Righto, i needed a challenge this summer to make me get out and get some miles in on my bike. The one i've settled on is riding 173km of the Paris - Roubaix cycle race, otherwise known as the 'Hell of the North' seeing as it's a bit of a challenge and passes through WW1 battlefields.

49 km of the route is over cobbled farm tracks.

How bumpy is it? Here's how one pro decribed the route:-

 

"Let me tell you, though - there's a huge difference between Flanders and Paris–Roubaix. They're not even close to the same. In one, the cobbles are used every day by the cars, and kept up, and stuff like that. The other one - it's completely different ... The best I could do would be to describe it like this - they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That's Paris–Roubaix. It's that bad - it's ridiculous." - Chris Horner^]

This clip gives an idea of what the route is like. It features the pros - Amateurs ride the same route.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQGibzq8Sg

 

I could do it on a mountain bike but in order to get the full Roubaix experience i'll be doing it on a no suspension, skinny saddle, thin wheels, road bike

 

Which charity shall benefit from your sponsorship?

The Thai Childrens Trust http://www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/whoweare/about-us

This is a hands on, practical chairty with provides a home, education and future for over 1500 children, and reach out to thousands more through health and nutrition projects. It provides help to:-

 

Orphans, children with HIV and AIDS, street kids, refugee children and children with disabilities, the latter of whom, for cultural reasons, can find things particulalry tough.

 

Soooo, if you can donate/sponsor anything, even a quid, it would be gratefully received.

 

Yours in  thanks, cobbles, bumps and probable falling off!!!

 

Matthew