Paris Roubaix Challenge 2016

This is your chance to shake, rattle and roll along the famous Paris Roubaix cobbled route on the day before the pros. Discover just how much your body can be rattled in one day on a bike - Paris Roubaix will test your endurance levels and bike handling skills like few other sportives can.

The course is subject to change from year to year depending on the route of the professional race. But one thing's guaranteed and that's the famous sections of pavé, the rough-hewn cobbles that make this race such a challenge for pros and amateurs alike.

The organisers say:

"The ultimate challenge is to ride the 170km from Busigny to Roubaix, on the same course as the pros will do the day after. However, the routes of 139k and 70k will also leave you plenty of opportunity to get to know the tough cobblestone sections of the mythical Paris-Roubaix race."

The full length 170km route features 28 sections of pavé, with each one given a star rating to indicate difficulty. Full map and GPS details are available from the event website.

We have listed the starting point as Busigny, which is where the 170km route sets off. However, note that the 139km and 70km routes start and finish at Roubaix Velodrome.

Whichever route you choose, Paris-Roubaix offers a fantastic opportunity to sample the best of one-day racing at your own speed in the company of thousands of enthusiasts. Best of all, the next day you can sit back and recover while watching the pro peloton ride the same route in half the time!

Entry is via the event website, http://www.sport.be/parisroubaix, with places for the 2016 Paris-Roubaix Challenge expected to go on sale in early December 2015.

Read Josh Mott's ride report from the 2014 Paris-Roubaix sportive.