Up close with the Paris-Roubaix cobbles

Paris-Roubaix, the third Monument on the cycling calendar, takes place this weekend. It is renowned for its brutal cobbles — bone-shaking, teeth-chattering, bike-breaking cobbles. But what are these iconic stone roads really like to ride? We sent James 'Hank' Lowsley-Williams and Conor Dunne to northern France to find out exactly what it’s like to ride a road bike over these historic roads.

Starting at Quiévy à Saint-Python, then heading to Haveluy à Wallers, Trouée d’Arenberg, Pont Gibus, Mons-en-Pévèle, and Carrefour de l’Arbre, Conor and Hank give the full breakdown on some of the most important sectors of the race. These are the hardest cobbled sectors on the course, and the ones where it’s likely that the race will be decided.

• Read more: We rode cobbles too rough for Paris-Roubaix!

As Conor and Hank find out, there's an awful lot of skill to riding these sections well. Before each section, the pros will be fighting to get to the front of the group. On the cobbles themselves, it's crucial to stick to the smoothest sections, which is sometimes the crown, and sometimes the gutter running along the side. Whatever happens, they'll be doing everything to avoid some of the enormous gaps in the road, which are almost certainly a recipe for a flat tyre.

Get yourself in the spirit ahead of this weekend’s racing by giving the video at the top of his page a watch.

For more racing features, visit our racing features page.