yorkshire. Monster cobbled climbs on silly gradients with gaps between the setts capable of swallowing a 28mm tyre.