Since mid-February, anyone who places an order with us at Mantel receives the Mantel Spring Classics Calendar as well. Perfect if you don’t want to miss out on the spring classics. Don’t have a calendar yet? Place an online order (you can always do with another set of tyres) and get yours in no time. We give you an update a week in advance of each of the 12 spring classics listed on the World-Tour calendar, explaining why you should watch the race and taking a look at the history of the event. A week after the Tour of Flanders, on the 9th of April, comes Paris-Roubaix.
This one-day race is known as “L’enfer du Nord”, or the Hell of the North. Not exactly a cuddly pet name for a race.
This has everything to do with the surface this race takes place on. Paris-Roubaix is known for its cobble strips capable of breaking both man and machine.
Many of the infamous cobbled roads were built after the first world war since most of the roads in the north of France were destroyed.
The nickname “Hell of the North” was coined during the first edition after the Great War in 1919.
Podium: Mathew Hayman
2016 saw Mathew Hayman from Orica-Greenedge take the victory at the Roubaix Velodrome.
In the Tour of Flanders, it pays to be at the front of the pack on the narrow cobbled roads. In Paris-Roubaix, your mantra should be: “conserve, conserve, and then conserve some more…”
Try to take advantage of as many riders as you can before you start throwing around your power. Mathew Hayman surprised friend and foe by being in the first breakaway of the day.
How tough the race was last year clearly showed in the streets of Roubaix. 6.5 km from the line, Ian Stannard (Sky) breaks away from a group of 5.
He gets caught. Sep van Marcke (Lotto-Jumbo) then sees his efforts fail, as does four-time winner Tom Boonen.
The lead group desperately tries to break each other, but nobody has the power left to break away.
A final which is bound to give you goosebumps.
On the Roubaix velodrome it’s Mathew Hayden (Orica-Greenedge), who just four weeks earlier had broken his underarm, who manages to outrun Tom Boonen and Sep van Marcke in a sprint, only to look into the camera after the finish as if he had seen water catch fire.
The Course
The route from Paris to Roubaix covers approximately 255 kilometres each year. 50 of which are cobbles for the riders to conquer.
As with the climbs on the Tour de France, the cobble strips have also been listed in several different categories. There are three five-star stretches, the toughest category: the forest of Wallers, Mons-en-Pélève, and Carrefour de l’Arbre.
The organisers have added two additional stretches of cobbles in the middle of the course, at Briastre (after 112.5 km) and Solesmes (after 116 km). Both strips were once part of the route, but haven’t been used in the course for at least thirty years.
The additional cobbled strips have been added in order to further liven up the race. The finish is traditionally on the Roubaix Velodrome.
Why you Should Watch
Tom Boonen will be riding his final Paris-Roubaix in 2017. He’s currently level with Roger de Vlaeminck, who is his fellow record holder (4 victories each).
Is Tom Boonen, after his impressive second place in 2016, ready to take his fifth victory?
Paris-Roubaix takes place just a week after the Tour of Flanders. So far, only 10 riders have managed to win the double.
Paris-Roubaix: Winners
This historical race has several legendary winners. Roger de Vlaeminck took to the top tier of the stage 4 times in 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1977.
Tom Boonen managed the same in 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2012.
In the history of Paris-Roubaix, there have been 10 riders to take the double: both the Tour of Flanders and Parix-Roubaix.
Fabian Cancellara was the only one to manage this twice, both in 2010 and 2013.
Clips of Paris-Roubaix 2016
Want to refresh your memory of last year’s Paris Roubaix? Check out the clip below:
All the Spring Classics on the Calendar?
Can’t wait for the next classic, or want to have a look back at the Omloop het Nieuwsblad? Below is a list of all the classics on our calendar! List these under your bookmarks, as we’ll regularly update them!
- 25 February – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 4 March – Strade Bianche
- 18 March – Milaan-San Remo
- 22 March – Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 24 March – E3 Harelbeke
- 26 March – Gent-Wevelgem
- 2 April – Tour of Flanders
- 9 April – Paris-Roubaix
- 16 April – Amstel Gold Race
- 19 April – La Flèche Wallonne
- 23 April – Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- 1 May – Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop
Het bericht Paris-Roubaix – Spring Classics verscheen eerst op Mantel.
