THE RACE TO WIN PARIS-ROUBAIX BEGINS ON INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK
Teams are hyping Paris-Roubaix like never before with catchy, compelling videos and reels on the social media platforms.
“The Hell of the North,” or Paris-Roubaix, perhaps cycling’s most famous one-day race, will take place on Sunday.
Paris-Roubaix might be the second most famous race in the world after the Tour de France, and some consider it the best race in all of professional cycling.
Paris-Roubaix travels along France’s border with Belgium and includes 30 cobbled sectors (pavé in French) varying in length and difficulty. That’s 55.3 of the race’s 259 kilometers where riders’ bones break, hands blister, tires pop, and bikes shatter—and that’s if the weather is dry and sunny.
If it rains, chaos and carnage follow.
In 2022, the Tour de France raced across part of the Paris-Roubaix course. We stood on a cobbled section. The stones hurt to walk on much less ride a bike on—even a bike with slightly wider tires and lower air pressure.
While there are many clips of Paris-Roubaix’s greatest hits, or crashes, on Instagram and TikTok, this is the first year when teams and riders have really used social media to showcase themselves and the race.
Much more so than in the past, the teams’ social media directors have been very creative in filming the training or “recon” (for reconnaissance) rides on the cobbles ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
Wout van Aert nearly crashed on a training ride, but had no problem posting the footage captured from what looks to be a drone.
The French team, DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM, produces some of the most creative TikTok posts among the WorldTour teams. Here’s their video.
Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe shot this video from the rider’s perspective (as he drafted off of a Red Bull buggy.)
The Ineos Grenadiers produced this video shot from above.
Israel-Premier Tech posted this video filmed from the back of a team car so you can see (feel) the road shaking the car and the rider on his bike.
Speaking of Israel-Premier Tech, Oded Kogut, the team’s up-and-coming sprinter who is built like a tank, will be racing Paris-Roubaix for the first time. He’s now the third Israeli rider to take part in the race.
According to the team’s spokesman, Kogut rode through the race’s toughest 2.3 kilometer stretch in the Arenberg Forest.
“I saw black,” he said. “It was hard just holding the handlebars.”
Fifty-two riders, including Americans Colby Simmons and Luke Lamperti, will be making their first appearance at Paris-Roubaix.