Top Ride: The culmination of my visit to Holy Week was the long anticipated, much feared, and never completed ride across the parcours of Paris-Roubaix. Finally I learned what it was like to battle the toughest roads in northern France and earn my own lap of honour at the Roubaix velodrome.My first time to ride the roads of Roubaix was 2004, and although I had a big day on the cobbles, I didnt make it to the famed velodrome. Even worse was that I had to wait until 2012 for my return to clear up this unfinished business. Once again I was joining Velo Classic Tours’ excellent Cobbles week trip, and this day would be the Queen stage of a top-notch week of riding, race chasing, and soaking up the best of Flemish culture.My week with Velo Classic Tours was a big one and while the group rode every day except race days, I had to get some work done here too which meant a scaled back version of riding for me. But still I logged over 400km in just 4 rides and after Thursdays almost 100km ride to Tournai from Gent, I was a little nervous about how my legs would hold up for Fridays main event to Roubaix – and over 25km of cobbles to cover.The VCT group rolled straight from the hotel enroute to the pick up the course at the Arenberg Forest, I exercised the short option to forego the opening 40km to the Trench, saving...
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