CAFÉ DU CYCLISTE x CLASSICS CHALLENGE

CLASSICS CHALLENGE: A PARISIAN PROMENADE

Café du Cycliste recently became an official partner of Parisian-based ride community, the Classics Challenge. Organising monthly journeys with amateur riders from both the eastern and western sides of Paris; and riding out into the countryside of Île-de-France, the Classics Challenge have different paces for different levels. Every month, 300 Parisian cyclists meet at the KM0 bike shop, a few meters from the Arc de Triomphe. The idea is simple: ride as a group for 100–200km in the Paris region of Île-de-France. To participate, all you have to do is be part of the #CC community and sign up for their free monthly newsletter.

All riders participating meet at KM0 on the given morning, then departures are staggered every 15 minutes according to the pace of the group, between 20–35km/h. The beauty is if you’re feeling slow or fast there are people to catch, or people to pick you up. Just don’t forget to fill your bidons.

So, on Saturday May 13th we embarked on our inaugural ride together – to officially consecrate the partnership – with the Classics Challenge in Paris. Lucie and Hugo from Nice met with François Paoletti, founder of Classics Challenge. He was accompanied by Lilian, a cycling guide who draws up the routes each month.

A word or two on the partnership from François: ‘We already loved the brand born in 2009 on the Côte d'Azur, with its aesthetic inspiration from beyond the traditional codes of cycling; the technicality of its products, the fact that they have an equal share for men and women. When we went to Nice, we never missed an opportunity to visit them at the port – at the same time a shop, café and workshop. And we were delighted to see the brand land in Paris last February, with its first pop-up installed at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. We are very proud to see Café du Cycliste choose to become our official partner.’

Hugo’s Ride Report:

It is 7am at our hotel in the heart of Paris. We are only a few minutes by bike from Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, the location of our pop-up, but we won't have time to make the detour. Either way, it's way too early for browsing Galeries’ famous floors. We will come back later. After stuffing our backpacks and filling the bidons, we clip in and roll towards the Arc de Triomphe. To say that every year in July, the riders of the Tour de France rumble across these cobblestones at more than 50km/h, it is hard to believe, and yet, here we are.

In the meantime, before returning to the starting point, we stop on the way in one of the many Parisian bakeries, just to recharge our batteries and enjoy the morning tranquillity: a good croissant, a cappuccino, and hey presto, we are energised for the ride.

We have an appointment at 8am for the big gathering of the Classics Challenge. At that time, Paris barely wakes up, and it's a real pleasure to cycle along the quays of the Seine on a Saturday morning. We enjoy the sunrise over Notre-Dame de Paris, before passing in front of the Musée d'Orsay and the Invalides. We arrive at the meeting point, at KM0, a shop that bears its name well. The temperature reads 12°C on the meter, ideal spring weather. The organiser and founder of the Classics Challenge, François Paoletti, then takes the floor to give the last instructions before releasing the fast cats.

On the menu of the day, 300 participants divided into different groups of levels, at the free choice of each. Indeed, registration for the Classics Challenge is free, all you have to do is subscribe to the monthly newsletter, then everyone chooses their pace group. Departures are given every 15 minutes: 8:00 am (35km/h) / 8:15 am (30-35 km/h) / 8:30 am (27-30 km/h) / 8:45 am (25-27 km/h) / 9:00 am (23- 25 km/h) / 9:15 (20-23 km/h).

The course? 155 kilometres and 1500m elevation, heading south towards the town of Dourdan in Essonne (birthplace of a certain Tony Gallopin, stage winner and yellow jersey in the 2014 Tour de France).

The exit from Paris is carried out at high speed, hammering across the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées, before traversing the Bois de Boulogne.

Heading west we enter the Chevreuse valley, one of the favourite places for the weekend cyclists of Paris to escape along beautiful country roads to get away from the hullabaloo of the city. At kilometre 15 we pass near Versailles. Unfortunately, we will not have time to make a stop at the palace; the ornaments of Louis ‘the Sun King’ 14th will not be flashing their magnificence at us today.

Whichever the group we find ourselves in, the kilometres go by at high speed.
The fast group takes no prisoners, and the ‘slower’ group is not hanging around. People seem to have energy to burn today.

Maybe it’s the excitement of warmer weather finally appearing. Maybe they want to show the Niçoise riders how Parisians can roll…

The small boulangerie stop at the halfway point will ensure the pace stays consistent. The pastries and coffee also have an extremely rewarding consistency.

Getting back in the saddle, the caffeine and sugar allows us to swallow the last kilometres of the course in style. If we – from the cycling idyll of Nice – had been told that the roads crisscrossing the countryside of the Île-de-France were so calm, we would not have believed it. Indeed, the route concocted by Lilian is a real pleasure: on the 155km of road, we will only meet a few cars, the rest is made up of fields and greenery.

It is barely 1pm when the first group arrives at Dourdan station. The others will follow shortly. It is then time to get on the RER, direction Paris and Austerlitz station. We have nothing left in our legs, nor in our stomachs for that matter. But what is certain is that we are returning to Nice with joy in our hearts, some great memories, and a sense of newfound friends – one of the great aspects of riding a bicycle.

Thanks to François for the organisation, Lilian for the course and Clément for the photos. Café du Cycliste is immensely proud to be supporting the Classics Challenge. Bonne route!

Ride of the Month: April

It’s officially spring, the clocks have swung forward and the Port of Nice is waking up. Bleary-eyed deckhands scrub and polish the big yachts, and little painted dinghies bob gently. Jérôme Cousin, espresso in hand, is discussing his love for ‘slower’ riding since he stepped out of the pro peloton last year.

Ride of the Month: March 2023

Every Spring brings an enchantment here in Provence, when the famous yellow Mimosa trees bloom on the Tanneron and in the Esterel. Located just a few kilometres from Cannes, the massif overlooking the Mediterranean is ablaze with gold, exhaling a sweet scent of honey and vanilla.

Ride of the Month: March 2022

In the world of cycle racing, Milan–San Remo is one of the most prestigious events of the season. To win this trophy is to have your name chiseled into history. But only if you’re a man.

Ride of the Month: May

May is the season of the markets in Provence, where a cornucopia of open air stalls appear each week in most towns and villages. We often like to go gathering on our bikes to such markets – a great excuse to sample some saucisson, uncover archictectural gems and enjoy a coffee or three.