Settling in for a big week

If you’re arriving in Brussels Zaventem Airport (BRU) prior to 11:30am, Bikestyle staff will collect you (and your bike) and transfer you to the hotel in beautiful Kortrijk, our home base for the next 7 nights.

If you miss the collection time or wish to make your own arrangements, the hotel is located in the city centre across the railway station, and accessible from major hubs such as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (~3h20m), Charles De Gaulle Aiport (~3h) or Zaventem (~1h30m).

Once you arrive, go ahead and unpack and begin assembling your bike. Bikestyle staff will be on hand if you have mechanical problems or need any other assistance.

The rest of the afternoon is yours. Depending on your arrival time, you should have time for a shakedown ride.

Before the sun begins to set, we’ll regroup for the Welcome Dinner. Over a Belgian beer (or two), you’ll have plenty of time to mingle with fellow guests, Escape crew and the Bikestyle staff before tucking in for the night and dreaming of the week full of pavé ahead.

Cobbles Masterclass

His name is Johan Museeuw, and he’s known as the Lion of Flanders. He’s a World Champion, a winner at Amstel Gold Race, three-time winner at Tour of Flanders and three-time winner at Paris-Roubaix.

And he’ll be teaching us how to ride the cobbles.

(Let that sink in for a second.)

We’ll ride the three final cobbled secteurs featured in the Paris-Roubaix route — an appetiser for the Paris Roubaix Challenge later in the week — and visit the mythical showers, the scene of many famous photos and, more recently, shameless product placements.

Grote Scheldeprijs and Sightseeing in Brugge

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll take in the start of the semi-classic Scheldeprijs before kitting up and striking northwest for the coast and Brugge (AKA Bruges).

The roads may be flat, but we’re almost guaranteed a punishing headwind somewhere along the way.

You can’t visit Belgium without visiting Brugge. Walking around Brugge is like taking a step back in time. From its 13th-century origins as a cloth-manufacturing town to today, Brugge has changed little. As in a fairy tale, swans glide down the winding canals and the stone houses look like they’re made of gingerbread.

Iconic loops of the Ronde van Vlaanderen

After a feverish night’s sleep and another hearty, caffeine-rich breakfast, we’ll strike out south and east for the iconic roads and muur of the Ronde van Vlaaderen (and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, too). On the docket for the day are the Muur van Garaardsbergen (Omloop) and the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg (Flanders).

After lunch spent comparing PBs up these impossibly steep muurs, we’ll visit the Tour of Flanders Museum (Centrum Ronde Van Vlanderen) in Oudenaarde. The CRVV is an interactive museum with magnificent audiovisuals, projections and computer simulations and where every visitor gets the chance to experience the Tour for themselves. Race next to Schotte, Merckx or Museeuw and feel the cobbles rumble through your weary bones.

The calm before the cobbles

After breakfast we travel to Ypres by van where we start our ride, where we’ll ride across some of the best parts of Gent-Wevelgem race, including the famous Kemmelberg.

After our ride we will return to Ypres for lunch and a shower. After lunch we will visit the Flanders Fields, which were the scene of some of the fiercest battles of World War 1. The group will visit the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the resting place of many Australians and British soldiers.

After dining in Ypres, we will visit the Last Post, where every evening since 1928, the Last Post has been sounded under the imposing memorial arches of the Menin Gate.

It’s Cobblin’ Time!

The Paris-Roubaix Cyclo Sportif gives every cyclist the opportunity to experience the magic of Paris-Roubaix! Held a day before the elite men’s Paris-Roubaix, the Paris-Roubaix Challenge is conducted under the same conditions, with the same cobblestones and finishes on the Vélodrome.

Can it get any better than that?! It can, because, mercifully, you have the choice to ride the 70 to 145km route, and you’re in for a ride no matter what.

Once you cross the finish line (bike throw optional), refreshments and a hot shower await. (Yes, those showers.)

We’ll load up with an early breakfast and head down to Roubaix . You can start any time you like before 10.00am. After crossing the line and freshening up, we’ll regroup and watch the end of the women’s race from the velodrome.

Hell of the North

We’re leaving Compiegne at 10.40am sharp so we have time to see the riders passing on the
first cobblestone section. We will visit different areas on the race route throughout the day.

After spectating our last cobblestone section, we will head to the Roubaix Velodrome to wait the arrival of the 2024 men’s winner. The winning rider will enter Roubaix Velodrome between 4.40pm and 5.25pm (depending on the average speed for the day, which will be fast AF).

After the race finish we will visit the finish area and your day at Paris-Roubaix comes to an end.

During the day we will provide you with drinks, snacks and a picnic lunch.

In the evening, there will be a farewell diner in Kortrijk to put a bow on the Member’s Summit.

So long and farewell! ?

Trip ends and we head our separate ways.

There will be a shuttle to bring you to Brussels Airport or you can take the train from Kortrijk
to Charles de Gaulle Airport (~3h).

The experience we’ve laid out for you runs from Monday the 1st of April 2024 through to the farewell breakfast the following Monday, April 8th 2024.

From experience, many guests will arrive early and/or extend their stay in order to suit their travel plans. If you plan to arrive early or extend your stay afterwards, the good folks at Bikestyle Tours can help with that. We encourage you to coordinate those details with Bikestyle as your plans shape up.

Group Size: ~25-30 guests + Bikestyle support staff & Escape crew

Rides: Sealed roads, some bikeways, famous muurs, bergs and cobbles — of course!

Challenge Rating: Short and sharp hills, many of which over cobbles the region is (in)famous for. Suitable for intermediate and advanced riders.

Accommodation: For the duration of your stay, home base is a 4✯ hotel in Kortrijk. Each room has a separate bathroom with a bath and/or shower, satellite tv, minibar and complimentary wireless internet access. You also have access to the wellness area, with a sauna, steam bath and other amenities.

Mandatory equipment (Paris Roubaix Challenge):

A helmet, a bottle (or hydration pack), a repair kit with 2 inner tubes, and a pump to deal with punctures. Keep a charged mobile phone on you at all times during the event as you may need it to contact the medical or technical support services.

While technical support will be available, you may have to ride for several kilometres before
reaching the closest support point. Fixed Shimano support points will be set up at the
refreshment stations.

• The tour operator (Bikestyle Tours) will handle all transactions (deposits, balance, bike hire).
• Bikestyle Tours are an Australian-based company and charge for in Australian Dollars (AUD).
• Prices shown in other currencies are only approximate. We advise that you check the exchange rate before booking.

All trip costs are per person, not including airfare, and are based on two persons per room. If traveling alone we will match you with a person to share. Alternatively, you may choose to have a room of your own by paying a single supplement.

Price per guest:

• AUD $6,500, single supplement $7,700
• USD $4,200, single supplement $5,000
• EUR €3,900, single supplement €4,600
• GBP £3,400, single supplement £4,000
• CAD $5,800, single supplement $6,800

Make a booking and hire a bike (optional) here.

Note: You are required to have Travel Insurance for your trip.

Many guests find it convenient to hire one of our professionally prepared quality hire bikes.

• Hire a bike so that you’re not lugging a bike around on your extended European holiday
• Hire a bike and mitigate damage or delays during international transit

For your convenience, you can reserve your hire bike when confirming your booking, or at a later date by coordinating with the team at Bikestyle Tours.

Hire price (7 days):

• AUD $445 | USD $290 | EUR €270 | GBP £230 | CAD $400

Prices are benchmarked to the Australian Dollar. Prices in other currencies are for reference only and subject to market fluctuation. We advise that you check the exchange rate before booking.

Note: Renters of hire bikes are liable for damages to their hire bike during the period of hire, so please treat it like you own it. Bikes are set up to your measurements before your arrival and are fully serviced by our professional mechanic.

Join us at the Paris Roubaix Challenge and/or for a refreshing post-Challenge beverage.

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