Hi,

5 of us are travelling to take part in the sportive and watch the race on the sunday (early April). We need somewhere to stay and wondered if anyone had done similar and had a recommendation?

Cheers,
Andy

You be quite lucky to find much in Roubaix – try Lille. Try airbnb as that seemed to have large apartments.
We booked in October and there was very little available then.

stayed in the accor cambrai. travel lodge esque but perfectly fine. Plenty of places to eat in cambrai, and only 30k ride to the start.

don’t recomend the 6am with no lights, big trucks and cobbles are scary in the dark!!

PS lower tyre pressure required.

Go to Belgium as the beer is better and it’s not a long drive. As I am not doing it this year (3 years in a row doing the full sportive distance)try http://www.grotegoesting.be/ where we stayed the last two years. One of the owners is involved with Gent-Wevelgem so cyclists are very welcome. Motorway connections are good for Roubaix or going south to watch on Sunday. Just make sure you park within the Sports Complex at the Velodrome and not on the adjoining side streets as you will be towed. You won’t see the signs early in the morning.

Go to Belgium – Ghent / Kortrijk is close whereas Roubaix is a bit, ahem run-down.
The ‘full’ sportive is now a bit of a shandy-drinkers version of the full 269km – ironically, the increase in popularity of sportives has meant that you can no longer ride a full-distance event that VC Roubaix used to run. You hit Arenberg at 160km, having been softened-up since Troisville at 100km and a succession of sectors before – 9 hours of brutality 😯

We stayed in a Holiday Inn or equivalent in Ghent last time, first time we stayed in a motorway “hotel” in Roubiax itself (which is a shitehole) and we were the only people staying there that weren;t Syrian refugees, quite an eye opener, but not the best prep!

I don’t think Roubaix is “a shitehole”, its a bit gritty, and has rather too many urban freeways, but we’ve never had a problem in going there for the last 4 years. Like pretty much every town in France it a has a fairly visible diverse populace.
It also has a fantastic art gallery part built using a disused 1920s art nouveau swimming pool, and an interesting new fashion district appearing with recent ESMOD graduates setting up in the town.

we stayed in Kortrijk in the Ibis which was actually really close to the posh main square, and every other guest there seemed to be ‘working’ P-R; photographers, moto pilots etc.