Rapha A Day in Hell

Entries are now open for A Day in Hell, Rapha's annual tribute ride to Paris-Roubaix.

Established long before the current gravel trend, the ride takes place on the same day as Paris-Roubaix which this year is on Sunday 7 April 2024.

The 112km route is a mix of road and off-road sectors, finishing with a live screening of the final of the race itself back at Rapha's London HQ.

One of cycling's most prestigious races, Paris-Roubaix is nicknamed Hell of the North - hence the title of Rapha's tribute ride.

Alongside the London edition, there will be rides near select Rapha stores in Europe, Australia and the US, including a Manchester edition in the UK.

Pre-ride coffee, along with midway refreshments from the Rapha H Van and frites at the finish are all included in the £35 entry fee. Not included is signage - no trademark Rapha pink ribbons this year - with riders sent a GPX file of the course in advance to load to their bike computer.

The route is designed to be rideable on 28c tyres, but wider may be advisable depending on conditions. Rapha point out that the event is not a gravel ride - they coined the term "gravé" to describe the mix of bridleways, farm tracks, cobbles and byways - and roughly 70% of the route is on paved roads.

Still, that's not wildly dissimilar to many gravel events and gravel bikes are an ideal choice for this event.

Tickets for A Day in Hell used to disappear in minutes each year, and despite a much greater choice of gravel events these days it's still likely to sell out so don't hang about if you want to enter. 

Find out more and enter at events.rapha.cc.

Wondering what to expect? Check out our report from the 2016 edition - in the days before gravel bikes were invented...

> Muddier, hungrier, loster: Rapha HOTN VII report >