Like PEZ? Why not subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive updates and reminders on what's cool in road cycling?

The Hilly cobbles of Flanders are behind us and now we look forward to the flat, murderous pavé of Northern France and the Queen of the Classics – Paris-Roubaix. Ed Hood gives us the benefit of his depth of Roubaix knowledge and takes us through the history, the course and the stars from the past and present. The ‘Hell of the North’ starts here.

There are older races – Paris Roubaix was first held in 1896 when Josef Fischer of Germany won but Liege-Bastogne-Liege (La Doyenne, the fourth Monument) predates that by four years. There are longer races; it’s a mere 257 kilometers from the Paris satellite of Compiegne to the Roubaix velodrome; Milan-Sanremo adds 40 kilometers to that.



Josef Fischer, the first champion of Roubaix

And there are hillier races; the aforementioned Liege-Bastogne-Liege has 10 classified climbs and hardly one hundred meters of flat road – whilst the Tour of Lombardy (the fifth and final Monument) includes bona fide mountain passes in the parcours. Paris-Roubaix remains steadfastly pan flat; albeit we have the Hameau du Buat secteur which is ‘uphill.’

There’s no other race like Paris-Roubaix; organizers in Denmark, England, Brittany and even the USA seek to imitate it but that’s not possible. It’s not possible because it’s not Northern France in April, there haven’t been 113 previous editions and 200 of the world’s finest riders don’t line up for them.

This race is unique, and can justly be referred to as legendary in a world where the word is routinely abused. ‘The Hell of the North’ tag comes from the war ravaged countryside which the parcours traversed during the years after The Great War.



Northern France and Belgium were decimated during both World Wars

If you’re in Flanders on the trail of a race take an hour or two to seek out the Ijzertoren (Peace Tower) in Diksmuide near the North Sea Coast. This huge structure is an anti war museum built in the shape of a cross – the photographs and panorama give a chilling insight into what Northern France and Flanders looked like during the First World War.



The Ijzertoren in Diksmuide

Many more died from infection and disease than ever did from their initial wounds in what was a stinking, clinging, deep, rat and mosquito infested sea of mud. The ‘Hell’ description seems all the more appropriate after a visit to Diksmuide. And the race is, of course, a throwback to those days a century and more ago – horses, carts and boot leather traversed the tracks and cobbles.



Those murderous cobbles

There are 27 sectors of the famous cobbles (kasseien in Flemish, pavé in French); counting down from the 2200 meters at Troisville – prior to which there’s a huge positioning battle at warp speed – to the final symbolic 300 meters of neat sets laid outside the Roubaix velodrome, named Espace Crupeland, with the stones bearing the name of past winners.



The smooth cobbles of the Espace Crupeland

In total there are around 53 kilometers over the granite blocks rather than on tarmac or concrete. No matter how much you might read about the ‘secteurs pavé’ you’re still unprepared for just how savage they are when you see them for the first time – it says much for the designers of modern tubular tyres and carbon bicycle frames that there are so few mechanical problems.



The dangers of L’enfer du Nord

The surfaces are appalling, whilst the cobbles of the 300 meters of Espace Crupeland sit flat, square and level, out among the fields and forests the worn and ancient granite blocks jut, dip, collapse, poke, slew and threaten. If you’re contemplating riding them at speed it wouldn’t do to spend overly long inspecting them at close range.



Don’t look at the road surface

The Formula One divers always used to ‘walk the circuit’ to get a feel for it; but your conclusion here would be that it’s impossible to ride a bicycle at 50 kph over such things. Perhaps the most infamous stretch is the 2400 meters Trouee D’Arenberg (Arenberg Trench) said to be a Roman road, it slices arrow straight through the Forest of Arenberg.



The Trouee D’Arenberg

Below it are the long abandoned workings of the colliery whose old winding towers mark the entrance to this tangled, ancient wood where finding strange, nameless beasts in the undergrowth would come as no surprise.



The grim past is not far away

The moss-covered sets of this secteur have broken many a heart and almost ended Johan Museeuw’s career when he crashed heavily upon them. Museeuw is one of several in recent history who have won the race three times, along with Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser and a chap called Fabian Cancellara – but we don’t think he can make it four; Sagan is so strong and the Suisse will be marked tightly by the likes of Vanmarcke and Stybar.



Three time winner Johan Museeuw nearly lost a leg to Arenberg

There’s one man who defines the race such that to this day he’s known as ‘Monsieur Paris-Roubaix,’ from 1969 to 1982 his stats read like this: 5, 2, 7, 1, 7, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 2, 0, 2, 6 – that’s 13 top 10 finishes for ‘The Gypsy’, Roger De Vlaeminck, Flandrian to the core and one of the coolest riders ever.



Merckx and De Vlaeminck, six Roubaix wins between them

Sharing this lofty position, also on four wins is Tom Boonen – with a mere 10 top 10 finishes. And whilst it’s a bitter pill to swallow we have to face that ‘The Tornado’s star is on the wane – but with no bergs to contend with and the strongest pave team on the planet we’d be delighted to be proved wrong.



Four wins for Tom, probably not five

In the last 20 years only big men like Cancellara, Boonen, Backstedt, Tafi, Ballerini, Van Summeren and Duclos-Lasalle; ‘cobble kings’ like Madiot, Van Petegem and Museeuw or tough, solid, talented opportunists like Knaven, Tchmil and O’Grady have taken the win. Some might say that big Frenchman Fred Guesdon’s win in 1997 devalued the race – but the fact that he’d previously won the amateur version of the race and had finished 11th at Roubaix in ’96 seems to have slipped everyone’s mind.



1997 winner Fred Guesdon sat on Brian Holm’s wheel

Statistically it helps if you’re Belgian; the nation just to the north of Roubaix has 56 winners (Boonen the last in 2012) to the home nation’s 30 (Guesdon in 1997) and Italy’s 11 (Tafi 1999). A Belgian winner is possible, a French one less likely – but more of that shortly – and an Italian one unlikely. There are few ‘surprise’ winners at Roubaix and 2016 will not be an exception to that rule.

Here’s our rating:

Favorites by palmarès & pedigree:

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff & Slovakia): There’s little we need to say – he won Gent-Wevelgem in the sprint and de Ronde in solitary splendor. He’s patently on a level of his own and the number one favorite – hard to bet against.



Top favorite: Peter Sagan

Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo & Switzerland): Second in his final Ronde, hugely strong – but Sagan was stronger – Fabian has three wins here to his name, it’s possible. . .



Cancellara looked strong in Flanders, but. . .

Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNl-Jumbo & Belgium): So dispirited with his 2015 season was the big Belgian that he contemplated retirement – with podiums in Gent-Wevelgem and de Ronde he’ll be glad he didn’t. We don’t know if he can win but a podium is possible – but the Belgian Media still won’t forgive him for joining a Dutch team.



It could be the big one for Vanmarcke

Possible but lacking that one percent:

Alex Kristoff (Katusha & Norway): ‘Good, but not quite Carling’ says the English beer advert – he won a stage in De Panne and was just off the podium in de Ronde, lacking that one percent – but he could just find it by Sunday. . .



Kristoff not at 100%

Luke Rowe (Sky & Wales): Young, strong, fourth in Het Nieuwsblad, fifth in de Ronde – but PEZ’s cycling sage Viktor thinks that the ‘Sky Way’ does not teach young riders to win in those desperate Flatlands finales – nonetheless a podium is possible.



Luke Rowe is worth an outside bet

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data & Norway): Not a man to make predictions but he’s made no secret of his desire to be, ‘up there’ in the Queen of the Classics. He’s been ‘there’ throughout the cobbled races – a soaking in cheap champagne is possible.



The Norwegian champion could be on the podium

Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick-Step & The Netherlands): Despite our multitude of contacts here at PEZ we don’t have the downloads from the Dutch Champion’s computer – but we’d wager that few riders have burned more watts than this man over the last few weeks. And Belgium’s finest team has to win a Classic soon, don’t they?



Niki Terpstra could save the spring campaign for Etixx – Quick-Step

Strong, but. . .

Daniel Oss (BMC & Italy): Bestially strong and the lack of percentage gradients between Compiegne and Roubaix should suit his big frame and power more than the Bergs of the Flemish Ardennes. But, his timing, it’s just not the best. . .



Oss, the last man standing for BMC

Arnaud Démare (FDJ & France): 37th/11th/90th in his last three starts doesn’t suggest glory – but he hadn’t won a Monument back then. If he can recover from his Flanders flirt with the tar the he’ll be highly motivated to do a ride here – and is one of the fastest men around at the death. It would be so nice to see a Frenchman up there, but; he might not start – those Gallic guys are just so fickle. . .



A French win in Roubaix?

Ian Stannard (Sky & GB): So big, so strong; but he squanders it, witness the Cipressa and the finale of Flanders – he has the power but he’ll waste it.



Ian Stannard could be the first British Roubaix winner

Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx – Quick-Step & Belgium): If ‘Skynet’ the artificial intelligence which spawned the Terminator were to construct a bike rider, it would be Stijn. But; he can’t finish – just don’t give him 20 meters in the finale though . . .



He’s big and he’s strong

Memory lane. . .

Tom Boonen (Etixx – Quick-Step & Belgium): Remember when he bolted with 50 K to go? Magnificent. He’s been getting just a little better each week – and whilst it might be Hell, there are no bergs. Expect record pils sales and Monday absenteeism if Tommeke can pull it off. We can dream. . .



A fourth win for Tom would be great, but. . .

# PEZ will be right there with the best in race reportage, photography and analysis for the 2016 Paris-Roubaix. And the Pez advice on hydration and nutrition for such a long race? Save the Triples for the finalé, but don’t leave it too long before you have your frites and Andalouse sauce. #

To see the cobbled action live, tune into Steephill.TV.

It was November 2005 when Ed Hood first penned a piece for PEZ, on US legend Mike Neel. Since then he’s covered all of the Grand Tours and Monuments for PEZ and has an article count in excess of 1,100 in the archive. He was a Scottish champion cyclist himself – many years and kilograms ago – and still owns a Klein Attitude, Dura Ace carbon Giant and a Fixie. He and fellow Scot and PEZ contributor Martin Williamson run the Scottish site www.veloveritas.co.uk where more of his musings on our sport can be found.