Paris Roubaix 2012

Going to watch the pros ride this year. Can anyone recommend good spots on the route, anywhere good to eat & drink that evening, and any hints for accomodation around Lille/Roubaix? All info gratefully received!

If you are going in a car it is easy to see the race 3 times without much stress; 4 can be pushing it a bit unless you really know the roads. Starting off at Arenburg (if it is used this year) get there an couple of hours early and you'll have no problem getting a spot against the barriers, then a quick 10 min drive down the motorway and you will see loads of cars parked up and people nipping through the trees on the right to catch the race again (the race winds about so takes much longer to get there). The police sometimes try to stop people parking there but it's impossible really as so many people are doing it. Then on to the Carrefour de L'arbre which has some of the worst cobbles and great crowds.

Yep, Arenberg! (still not sure if it is in, apparently there is some concern over it)
How mobile will you be? If you have a car you can see four or five sectors easily.
Valencienne is a good base, and it is a short ride to the Foret d'Arenberg from there.

I found trying to do more than 3 a bit stressful; preferred having more time to relax, get there, enjoy the atmosphere and walk along the route to find a great spot and eat/drink.

Thanks fellas.

I'm afraid stressful will be the name of the game - I'm driving a photographer around... He probably has a good idea where to be too... but I'm more interested in finding somewhere to drink good flemish ale and eat good flemish food! I don't really give a crap about racing.

Oh yeah and thanks for the mention of the forest, we'll probably do some riding on another day.

Thanks fellas.

I'm afraid stressful will be the name of the game - I'm driving a photographer around... He probably has a good idea where to be too... but I'm more interested in finding somewhere to drink good flemish ale and eat good flemish food! I don't really give a crap about racing.

Go to Belgium, rather than France?

Flanders mate! The border is an irrelevance anyway innit?

Not if you speak Flemish.

Aha well I'm displaying my ignorance then aint I.

They're all lovely, mind. Especially the Beer. Beeeerrrrr. I will be coming back with a spazz wagon chock full of 3 Monts, God's Gift to Beer Lovers.

Yikez, I've just discovered I can bring up to 110 litres of beer in, for personal consumption.

There is an amazing shop in Poperinge that has a huge array of fine Belgian beer. Definitely worth a diversion off the autoroute for.

Here:

http://gloriousfoodandwinebelgianbeer.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/beer-shop-noel-cuveliers-poperinge.html

I rode Arenberg cobbles last week, they are back in apparently though I can tell you they have not yet been clened as promised.

Blog post: http://www.rollapaluza.de/blog/2012/03/21/we-ride-arenberg-cobbles-kopfsteine/

vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEdkgTlmxtc

and Skully, my etap hotel was a 15 min ride to Arenberg, the rest of the area looks pretty dull, except I saw signs to hot springs!

Yikez, I've just discovered I can bring up to 110 litres of beer in, for personal consumption.

2 x

Where and when is the party?

Assume that you're riding ut and back Ludwig?

and Skully, my etap hotel was a 15 min ride to Arenberg, the rest of the area looks pretty dull, except I saw signs to hot springs!

I'll look out for that!

@Ludwig

No, it means 144 of these:

There is no party. Just 144 happy nights for me.

Not to put a dampener on things, but I was talking to some Belgian guys when down at the Galibier last year and they said that the police were going to put a stop to people jumping in cars to see different parts of the race as it was becoming a pain in the arse when everyone had the same idea.

good luck skully...

Not to put a dampener on things, but I was talking to some Belgian guys when down at the Galibier last year and they said that the police were going to put a stop to people jumping in cars to see different parts of the race as it was becoming a pain in the arse when everyone had the same idea.

Just got back from Flanders and will be going to Roubaix next weekend, and can confirm that the police on both events are stopping as best they can people driving from one sector to another unless you have accreditation as part of the event. They wouldn't let spectators drive within miles of the course on Sunday and will have the motorway exits closed next Sunday. So if you are not in place early you won't get to see anything.

find a spot in the forest of arenberg and this by nick livesey aka XL sward, to get you in the mood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tfMAwwGZI8

A x

Just got home, that was manic and really fun. We got to three separate stretches of pave', none more than 1k from where we parked, we stayed on local roads to get near enough. Thankfully, we were well placed on a winding stretch about ten minutes from the finish... Boonen was leading and the crowd was going pretty nuts!

Mmmmm lots of beer at my house. :)
Take a look at wig's shots. I love the long shot across the fields with the spire behind the pack. Boonen gritting his teeth on page two...
http://www.540network.com/ww/00729/index.html

It was a great day out, I think we must have been pretty close to you at some point, we started at Inchy, then Tilloy, then Camphin en Pevele and finally got to the stadium just in time. It was a manic day, but such a great race. Having ridden from sector 16 to the stadium the day before I have nothing but admiration for the riders.