Sawt Falasteen - Australia's Brown plans to enjoy her trip though 'hell' in Paris-Roubaix

"The Hell of the North, that's a pretty good (description). But even though it's a hell you can still enjoy it," she said on Friday.

Unlike the other great cobbled classic, the Tour of Flanders, won last week by Belgian Lotte Kopecky, the 145km ride to the Roubaix velodrome, with its 30km of rough-hewn, cobbled mining roads, there is not a hill in sight.

"It's got no elevation and usually a race that's flat is not so hard, but it is one of the hardest races we do," said the 30-year-old Australian time-trial champion who has a solid record in one-day races.

Brown, who was 12th last year, understands why many do not take on the challenge, saying: "The next day you just feel a bit like you've been hit by a truck.

"There is also the element of fear, I think, that turns some riders off doing it. You have to have a bit of toughness about you to line up."

Riders' chances can be massively hampered if they are caught behind a crash, but even if they escape such bad luck they must choose the right line to avoid a physical battering.

The race also requires adapted bikes.

"The cobbles are something special because we have to really refine our equipment to try and make riding the cobbles as comfortable as possible."

Brown thinks the similarity of the streets in her home city of Melbourne to the old mining roads that criss-cross the region along the France-Belgium border could give her an advantage.

"In Melbourne, we have some sort of small streets and they have big blue stone cobbles and riding on those is quite similar to riding on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles," she added.

Riders often arrive at the finishing line in Roubaix splattered in mud, and although fine weather is predicted, on Friday there were still puddles from midweek downpours.

N.Shalabi--SF-PST