In the trenches of Paris-Roubaix

As a cycling fan, it was a bit of a thrill once to cycle down the dreaded Arenberg trench, a legendary cobbled segment of the Paris-Roubaix spring classic. That I was on a hired city bike with a front basket was only partly the reason why I mostly cycled on the much safer dirt track alongside the pavé...

In this part of the Nord-Pas de Calais we are deep in coal-mining country. The Arenberg trench, Trouée d'Arenberg-Wallers (official name the Drève des Boules d’Hérin), is a 2.3km road that cuts straight through the Arenberg forest on the edge of a large mine. The segment was only introduced to the Paris-Roubaix race in 1968 but has become a permanent fixture - apart from one year when surface damage caused by the collapse of abandoned subterranean mining tunnels was finally deemed bad enough to warrant repair. It's been the site of notable crashes over the years and can make or break a rider's day very easily.

I'm glad to report however that our hired bicycles were safely returned to St Amand-les-Eaux after our day out on the cobbles...









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