ANALYSIS | 6 of the best editions of Paris-Roubaix ahead of Tadej Pogacar's debut

As cycling fans gear up for the 2025 edition of Paris-Roubaix, there’s no better time to look back on the most iconic moments from a race that, outside the grand tours, is often the race fans look forward to the most.

That’s likely because the fans don’t have to ride the cobbles…

Known as The Hell of the North, Paris-Roubaix is cycling’s toughest one-day race, with its bone-rattling cobblestones, brutal crashes, and legendary finishes. Here are six of the greatest editions in the race’s history, and let’s explore whether we can learn anything from them ahead of this weekend’s show down.

Eddy Merckx was already building a reputation as one of the sport’s future greats, but it was his victory at the 1968 Paris-Roubaix where he showed just how good he could be.

Still just 22 years old, Merckx was up against Herman Van Springel, in a race that will be remembered for its horrendous conditions and punctures for some of the big names.

Riding for the Faema team, Merckx tackled the cobbles with surgical precision, but what truly stunned his rivals was his endurance. He simply refused to fade, even when the wind and cobbles punished the rest of the peloton. Merckx was able to beat his Belgian rival Van Springel in the velodrome, with Walter Godefroot completing a Belgian sweep of the podium places.

This was his first of three Paris-Roubaix victories, and was the year he won a grand tour for the first time, as the Giro.

Could another grand tour winner get his first Paris-Roubaix win this weekend?

Paris-Roubaix 1985 was defined by the kind of conditions that make legends. Rain soaked the roads, the cobbles turned slick with mud, and crashes were constant. It was pure hell, and Marc Madiot thrived.

The Frenchman rode like a man possessed through the race, seizing control in the latter stages and powering away solo with just under 30km to go. The scenes on the Arenberg Forest were apocalyptic: riders covered in mud, mechanics scrambling to clean bikes, and fans lining the roads screaming encouragement in a storm.

Madiot was able to survive the carnage, and beat his countryman and teammate Bruno Wojtinek, with Sean Kelly of Ireland rounding out the podium.

This race should be on everyone’s mind if the weather on Sunday sees the heaven’s open. The race is already hellish and brutal even on the best of days, and a little rain can make it a true battle of attrition.

No one expected Andrei Tchmil to win Paris-Roubaix in 1994. The Moldovan was a strong rider, yes, but the cobbled classics were usually won by the likes of Museeuw, Ballerini or Duclos-Lassalle. But on that cold, windy April day, Tchmil changed everything.

Attacking with 60km to go, Tchmil launched what looked like a suicidal move. But while others hesitated or crashed, he held his gap through sector after sector, maintaining his composure on the brutal five-star cobbled sections. As the kilometres ticked down, the realisation grew: he might just pull this off.

Behind him, the chasing group was disorganised. Museeuw, Ballerini and Moncassin all looked at each other too long. Tchmil, meanwhile, buried himself. He entered the Roubaix Velodrome alone, the clock still ticking as the chasers closed. When he finally crossed the line he was utterly spent, but a champion of the cobbles.

It was one of the gutsiest rides ever witnessed in Paris-Roubaix. Tchmil’s victory wasn’t just unexpected; it was inspirational, and shows that an underdog can still win against the odds in Roubaix.

The 2001 Paris-Roubaix was not just a victory for Servais Knaven, it was a clinic by the Domo-Farm Frites team. The Belgian squad managed to place four riders in the top five, completely dismantling the race and suffocating every rival with numbers and strategy in the 99th edition of the race.

Knaven, a reliable but not flashy rider, got in the early break and played his hand perfectly. Behind him, his teammates Johan Museeuw and Romans Vainšteins shadowed every chase, forcing others to do the work. By the time Knaven hit the final sectors, the gap was unbridgeable. He soloed to the velodrome for the biggest win of his career.

Museeuw, often the team’s go-to man, finished third, but he didn't mind.

This edition of Roubaix was remarkable not for its mud or crashes, but for its surgical team execution. Domo-Farm Frites didn't just win, they dominated, shutting down the race and neutralising the favourites. Knaven’s solo was brave, but it was the perfect storm of teamwork, patience, and timing that made 2001 unforgettable.

We’ve seen plenty of teams try to replicate this performance, which is truly the blueprint of how to master the cobbles as a team.

Mathew Hayman wasn’t even supposed to be in the race. Five weeks earlier, he had broken his arm at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and was expected to miss the spring entirely. Instead, he trained on Zwift, recovered faster than expected, and made it to the start line.

Then came the miracle.

The 37-year-old Australian had ridden Paris-Roubaix countless times before, often in a support role. In 2016, he got into the early break and stayed away. As the race entered its brutal final 60km, the big names, Tom Boonen, Ian Stannard, Sep Vanmarcke, started attacking. But Hayman kept going.

When the final selection was made, Hayman was still there. And when they entered the velodrome, he was one of five riders. Against all odds, he outsprinted Boonen, a four-time winner, to take the biggest win of his career. His stunned face and overwhelmed tears in the velodrome remain one of Roubaix’s most emotional moments.

It was a victory that celebrated the journeyman, the underdog, the rider who rarely wins but always works. “I can’t believe it,” Hayman said afterward. “This is a dream.” Roubaix, more than any other race, has room for dreams like his.

Paris-Roubaix 2021 was historic before it even started. After COVID cancelled the 2020 edition, fans waited 903 days for the race to return. And when it did, the skies opened. For the first time since 2002, Roubaix was raced in torrential rain.

It was chaos. Crashes marred every sector. Mud coated bikes and faces. Riders hit the deck in the Arenberg, slid out on corners, and crossed the finish line unrecognisable. In the midst of it all, Sonny Colbrelli shone.

The Italian national champion had never raced Roubaix before, but he handled the conditions like a veteran. When the race broke apart, he stayed calm, following every dangerous move. He made the final selection with Florian Vermeersch and Mathieu van der Poel, and in the velodrome, he timed his sprint to perfection.

Colbrelli collapsed on the ground, covered in mud and tears. It was the ultimate example of adaptation and mental strength. “I don’t have words,” he said post-race. “This is a dream come true.”

Sadly, it would also become one of his final career highlights before heart issues cut his career short. That rainy day in Roubaix became even more significant in hindsight, a moment of beauty in the mud.

The man who was third on the podium in Roubaix that day, Mathieu van der Poel, is the current two-time defending champion. The question is, can the Dutchman make it three in a row on Sunday. Or can Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert, or someone else spoil the party?

These six editions show the full spectrum of what Paris-Roubaix represents: courage, pain, surprise, heartbreak, and incredible possibility through chaos.

Whether it’s Merckx’s dominance, Hayman’s fairytale, or Colbrelli’s emotional breakthrough, every era has its legend born on the cobbles. Who will have their chance to shine on Sunday?