The Hell of the North, Queen of the Classics, L’Enfer du Nord, whatever name you call it Paris-Roubaix for many is the single biggest race of the year. Legends of the sport Fausto Coppi, Rik van Looy, Francesco Moser, Eddy Merckx, Sean Kelly, Bernard Hinault, Johan Museeuw and Fabain Cancellara have all tamed and won on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles.
Here’s a preview of the 2016 Paris-Roubaix.
2016 Paris-Roubaix Route
Paris-Roubaix is all about the cobbles, there are no climbs or tricky descents, no stop start sharp turns or flat out bunch sprint finish …. just brutal sections of cobblestones that wear down the rider meaning the strongest rider usually always wins.
Paris-Roubaix starts in Compiègne and finishes after 257.5km in the Roubaix velodrome, along the way there are 27 sectors of cobbles totaling 52.8km with the first commencing after 98.5km.
The course profile is pretty ordinary as it’s basically flat, here it is anyway.
And the 27 cobbled sections leading to Roubaix which is just south of the border with Belgium. If it rains as it is forecast to do on Saturday and Sunday then it will get really interesting, the cobbled sectors will turn to mud.
Cobbled Sectors
| Sector | Distance raced |
Cobled Sector | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 98.5km | Troisvilles to Inchy | 2.2km |
| 26 | 105km | Viesly to Quiévy | 1.8km |
| 25 | 107.5km | Quiévy in Saint-Python | 3.7km |
| 24 | 112.5km | Saint-Python | 1.5km |
| 23 | 120.5km | Vertain in Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon | 2.3km |
| 22 | 127km | Capelle to Ruesnes | 1.7km |
| 21 | 137.5km | Quérénaing in Maing | 2.5km |
| 20 | 141km | Maing in Monchaux-sur-Écaillon | 1.6km |
| 19 | 154km | Haveluy to Wallers | 2.5km |
| 18 | 162km | Arenberg | 2.4km |
| 17 | 168km | Wallers to Hélesmes | 1.6km |
| 16 | 175km | Hornaing to Wandignies | 3.7km |
| 15 | 182.5km | Warlaing in Brillon | 2.4km |
| 14 | 186km | Tilloy in Sars-et-Rosières | 2.4km |
| 13 | 192.5km | Beuvry-la-Forêt in Orchies | 1.4km |
| 12 | 197.5km | Orchies | 1.7km |
| 11 | 203.5km | Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée | 2.7km |
| 10 | 209km | Mons-en-Pévèle | 3.0km |
| 9 | 215km | Mérignies in Avelin | 0.7km |
| 8 | 218km | Pont-Thibaut Ennevelin | 1.4km |
| 7 | 224.5km | Templeuve (Moulin de Vertain) | 0.5km |
| 6 | 231km | Cysoing in Bourghelles | 1.3km |
| 6 | 233.5km | Bourghelles to Wannehain | 1.1km |
| 5 | 238km | Camphin-en-Pévèle | 1.8km |
| 4 | 240.5km | Carrefour de l’Arbre | 2.1km |
| 3 | 243km | Gruson | 1.1km |
| 2 | 249.5km | Willems Hem | 1.4km |
| 1 | 256.5km | Roubaix | 0.3km |
| Cobbled sector distance | 52.8 km | ||
2016 Paris-Roubaix Contenders
John Degenkolb won Paris-Roubiax but won’t start this year because of his accident earlier this year, that leave similar group of favourites to last week with the exception of Greg Van Avermaet who broke his collarbone.
Peter Sagan after winning the Tour of Flanders last weekend and Gent-Wevelgem the week before Peter Sagan is joint favourite going into Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix. Sagan was the strongest rider last weekend and has a chance of doing the Tour of flanders / Paris-Roubaix double that was last done in 2013 by Fabian Cancellara.
Fabian Cancellara is joint favourite with Peter Sagan starting this race and has won at Paris-Roubaix three times before, a win in his final season would see him equaling Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck’s record of four wins. Cancellara was strong enough to win last weekend but erred in not chasing down Sagan and Kwiatkowski when they attacked, he won’t make the same mistake again.
Niki Terpstra Niki Terpstra won Paris-Roubaix in 2014 and was one of the strongest riders in the closing stages of the Tour of Flanders.
Sep Vanmarcke finished second in the 2013 Paris-Roubaix and was third last weekend.
Alexander Kristoff won the Tour of Flanders last year and is in great form having won the opening stage of the Three Days of De Panne yesterday as well as wins earlier this year at the Tour of Qatar and Tour of Oman, and Kristoff also finished second in last months Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Kristoff won the bunch sprint last weekend and was strong even after being ill the week before. One thing against Kristoff winning is that he has never finished on the podium at Paris-Roubaix.
As well as …
Tom Boonen has won Tour of Flanders three times and Paris-Roubaix four times so that alone puts him in the mix for the win. Boonen would have improved his form at the Tour of Flanders but won’t be as strong as during his four wins.
Lars Boom is an outsider to win but he’s worth mentioning in the top ten favourites. Boom’s best finishes at Paris-Roubaix are 4th last year and 6th in 2012.
Edvald Boasson-Hagen has had stage wins at Tour of Oman and Tour of Qatar this year and starts as Team Dimension Data lead rider.
Zdenek Stybar finished second last year so he’s in with a chance. Finished 8th at Tour of Flanders in the chasing bunch.
Luke Rowe had a strong fifth place at the Tour of Flanders and will start as one of Team Sky’s protected riders.
Also watch out for Andre Geipel, Ian Stannard and Tony Martin.
The race starts at 10:15am in Compiègne which is 6:15pm AEST Sunday, television coverage is on Eurosport and SBS.
Follow the 2016 Paris-Roubaix on twitter using #ParisRoubiax
Additional Links
Paris-Roubaix: Niki Terpstra’s Monumental Ride – Video of Niki Terpstra’s 2014 win.
A Sunday in Hell – Jørgen Leth – Iconic Danish documentary A Sunday in Hell. The documentary is a cronology of the Paris-Roubaix held on April 11, 1976 from the perspective of the riders, event staff and spectators.
