I’ve always wanted to do a really long point to point ride, but for various reasons I’ve never been able to commit to the adventure.
So, when Van Rysel set me the task of delivering their latest endurance bike from their Lille HQ to their concept store in London, I jumped at the chance. It would be a ride of 300 kilometres over two days aboard their latest EDR endurance road bike.
Along the way, I faced a route that would test the bike, my terrible French, and my fitness. There would be cobbles, cake and, given we’re into autumn now, probably some crap weather.
So with a distinct lack of fitness, I set off.
Doing Paris-Roubaix
Liam rides Carrefour de l’Arbre (credit: Liam Cahill)
Given that my ride began in Lille, it would be rude to not ride some of Paris-Roubaix’s cobblestone sectors. They are, after all, just a stone’s throw away from Van Rysel’s HQ.
After a short ride out of Lille, and with tyres set to what I thought would be the correct pressure, I clattered into Camphin-en-Pevele.
Van Rysel’s EDR offers space for 38mm tyres, though the stock build comes with 32mm Continetal GP5000 AS TR. If you’re not riding cobbles with the aim of winning Paris Roubaix, then maximising your tyres size is a wise move.
With the infamous Carrefour de l’Arbre coming next, I stopped to let a little more air out of my tyres. While the comfort I gained was incredibly welcome, I still found my rear bottle jettisoning itself over the jagged cobbles of Paris-Roubaix’s final five-star section.
Chain slap on Van Rysel EDR (credit: Liam Cahill)
After stopping to pick up my liquid carbs, it was a case of tackling the well-maintained sectors of Gruson and Hem which took me towards the famous Roubaix velodrome.
The concrete track is showing its age, but for a fan of road racing, this is a bucket-list cycling destination. Swinging onto the track with an eerie silence from the stands, I built up some speed to go high on the banking.
This is much steeper than it appears on TV and with autumn leaves dotted about its surface, I was waiting to slide, very painfully, to the bottom. But I crossed the line and with that, challenge 1 was complete.
Conquering the Kemmelberg
Liam Rides Kemmelberg cobbled climb (credit: Liam Cahill)
Between Roubaix and Calais lies a bit of Belgium, with the boarder which I crossed being little more than a river and a minor shift in architecture. Well, there was also a shocking degradation in road surface quality, and a few loose potatoes on the road which nearly caught me out. But otherwise, I headed towards a climb I’ve seen raced on TV countless times.
The Kemmelberg’s cobbled roads are comparatively modern, having been constructed in WW1 to bring munitions up to the artillery on top. Now, the quiet slopes are used as the focal point in Gent-Wevelgem.
Liam rides through Belgium (credit: Liam Cahill)
Van Rysel were keen to point out the EDR’s 830g frame weight and as I hauled my lack of fitness up the Kemmelberg’s 20% pitches, I was glad of every gram saved.
With the Kemmelberg behind me, I rolled up the Mont de Cats (disappointingly lacking in cats) and headed towards the town of Cassel. Here I found a charming cobbled climb with shallow gradients and a growing sense of familiarity.
Cresting the climb and entering the town square, I found the finish line of a cat 4 climb where two riders, vying for a single point on stage 1 of the 2025 Tour de France, crashed as they crossed the line.
It was an unexpected find and one of the reasons I love riding in new areas.
L’heure du déjeuner
French boulangerie cafe (credit: Liam Cahill)
As a rider that doesn’t do too many long days in the saddle, 80km was already a good ride. There was a fair chance that I’d soon bonk, despite drinking my carb mix and snacking all day, so it was time for lunch.
Liam rides through France (credit: Liam Cahill)
The problem came when I realised that it was already well past 2pm and all respectable bistros had finished their lunch service. But with the need to eat some real food, I found a boulangerie and tucked into a jambon salade with lashings of Dijon-infused mayonnaise.
With my belly full, it was time to settle in for the long haul up through North East France. Thankfully, the wind was being kind, so the intermittent rain fell mostly on my back.
Riding to the seaside with ferry (credit: Liam Cahill)
Riding into Calais was arduous. Long, straight roads did little for my morale as my lack of fitness began to catch up with me. But eventually I caught a glimpse of the sea and day one’s finish line.
After meeting Dave, who had come with me to film the trip, we just about had time to stock up on Belgian beer and French cider before catching the tunnel to Folkstone.
London calling
Liam mixes Maurten drinks (credit: Liam Cahill)
Day two started on the beach in misty drizzle. The autumn sunshine which briefly graced the end of the day prior was nowhere to be seen, but the forecast, at least, looked decent for the 130km spin to London.
It was here that I really started to focus on the EDR. One of the highlights was the bar, which has been designed with Deda. The flat top section not only gave a comfortable place to rest my hands as I sang along to pop classics of the 2010s. My apologies if you were in the vicinity.
The more relaxed nature of the day also afforded me the chance for a cafe stop. The day before had been so focussed on filming various challenges while also riding the best part of 180km. So as I sipped a poor excuse for a cortado with a Fanta Orange chaser, I was also able to reflect on the EDR’s calm handling.
Confusing road signs with cyclist (credit: Liam Cahill)
While a road race bike is very good fun to ride, there is a lot to be said for a bike that calmly cruises down sweeping descents, over cobbles and up climbs while making you feel fully in control.
Many riders will choose a race bike because it is the one they see in the Tour de France, but the wise cyclist will take the bike which borrows much of the aero frame features, yet is simply nicer to ride at the weekend.
I believed the main job of the day was dropping the EDR to Van Rysel’s concept store at Canada Warf, but I should have known that I’d end up with an extra task.
Liam sees the London skyline (credit: Liam Cahill)
Cresting a hill near to Coldharbour, I got a great view of the London skyline. This brought a great sense of relief that two long days on the bike were nearing an end, but Dave then suggested I spruced the bike up before we handed it over.
And so I rolled down through Greenwich Park and spotted a garage. Now, I must apologise to those of you who hate the thought of pressure washing a bike, but I had little other choice.
Quite why I thought it a good idea to use a soapy brush on the disc rotors, I’ll never know, but I’m sure we can put this down to my tired state. Honking like an irate goose at every set of lights, I made my way, on an admittedly very shiny bike, to the Van Rysel store.
And that concluded my first ever point to point multi-day ride. It was an excellent little trip, which I’m planning to replicate next summer. Riding new roads with the intention of being somewhere completely new by the end of the day is really quite fun.