vandalarchitect

Just in time for Paris-Roubaix. Go find some stones on your next ride and post a pic of the pavé.

K.Katso

That's too easy - I did the Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclosportive last Saturday.





Note: I didn't take these pics, they were done by a professional that was providing photo service for the event.

AdelaaR

I regularly ride "De Muur van Geraardsbergen":



The last time I did it was 2 weeks ago at the end of "MuurChallenge" ... a sort of mass-riding-and-climbing-de-Muur-event.
It's a shame they took it out of the course of "De Ronde" this year.

We also did "De Bosberg" at the start of that ride:

K.Katso

Yeah it is a shame about those. Those were two of my favorites. De Muur was my favorite spot to watch the race.

chasm54

Horrible, horrible stuff. I love watching the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix, but riding that stuff is hard, and ghastly in the wet. I broke two ribs at the start of December coming off on a steep section of wet cobbles. Next time I'll have the sense to get off and walk.

K.Katso

Here's a photo that I took last year near Roubaix, in the section Camphin-en-Pévèle

AdelaaR

I have to add a little note saying that I didn't actually take those pictures.
When I'm climbing these things I hardly find breath enough to do anything but keep riding.

Those cobbles in the last Roubaix picture look pretty easy (for cobblestones) ... they're laid out nice 'n flat and the mud between them smooths things out.
Compared to "De Muur", where the cobbles are pointy and laid out in a fashion specifically to make it as hard as possible, that is.

vandalarchitect

How is anybody going to compete with De Muur? So sad they took it out this year.

halfspeed

I'll see your cobbles and raise you a minimum maintenance road.

noise boy

Here are some of our local ones in B'more, these are in pretty good shape compared to some of the other parts.

adriano 

looks fells-ish.

vandalarchitect

This is the only stretch of road I know of around here is isn't conventional paving. Although, sometimes I think the chip seal we get might qualify as cobbles.

calamarichris

These are in Maastricht, just downriver from Liege.

Reynolds 

From C&V to the 41:

noise boy

Federal Hill, the ones by me in Fells are even more crap.

eippo1

This looks a lot like the route taken in D2R2 through lots of steep, dirt roads in W. Mass & Vt. Awesome fun. I love climbing that stuff.

vandalarchitect

I thought that picture looked familiar. That photo challenge thing was fun, it's a shame it died.

bikepro

Chip seal can be rough, depending how coarse it is, but it still does not compare to cobblestone. Old cobblestone is polished over the years. When it is wet, it is extremely slick and dangerous -- even to drive on. Some of the roads shown here are brick -- rough, but I don't think they become polished the same way as true cobblestone does.

Reynolds 

+1. Old cobbles are as slippery as they come, on some you have to be careful just riding straight, if it's raining.

vandalarchitect

I was being facetious. The brick still gets fairly slick but not as much as cobbles. Although to be technical, most of the pics here are showing setts, not cobbles.


Cobbles

adriano 

ill have to get a picture of the ones at the harbor east roundabout, now also featuring intermittent steel plates.

halfspeed

Going up is fun, it's the downhills that get scary.

DuraAce

noise boy

The ones around the square on Broadway are pretty brutal as well.

dgasmd

Pompeii right? There are roads in the roman forum that look like that too.