Profile. The Hell of the North! Paris-Roubaix is the final monument and big day of the cobbled classics, the climax of month and a half of elite racing in the Flandres and northern France region. In the 9th of April the riders will take on the third monument of the season.
One of the most difficult races in the calendar. Paris-Roubaix is an unique event, having a massive distance for the riders to go through in the north of France, including 30 different cobbled sectors which total to 54.5 kilometers away from tarmac. It's a race for the classics specialists, the powerhouse riders and the endurance monsters, who can fly over famous sectors such as the Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre.
Estimated start and finish times for Paris-Roubaix: 11:00-17:30CET
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Like it’s been for several years, the route will go through a massive 258 kilometers, starting in Compiègne heading north, where the first cobbled sectors will be encountered with just under 100 kilometers of racing, which will make for around 2 hours of racing to settle and establish a breakaway. Also, as it’s been the case for some years, the breakaway should be highly contested, which can make for a furiously fast start. The teams controlling should keep a tight leash on who can go free from the pack or not. And most teams will try to have riders in front for strategical purposes later, specially with the weather conditions that will be taking place.
And this should be a sight most riders recognize very well. Some will be relieved pleased to go through it, some won’t be very happy with it. The Troisville sector, the first of 29 comes with a little over 95 kilometers of racing, it’s 2.2Km long, but the initial combination of sectors last year caused some damage in the peloton quite early on. This is the place where the true race starts, some may say.
Haveluy to Wallers (2500 meters, 101Km to go), this one will come right before the most iconic sector of the race. Everyone who loves cycling knows it, the Trouée d’Arenberg is “only” 2300 meters but is famed with one of the most traditional view in modern cycling. The full sector is in a straight line but is one that demands technical expertise.
Line choice is crucial as the cobblestones in it are of an immense brutality. Adding the huge speed the riders will enter the sector it’ll make for maybe the most tense moment of the race, the lead-out to Arenberg sees truly remarkable fights, it starts slightly downhill and turns into slightly uphill, making for a really hard sector to make any acceleration, it’s a case of keeping the power up for the entire run. It comes with 93Km to go.
Hornaing to Wandignies is 3700 meters long and is the next 4-star sector with 78Km to go, then there’s Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières which is 2400 meters long and comes with 68.5Km to go. And with 50.5Km to go there’s the Auchy to Bersée sector and it’s 2700 meters in length, which set the riders up for the following sector. Obviously, the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, it’s 3Km long and finishes with 45Km to go, it will be the second 5-star sector of the race and comes in a crucial time where the decisive attacks are to come.
The final combination of sectors where it’s likely to see differences being made is the Camphin-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Abre. They are 4 and 5-star sectors respectively, feature 1800 and 2100 meters in distance and come with 18Km and 15Km to go.
They aren’t the final sectors, but with such a brutal race to that point and a very short distance to the finale, it’s the ideal place to make a move for everyone who has the legs, the Carrefour de l’Abre sector is one of great technical demand, and need of several accelerations, which is something not all riders will be capable of at that point of the race.
There’s still the Willems to Hem sector with 6Km to go, a 3-star sector that’s been recently introduced into the race, but it’s not usual to see gaps being made there, but who knows, with a group it can happen. The final kilometers will be well known, the entrance in Roubaix in flat roads, in case of a group coming into town it’s likely to see some attempts of surprising in it, which will lead to the velodrome, the race’s symbol almost, where a deserving winner will emerge from a brutal race.
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