The beginning of April means one thing to fans of away-from-the-road bike racing in Europe - the arrival of the annual cobble-fest that is the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and the Paris-Roubaix. Riding the infamous cobbles/pavé/kinderkoppen/
kasseien is practically a right-of-passage for many cyclists, professional and amateur alike. But what if you are looking for something slightly different to do to help celebrate Cobble Season this year? How about taking part in a German homage to the Belgian/French Spring Classics  instead? The Ronde van de Wijnstraat is exactly that and we asked event organiser Timo Rokitta to tell us all about his event.

Each year Timo Rokitta, the event organiser for the Ronde van de Wijnstraat spends countless hours researching new route options. He's always looking for that goldilocks ratio of road/cobbled sections/singletrack and based on his Instagram profile, he seems to have struck gold for the 2024 edition of the event.

Spending the last Saturday in March riding the Ronde van de Wijnstraat on the same weekend that some of the world's top professional cyclists are tackling the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) sounds pretty much ideal to us. 

Participants this year will have a choice of two distances - 130 km with 1300m of climbing or 200 km with 2500m of climbing. If you decide to go for the full distance, that's going to be a big/long day out for most of the riders, so we asked Timo for his top tips for smoothing out the ride when the surface gets lumpy.

"I recommend you start off by letting a little air out of your tyres," Timo told us. He continued "Lowering your tyre pressure can help absorb some of the impact of riding on cobblestones and make for a smoother ride. Aim for a pressure that's slightly lower than what you would use on smooth pavement."

We asked if he had any other sage advice and this is what he recommended:

• Maintain a steady speed: Try to maintain a consistent speed while cycling on cobblestones to avoid sudden jolts and bumps.
• Keep your weight back: Keep your weight over the rear wheel of your bike to help absorb the bumps and maintain control of the bike.
• Use your arms as shock absorbers: Allow your arms to act as shock absorbers by slightly bending your elbows and keeping a loose grip on the handlebars.
• Keep your eyes ahead: Look ahead to anticipate any bumps or obstacles and adjust your speed and position accordingly.
• Watch out for loose cobblestones: Keep an eye out for loose or broken cobblestones and try to avoid them if possible.

We asked Timo to describe the parcours for the Ronde van Wijnstraat and this is how he described it "The route is peppered with everything you need for gravel. There is something of every surface from gravel, grass and field paths, singletrack and muddy forest paths. The highlight of course will be the eponymous cobblestone passages, which range from easy to ride to rough and exhausting."

To keep the event manageable and the atmosphere just right, Timo limits entries to a maximum number of 300 people. He was keen to point out that the event isn't a race (which is where it differs from its Belgian and French cousins). The route is provided to participants in GPX format and isn't marked on the ground.

Timo recommends "a bike with disc brakes and a gear ratio appropriate to the route (e.g. 1x11 with a max. 42 tooth chainring and 10-42 cassette). The tyres should be between 35 and 50 mm wide and profiled. Of course, a 650B tyre will do too. Tubeless is recommended. If you don't own a gravel bike, you can of course also compete on an MTB."

The first 100 riders who enter receive a goody bag and everyone gets a pasta meal (plus a drink) afterwards. There will be a couple of aid stations on the route, but riders should also be self-sufficient. Finishers will receive a coveted celebratory cobblestone momento.

Entry is online only - there are no facilities for on-the-day entry and can be done via the event website. The cost is €55.