Paris-Roubaix

Nobody who follows cycling can ignore the mythical aspect, so unique in our sport, the cobbled sectors of Paris-Roubaix hold. This is a race with no hiding place, where fortune (good or bad) usually plays a significant factor, and where surprises are endless, yet the one who wins is always one of the greats.

The race can be divided into four sections. The first one, the 96 kilometers leading up to the first ‘secteur pavé’, usually sees the peloton battling relentlessly to form a break which could even happen after the initial Troisvilles sector. The second one is an attrition race, with the ten sectors prior to the legendary Arenberg (-95km), the first of three ‘five-star’ sectors.

The peloton leaves the forest completely shattered, with the pursuits and suffering making for the most spectacular racing of the spring through Mons-en-Pévèle (*****) and up to the Camphin-en-Pévèle (-20km) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (*****, -17km) sectors. At those two, if it hasn’t happened yet, the decisive attacks come on the way towards the legendary Velodrome.