To pay homage to the cobbled classic, Paris-Roubaix, clothing specialist Rapha organised its own ‘Hell of the North’ around Hertfordshire last Sunday. Using a mix of undulating Tarmac roads, gravelled paths and dirt tracks, the event was a celebration of riding road bikes on rough stuff and the hard men of professional cycling who are synonymous with the early season classics.

The route included the smooth undulating roads that typify the Hertfordshire area with its quaint picturesque villages, thatched roofs and church spires peaking above the horizon, but it was the interspersing of 20 sectors of ‘gravé’ (Rapha’s tag for the off-road sectors); potholed lanes, gravel tracks, bridleways, broken Tarmac lanes and dirt roads that made the ride so unique and so much fun.

By the time we reached the finish, some 50 miles later, at a pub in High Barnet dishing out free beer and frites to all who survived the ride, and with the racing action being shown live from Paris-Roubaix, most agreed that it was a thoroughly good day out and a well conceived event.

I had little idea of what to expect, if I’m honest, but I dug out a couple of Rapha garments and headed north of the M25 (on a bicycle, this is a rare occurrence). Starting from Highgate in North London, the ride was free to all and about 200 or so turned out for the 9am staggered start. Being an organised ride in the loosest sense, each rider received a pink route card showing the way.

What made the ride for me was the inclusion of the off-road sectors, and the reason I made the journey. There’s something strangely enjoyable about hammering a lightweight road bike across terrain typically reserved for more rugged machinery, but this is the unique attraction of Paris-Roubaix. The race traditonally includes a large quantity of pavé or cobbled roads, which in the early years was used purely because it was there and often a better alternative to other road surfaces. Over the decades much of the pavé disappeared under Tarmac and it was only in 1968, when Jean Stablinski was asked to scout out increasingly rare sectors of cobbles, that the infamous Tranchee d’Arenberg was introduced and the race returned to its defining feature, pavé.

For the Rapha Hell of the North, the route designers didn’t play safe, scouting out some extremely rough and challenging trails. There’s obviously a lack of cobbles in this part of the world but they did well to improvise with dirt tracks, singletrack, gravel paths and muddy tracks.

One such road’s surface was scarred with dozens upon dozens of potholes, varying in diameter and depth from a mere dimple to some nearly big enough to swallow a 700c road wheel. It’s not the typical style of terrain that is asked of a top-end carbon race bike (or any road bike come to think of it), but it did prove just how much you can get away with on 23mm slick tyres.

No modifications were made to our bikes, other than adjusting tyre pressure. Some did bring out the cyclo-cross bikes and, in some cases, mountain bikes were the choice for some. There were a few crashes (I only know this because of the several people relaxing in the pub’s beer garden with smears of mud upon their clothing) and a good few punctures (five tubular tyres between three riders, I overheard in one conversation).

In all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Well organised, a nice use of off-road sections, good companionship, relaxed atmosphere and above all spectacularly nice weather. Roll on 2011.

See the route here www.rapha.cc/hell-of-the-north-route

Sector-by-sector guide www.rapha.cc/hell-of-the-north-sectors-pt1

(First two photos copyright Andrew Diprose)