Archiv der Kategorie: Weltcup und Klassiker

Milano-Sanremo – 288 Km


Plomi Foto

1 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 06:14:44
2 MATTHEWS Michael AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 00:00
3 POGACAR Tadej SLO UAE Team Emirates 00:00
4 PEDERSEN Mads DEN Lidl-Trek 00:00
5 BETTIOL Alberto ITA EF Education-EasyPost 00:00
6 MOHORIC Matej SLO Bahrain Victorious 00:00
7 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:00
8 STUYVEN Jasper BEL Lidl-Trek 00:00
9 ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA Soudal Quick-Step 00:00
10 VAN DER POEL Mathieu BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
11 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 00:00
12 SOBRERO Matteo ITA BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
13 PEDERSEN Casper DEN Soudal Quick-Step 00:35
14 KOOIJ Olav NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:35
15 PITHIE Laurence NZL Groupama-FDJ 00:35
16 ASGREEN Kasper DEN Soudal Quick-Step 00:35
17 STRONG Corbin NZL Israel-Premier Tech 00:35
18 CLARKE Simon AUS Israel-Premier Tech 00:35
19 PACHER Quentin FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:35
20 COSNEFROY Benoît FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:35
21 TRENTIN Matteo ITA Tudor Pro Cycling Team 00:35
22 BATTISTELLA Samuele ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 00:35
23 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 00:35
24 ALBANESE Vincenzo ITA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:35
25 VELASCO Simone ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 00:35
26 SERRANO Gonzalo ESP Movistar Team 00:35
27 GIRMAY Biniam ERI Intermarché-Wanty 00:35
28 DE PRETTO Davide ITA Team Jayco-AlUla 00:35
29 CAMPENAERTS Victor BEL Lotto Dstny 00:35
30 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 00:35
31 KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren DEN Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:35
32 SKUJINS Toms LAT Lidl-Trek 00:35
33 EIKING Odd Christian NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:35
34 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:35
35 NARVAEZ Jhonnatan ECU INEOS Grenadiers 00:35

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Frauen 127 Km:

1 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 03:27:15
2 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 00:00
3 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:00
4 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl-Trek 00:00
5 DE JONG Thalita NED Lotto Dstny Ladies 01:08
6 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx-Protime 01:08
7 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM Racing 01:08
8 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 01:08
9 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx-Protime 01:53
10 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 02:08
11 NORSGAARD Emma DEN Movistar Team 02:08
12 ROY Sarah AUS Cofidis Women Team 02:08
13 GEORGI Pfeiffer GBR Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 02:08
14 SWINKELS Karlijn NED UAE Team ADQ 02:08
15 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT Fenix-Deceuninck 02:08

Männer ELITE 202Km:

1 TRATNIK Jan SLO Team Visma | Lease a Bike 04:31:27
2 POLITT Nils GER UAE Team Emirates 00:03
3 VAN AERT Wout BEL Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:08
4 NAESEN Oliver BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08
5 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:08
6 REX Laurenz BEL Intermarché-Wanty 00:08
7 STUYVEN Jasper BEL Lidl-Trek 00:08
8 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 00:08
9 TRENTIN Matteo ITA Tudor Pro Cycling Team 00:08
10 DE LIE Arnaud BEL Lotto Dstny 00:08
11 GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08
12 WELLENS Tim BEL UAE Team Emirates 00:08
13 TEUNISSEN Mike NED Intermarché-Wanty 00:08
14 KRISTOFF Alexander NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:08
15 GARCÍA CORTINA Iván ESP Movistar Team 00:08
16 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 00:08
17 BIERMANS Jenthe BEL ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:08
18 VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:08
19 DE BONDT Dries BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:08

Paris-Roubaix et Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift : team selection

The organisers of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift have selected the teams for the 4th edition, Saturday, April 6th.

In accordance with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) regulations, the fifteen UCI Women’s WorldTeams automatically entered are:

AG Insurance – Soudal Team (Bel)
Canyon / / SRAM Racing (Ger)
Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team (Ger)
FDJ – Suez (Fra)
Fenix – Deceuninck (Bel)
Human Powered Health (Usa)
Lidl-Trek (Usa)
Liv-AlUla-Jayco (Aus)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Roland (Sui)
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (Ned)
Team SD Worx-Pro Time (Ned)
Team Visma | Lease a Bike (Ned)
UAE Team ADQ (Uae)
Uno-X Mobility (Nor)

Furthermore, the best 2023 UCI Women’s Continental teams will participate by right in Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift :

Cofidis (Fra)

The organisers have invited the following teams:

Arkéa-B&B Hôtels Women (Fra)
EF Education-Cannondale (Usa)
LifePlus Wahoo (Gbr)
St Michel – Mavic – Auber 93 (Fra)
Team Coop-Repsol (Nor)
Team Komugi-Grand Est (Fra)
Volkerwessel Women’s Pro Cycling Team (Ned)
Winspace (Fra)

PARIS-ROUBAIX: TEAM SELECTION

The organisers of Paris-Roubaix have selected the teams for the 121th edition, Sunday, April 7th.

In accordance with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rules, the eighteen UCI WorldTeams are invited:

Alpecin-Deceuninck (Bel)
Arkéa-B&B Hôtels (Fra)
Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
Bora-Hansgrohe (All)
Cofidis (Fra)
Décathlon Ag2r La Mondiale Team (Fra)
EF Education-Easypost (Usa)
Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
Intermarché-Wanty (Bel)
Lidl-Trek (Usa)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (Ned)
Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
Team Visma | Lease a Bike (Ned)
UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

Furthermore, the three highest ranked UCI ProTeams in 2023 will participate by right in Paris-Roubaix:

Lotto Dstny (Bel)
Israel Premier Tech (Isr)
Uno-X Mobility (Nor)

The organisers have invited the following teams:

Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB (Bel)
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (Sui)
Team Flanders-Baloise (Bel)
TotalEnergies (Fra)

2024 ARDENNES CLASSICS:

Key points:
 As a special „treat“ for the 40th finish of La Flèche Wallonne atop the Mur de Huy, the peloton will tackle the brutal ascent of the Chemin des Chapelles on four occasions for the very first time. Another major change to the programme for Wednesday, 17 April is that the women will start in the early afternoon and finish an hour after the men at the end of an extended course (143.5 km).

 The programme for Sunday, 21 April has also been inverted. Remco Evenepoel and his rivals will lead the vanguard to the Ardent City for the 110th edition of Liège–Bastogne–Liège. A while later, the women will follow the same course from Bastogne to Liège (147.6 km), clashing on climbs such as the Côte de Cornémont, which comes between La Redoute and the Côte des Forges.
 25 squads —including four wildcard teams— of seven riders each will make up the 175-strong pelotons of La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, while 144 cyclists representing 24 outfits will get to grips with La Flèche Wallonne Femmes and Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes.

Once a year, the roads of the Province of Liège lead to Huy and Liège and rekindle the fire of the Ardennes classics, a sequence of races that have gone down in cycling history. First raced in 1936 (on a course from Tournai to Liège), La Flèche Wallonne went through a watershed moment in 1985, when it moved its finish line to the summit of the Mur de Huy. The upcoming 88th edition, scheduled for 17 April 2024, will therefore be the 40th time that the race culminates on an ascent that immediately earned a spot among the toughest climbs in pro cycling.

To mark the occasion, the final circuit has been compacted to 31.6 km, with the Côte d’Ereffe and the Mur de Huy as the pièces de résistance. For the first time ever, the riders will have to drag their bicycles up these slopes (1.3 km at an average gradient of 9.6%, peaking at close to 20%, most notably on the Claudy Criquielion turn, named for the first victor on the Mur) an eye-watering four times! The successor to Tadej Pogacar, who clinched his first victory in 2023, will blast across the finish line around 4:30 pm, after 199.1 km of racing from Charleroi, which will host the start of the race for the 30th time.

Minutes after the gripping finale of the men’s race, the stars of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes will embark on their own adventure to tame the Mur too, in keeping with a fine tradition that goes all the way back to 1998. As usual, the women’s race will roll out of the Grand-Place in Huy, but the start of the 28th edition has been moved to 2 pm so that the crowds can give them a wild reception around 6 pm. On their way to the Mur, they will discover new ascents in Gives, Courrière and Évrehailles, coming at the beginning of a course that will be about 15 kilometres longer (143.5 km).

The order of the races will also be switched around on Sunday, 21 April. Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes will start in the early afternoon and draw to a close about an hour and a half after the Old Lady. Remco Evenepoel, eager to join Léon Houa, Eddy Merckx and Moreno Argentin in the ultra-select club of riders who have won the race three times in a row since its inaugural edition in 1892, will face the same climbs that sent him on a trajectory to his second triumph in 2023, including the detour to Cornémont, just after La Redoute, where he left Tom Pidcock in the dust.

Heading out from Bastogne, the women’s peloton will follow the very same route to Quai des Ardennes: a 147.6 km roller coaster peppered with nine climbs, starting with the Côte de Saint-Roch and also featuring the Wanne–Stockeu–Haute-Levée triptych before the Côte de La Roche-aux-Faucons, the last major challenge of the day. At the end of the adventure, glory awaits in the Ardent City.

Il Lombardia – 238 Km


HERBERT MOOS Archivfoto

1 POGACAR Tadej BEL UAE Team Emirates 05:55:33
2 BAGIOLI Andrea ITA Soudal Quick-Step 00:52
3 ROGLIC Primoz SLO Jumbo-Visma 00:52
4 VLASOV Aleksandr RUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:52
5 YATES Simon GBR Team Jayco-AlUla 00:52
6 YATES Adam GBR UAE Team Emirates 00:52
7 RODRIGUEZ Carlos ESP INEOS Grenadiers 00:52
8 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 01:06
9 EVENEPOEL Remco BEL Soudal Quick-Step 01:26
10 KRON Andreas DEN Lotto Dstny 01:26
11 BARDET Romain FRA Team dsm-firmenich 01:26
12 WOODS Michael CAN Israel-Premier Tech 01:26
13 COSTA Rui POR Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 01:26
14 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 01:30
15 SCHULTZ Nick AUS Israel-Premier Tech 01:50
16 BERTHET Clément FRA AG2R Citroën Team 01:50
17 HARPER Chris AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 01:50
18 FORTUNATO Lorenzo ITA EOLO-Kometa 01:50
19 HIRSCHI Marc SUI UAE Team Emirates 02:08
20 MASNADA Fausto ITA Soudal Quick-Step 02:10
21 TIBERI Antonio ITA Bahrain Victorious 02:30
22 VALTER Attila HUN Jumbo-Visma 02:56
23 JORGENSON Matteo USA Movistar Team 03:02
24 BARGUIL Warren FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 03:43
25 MAJKA Rafal POL UAE Team Emirates 03:43
26 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA Team Arkéa-Samsic 03:43
27 MADOUAS Valentin FRA Groupama-FDJ 03:43
28 PIGANZOLI Davide ITA EOLO-Kometa 03:43
29 OLDANI Stefano ITA Alpecin-Deceuninck 05:23
30 HEALY Ben IRL EF Education-EasyPost 05:35

PARIS-TOURS 2023 : GREG VAN AVERMAET : ‘‘I WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE RACE, ONE LAST TIME’’

Like Philippe Gilbert a year earlier, he has chosen the vineyard paths to close out his fantastic career. This Sunday, Greg Van Avermaet will pin on his final race number at Paris-Tours. This classic race is one of the highlights of his extensive list of achievements, including an Olympic title in Rio in 2016, a Paris-Roubaix victory, and two stage wins in the Tour de France, to name just a few of his most prestigious victories. At the age of 38, the Belgian rider from AG2R-Citroën intends to conclude his career with the brilliance of a great performance, after recovering from a Covid infection that had weakened him upon his return from the Canadian classics.

Born on may 17, 1985 in Lokeren (Belgium)
Previous teams
2006 : Bodysol
2007-2010 : Predictor-Lotto / Silence-Lotto / Omega Pharma-Lotto
2011-2018 : BMC Racing
2019-2020 : CCC Team
2021-2023 : AG2R-Citroën
Major achievements
. 2 stages win in the Tour de France (2015, 2016)
. Olympic champion in Rio (2016)
. Winner of Tirreno-Adricatico (2016)
. Winner of Paris-Roubaix (2017)
. Winner of Gand-Wevelgem (2017)
. Winner of Grand Prix E3 (2017)
. Double winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2016, 2017)
. Double winner of Grand Prix cycliste de Montréal (2016, 2019)
. 11 times wearer of the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France (3 days in 2016; 8 days in 2018)
11 participations in Paris-Tours
Winner in 2011 / 6e in 2012 / 3e in 2015


Plomi Foto

©Pressesports Greg, you will hang up your racing number for the last time this sunday between Paris and Tours. A classic that you won in 2011, by the way. What does this victory mean in your career?
It’s really the first major classic I won. I had won races before, but this was different. Paris-Tours is on another level. Winning it made me realize that I could win big races. I’ve always liked this classic, it’s complete, challenging, at the end of the season. There’s a bit of everything, stress, wind, hills towards the end. I’ve always had a good race there. I remember discovering it in the Espoirs in 2006, and I immediately connected with it. I don’t remember much, but I must have finished fourth that time (Editor’s note: he actually finished… second), but I immediately knew it was for me. I won in 2011, I finished third again four years later with a flat tire. It’s really a very beautiful classic that everyone wants to win. Of course, it’s not a Monument or an Olympic title, but it still looks very nice on a palmares. (smile).

Since your victory, the classic has changed, introducing the vineyard paths. Given your profile, and the fact that you’re also competing in the Euro gravel race this Sunday, you must appreciate this new version…

I appreciate it even though it can be quite rough at times, and there are a lot more flat tires. In 2021, I had two or three flats, and the race was over for me. Now, you need the head, the legs, and a bit of luck to win Paris-Tours. I really hope to have it this sunday because I want to finish on a high note. The „punchy“ aspect, the accelerations, the hills that don’t need to be big mountains to hurt, I love that.

So, are we going to see a « fireworks » Greg Van Avermaet in Chartres this sunday?

(Laughs). I hope so. I’ve certainly done everything to be in the best shape. I’m motivated, and if my legs respond, I think I can achieve a good result. Winning won’t be easy, but I want to make an impact one last time on the race. I came back from Canada with Covid and had to take a break. I was disappointed because my condition was obviously affected, but I still have a few days to fine-tune and come back. One thing is certain, I want to stop at a high level. However, I also know that it’s such a tough race that there’s no room for gifts or sentiments. If I’m not in good shape, they won’t wait for me…
‘‘The last race is naturally filled with a lot of emotion. But no nervousness. I’m just happy with my career, happy with what I’ve managed to achieve, and happy to stop when I want to.’’

What do you expect in terms of the race scenario?
A race with movements, with some wind in the first part to tire out the teammates and break the peloton. This gives more chances to the strong riders to stay ahead when the big moves come. That’s how I won in 2011, with a completely scattered peloton. It’s the ideal race, completely wide open… but with my current condition, if it’s a bit calmer, that’s fine too (laughs).

Who do you see as the main favorites?
Fast guys, „punchy“ riders who know how to finish the job with a good sprint. Sprinter-punchers like Arnaud Démare, for instance. The new European champion Christophe Laporte or Arnaud De Lie also are into this category.

Will there be a touch of emotion or, on the contrary, excitement for the last race of your career on sunday?
Not much stress in any case, even though it will obviously be a very special moment. I’ve been racing for seventeen years as a pro, and thinking that it’s the last race is naturally filled with a lot of emotion. But not nervousness. I’m just happy with my career, happy with what I’ve managed to achieve, and happy to stop when I want to. It’s the right decision, and I won’t go back on it. I’m getting older, and I can tell myself, „Well, it was good“ (big smile). I still love cycling, and I’ll continue to ride, but now, it’s for me. Not with the idea of getting results. I think my mind still wants it, but my legs don’t. On Sunday, after an emotionally charged day and, I hope, a great Paris-Tours, I’m going to take a break. Take a lighter year and enjoy time with my family.

PARIS-TOURS 2023: HIGH NOON FOR DÉMARE AND LAPORTE

Key points:

 Arnaud Démare, riding in Arkéa–Samsic colours since last August, will be hunting for his third consecutive win in Paris–Tours when the 213.9 km long 117th edition of the race sets out from Chartres (Eure-et-Loire) on Sunday, 8 October. The man touted as his main rival, Christophe Laporte, will also be wearing a new jersey after securing the title in the European Championships.

 10 km of vineyard tracks, concentrated in the final 50 km, will inject a big dose of uncertainty into the race. From sprinters to long-range attack specialists, there is no shortage of riders eager to crash the French party: Arnaud De Lie, Kaden Groves, Magnus Kort, Tobias Johannessen, Jordi Meeus, Matteo Trentin, Edward Theuns, John Degenkolb, etc.

After five editions featuring vineyard tracks, Paris–Tours continues to stand out for how unpredictable the fight for the win can be, from a small group of tough guys trading blow after blow to the fast men turning on the afterburners in a bunch sprint. The only thing that has remained almost immutable, with or without vineyards, with or without wind, has been Arnaud Démare performing at a high level in his traditional last race of the season. The French sprinter has cracked the top 5 on Avenue de Grammont five times, including a brace of victories in the last two editions. Now that he has got the finale in Tours down to a science, will he be able to become the first rider ever to score a hat-trick in the Classic of the Falling Leaves, weeks after jumping ship to a new team mid-season? While the Arkéa–Samsic leader has yet to score a win with his new squad, his form is clearly where it needs to be (third in the Grand Prix d’Isbergues), and he will also enjoy the support of Luca Mozzato and Matis Louvel, two luxury domestiques who finished in the top 10 last year.

Démare certainly has what it takes to clinch the race, but he is far from a shoo-in, as a host of other riders stands ready to pounce and wrap up the season in style. Chief among them is Christophe Laporte, who put in a barnstorming performance to overcome Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij in the European Championships. His stellar performance in the Netherlands makes him a hot favourite, but the vagaries of the race could also play into the hands of riders cut from a different mould. Alpecin–Deceuninck, for instance, will be banking on the Australian Kaden Groves, the winner of three stages and the green jersey in the Vuelta, if it all comes down to a bunch sprint, and on the former winner Søren Kragh Andersen if it degenerates into a slugfest. The same goes for EF, which can play their cards with Magnus Cort and Stefan Bisseger, whereas Lotto–Dstny will be pinning their hopes on their leader, Arnaud De Lie. Among the dark horses, the Norwegian Uno-X outfit is fielding the Tour de Luxembourg stage winner Tobias Johannessen along with Rasmus Tiller, who snapped up a stage in the Tour of Britain a short while earlier. As for the super-speedsters, Bora is lining up with two former winners of the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour: Jordi Meeus (2022) and Sam Bennett (2020).

Main contenders (as of 29/09):

Germany
Bora–Hansgrohe: Bennett (IRL), Meeus (BEL) and Van Poppel (NED)

Belgium
Lotto–Dstny: De Lie, Campenaerts and Segaert (BEL)
Alpecin–Deceuninck: Groves (AUS) and Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Intermarché–Circus–Wanty: Girmay (ERI), De Gendt (BEL), Teunissen (NED) and Page (FRA)
Bingoal–WB: Van Rooy and Peyskens (BEL)

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Trentin (ITA) and Wellens (BEL)

United States
Lidl–Trek: Gallopin (FRA), Stuyven and Theuns (BEL)
EF Education–EasyPost: Cort (DEN) and Bisseger (SUI)

Spain
Equipo Kern Pharma: Adrià, Arrieta and García (ESP)

France
AG2R Citroën: Cosnefroy (FRA), Van Avermaet and Dewulf (BEL)
Groupama–FDJ: Le Gac (FRA)
Cofidis: Coquard, Périchon (FRA) and Wallays (BEL)
TotalEnergies: Turgis, Dujardin, Soupe (FRA) and Van Gestel (BEL)
Team Arkéa–Samsic: Démare, Louvel (FRA) and Mozzato (ITA)
St. Michel–Mavic–Auber93: R. Barbier (FRA)
Van Rysel–Roubaix Lille Métropole: Boudat (FRA) and Ärm (EST)
CIC-U Nantes Atlantique: P. Barbier and Guégan (FRA)
Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur: Couanon (FRA)

Israel
Israel–Premier Tech: Nizzolo (ITA), Van Asbroeck (BEL) and Gee (CAN)

Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: T. Johannessen, Tiller and Waerenskjold (NOR)

Netherlands
Jumbo–Visma: Laporte (FRA) and Van Baarle (NED)
Team DSM–Firmenich: Degenkolb (GER) and Eekhoff (NED)

Switzerland
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team: Bauer (NZL) and Parisini (ITA)

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2023

ELITE Männer 258km:


Photo HERBERT MOOS

1 EVENEPOEL Remco BEL Soudal Quick-Step 06:15:49
2 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 01:06
3 BUITRAGO Santiago COL Bahrain Victorious 01:06
4 HEALY Ben IRL EF Education-EasyPost 01:08
5 MADOUAS Valentin FRA Groupama-FDJ 01:24
6 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 01:25
7 BENOOT Tiesj BEL Jumbo-Visma 01:37
8 KONRAD Patrick AUT BORA-hansgrohe 01:48
9 SKJELMOSE JENSEN Mattias DEN Trek-Segafredo 01:48
10 HIRSCHI Marc SUI UAE Team Emirates 01:48
11 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 01:48
12 WOODS Michael CAN Israel-Premier Tech 01:48
13 CICCONE Giulio ITA Trek-Segafredo 01:48
14 SIVAKOV Pavel FRA INEOS Grenadiers 01:48
15 BARDET Romain FRA Team DSM 01:48
16 IZAGIRRE Ion ESP Cofidis 01:48
17 DE PLUS Laurens BEL INEOS Grenadiers 02:02
18 PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien FRA AG2R Citroën Team 02:02
19 VELASCO Simone ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 02:13
20 ROTA Lorenzo ITA Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 02:13


Photo HERBERT MOOS

Patrick Konrad Achter bei Lüttich – Bastogne – Lüttich


Photo HERBERT MOOS

Beim vierten Monument der Radsportsaison ging es auf 258 Kilometern durch die hügelige Landschaft der Ardennen. Von Lüttich aus führte die Strecke relativ flach zum Wendepunkt, der nach 90 gefahrenen Kilometern erreicht wurde. Auf dem Rückweg nach Lüttich wurde es mit zehn der insgesamt elf kurzen, aber teils sehr steilen Anstiege dann wesentlich bergiger. Durch die intensive Nachführarbeit von BORA – hansgrohe begann sich der Vorsprung der frühen Ausreißergruppe allmählich zu reduzieren bis mit noch 85 km die Côte de Wanne für die erste Selektion im Feld sorgte. Kurz vor La Redoute waren Aleksandr Vlasov, Patrick Konrad und Giovanni Aleotti immer noch im reduzierten Peloton mit dabei. In der Steigung versuchte Aleks des Tempo mitzuhalten, musste aber letztendlich reißen lassen. Nachdem Evenepoel attackierte, überholte er den letzten der Spitzenfahrer und hatte am Fuß der Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons einen Vorsprung von mehr als 1:30 Minuten auf verschiedene kleine Verfolgergruppen. Dahinter in der größeren Verfolgergruppe war BORA-hansgrohe nach dem Sturz von Aleks Vlasov nur noch mit Patrick Konrad vertreten, der beim Sieg von Evenepoel den Sprint seiner Gruppe gewann. Der Österreicher belegte damit bei seiner 7. Teilnahme bei diesem Rennen einen starken 8. Platz.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Ich habe heute morgen herausgefunden, dass heute meine 7. Teilnahme bei diesem Rennen sein würde. Dieses Rennen gefällt mir besonders und wir hatten heute auch bessere Wetterbedingungen als erwartet. Zu Beginn waren meine Beine nach der Tour of the Alps nicht super frisch aber während des Tages ging es mir zunehmend besser. Zuerst wollten wir für Aleks fahren, aber dann ging er vor dem Finale zu Boden und ich war in der größeren Gruppe alleine. Ich wollte einen Sprint forcieren, denn ich wusste, dass ich der Schnellste in meiner Gruppe war. Am Ende bin ich froh, eine Top 10 Platzierung bei diesem Monument zu belegen, ich glaube es ist ein schönes Resultat.“ – Patrick Konrad

„Lüttich – Bastogne – Lüttich ist immer ein hektisches Rennen. Der Sturz von Pogačar hat die Dynamik des Rennens geändert, und alles war dann in den Händen von Quickstep. Viele der Favoriten wurden schon mit 85 km abgehängt und leider waren Sergio und Jai heute nicht in Topform. Sergio hatte nicht die Beine von der Baskenland-Rundfahrt und Jai hatte sich vor Kurzem erst von einer Krankheit erholt. Aber unsere drei Giro Fahrer Giovanni, Aleks und Koni waren in der größeren Gruppe bis zum Fuß der Redoute. Glücklicherweise ist Aleks nicht schwer gestürzt und ihm geht es gut, also keine schweren Konsequenzen vor dem Giro. Der 8. Platz von Koni ist wirklich eine starke Performance und ich glaube, es wird ihm extra Motivation und Zuversicht vor dem Giro geben.“ – Enrico Gasparotto, Sportlicher Leiter

ELITE Frauen 143km:


Photo HERBERT MOOS

1 VOLLERING Demi NED Team SD Worx 03:50:47
2 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA Trek-Segafredo 00:00
3 REUSSER Marlen SUI Team SD Worx 00:22
4 MARKUS Riejanne NED Team Jumbo-Visma 00:22
5 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM Racing 00:22
6 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED Movistar Team 00:22
7 REALINI Gaia ITA Trek-Segafredo 00:25
8 LIPPERT Liane GER Movistar Team 01:24
9 PALADIN Soraya ITA CANYON//SRAM Racing 01:24
10 FISHER-BLACK Niamh NZL Team SD Worx 01:24
11 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna POL CANYON//SRAM Racing 01:24
12 SANTESTEBAN Ane ESP Team Jayco-AlUla 01:24
13 LABOUS Juliette FRA Team DSM 01:24
14 MAGNALDI Erica ITA UAE Team ADQ 01:24
15 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Trek-Segafredo 01:24
16 KERBAOL Cédrine FRA Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling 01:24
17 MUZIC Evita FRA FDJ-SUEZ 01:24
18 KASTELIJN Yara NED Fenix-Deceuninck 01:24
19 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh RSA AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step Team 01:24
20 GARCIA Mavi ESP Liv Racing TeqFind 01:24
21 BAUERNFEIND Ricarda GER CANYON//SRAM Racing 01:24

TADEJ READY TO PO-GO-GO IN THE ARDENNES – Fleche Wallone

Key points:

 The most prolific winner of this season, Tadej Pogacar, is lining up for all three Ardennes classics, including the 87th edition of the Flèche Wallonne, scheduled for Wednesday, 19 April.
 However, there is no shortage of challengers with a better track record than the Slovenian on the Mur de Huy who will do their best to either outgun him or outsmart him, including Tom Pidcock, David Gaudu and Benoît Cosnefroy. The Spaniards Enric Mas and Mikel Landa, as well as the Colombians Sergio Higuita and Dani Martinez, could also join the battle.

 After that, Tadej Pogacar will head to Liège–Bastogne–Liège to wrap up his spring classics campaign with a showdown with Remco Evenepoel.

It feels like the dawn of a new era! Alejandro Valverde, Philippe Gilbert and Vincenzo Nibali all hung up their bicycles in 2022, dramatically changing the landscape of the Ardennes classics.
The voracious appetite of Tadej Pogacar is set to shake it up even more in spring 2023, in which he will be tackling the Amstel-Flèche-Liège trilogy for the first time since 2019. Then 20 years old, had recently made his first blip on the radar with a triumph in the Volta ao Algarve. Fast forward four years and „Pogi“ is the odds-on favourite in any race and on any terrain, a role he usually embraces with enthusiasm. He has already bagged 10 victories this season, including the Vuelta a Andalucía, Paris–Nice and the Tour of Flanders. While the Slovenian has never finished higher than ninth (2022) in the Flèche Wallonne, he certainly has the punch to emerge victorious from the clash on the Mur de Huy, not least because of his experience, with four starts under his belt.
Yet the climber with a rebel streak is still only human. The main combatants in the battle royale on the slopes of the Mur de Huy appear evenly matched, as none has scored more than once on this daunting, exceptional climb.
The reigning champion, Dylan Teuns, has been firing blank shots since the season got under way and, in general, his performances since joining Israel–Premier Tech have been nothing to write home about. The start list is full of riders on a roll.
Tom Pidcock, in a league of his own in Strade Bianche, has what it takes to build on his sixth place from 2021 and could even add another prestigious classic to his tally if he carries on his stellar form from Italy. Ditto for David Gaudu, who showed in Paris–Nice (second) that he has the legs to improve on his seventh place from 2021. French prospects are not limited to the Groupama–FDJ climber, as the Flèche Wallonne could also set the stage for the long-awaited return in force of Benoît Cosnefroy (second in 2020), Warren Barguil (fourth in 2020 and fifth in 2021) or Romain Bardet (ninth in 2018).
A closer look also reveals a high probability of finding a Spanish-speaking rider trying —and even succeeding— to best Pogacar. Mikel Landa is at the helm of the Spanish Armada following his impressive run in the Tour of the Basque Country (second), where Enric Mas (fifth) and Ion Izagirre (third) were also a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, among the Colombians, Sergio Higuita also stole the show in the Tour of the Basque Country, winning a leg-breaking stage in a new flash of talent.
The eye-watering gradients of the Chemin des Chapelles could play to the strengths of the Colombian national champion, Esteban Chaves, as they did last year for Dani Martínez (fifth), Ineos Grenadiers’s other ace. The map of pretenders to the crown now takes us to Canada, where Michael Woods (third in 2020) is a back-up option for Israel–Premier Tech, while Trek–Segafredo’s Italian Giulio Ciccone, who won the stage to the Vallter resort in the Volta a Catalunya and was one of the few riders to beat Primoz Roglic in the one-week race.

Whether or not his collection of silverware has grown in the meantime, Tadej Pogacar also intends to lock horns with Remco Evenepoel in Liège–Bastogne–Liège in a clash of titans between the last two winners. The world champion could put a smile back on the Soudal Quick-Step team’s faces by landing their first monument of the year, perhaps with the help of Julian Alaphilippe, who twice had to settle for second in Liège (2015 and 2021). The Olympic gold medallist, Richard Carapaz, will join the champions already present in Huy, along with Soren Kragh Andersen, Aleksandr Vlasov, Guillaume Martin, Ben O’Connor…

25 teams, main contenders

Germany
Bora–Hansgrohe: Higuita (COL) and Hindley (AUS)

Australia
Jayco AlUla: Sobrero (ITA), Craddock (USA) and Grmay (ETH)

Bahrain
Bahrain Victorious: Landa, Bilbao (ESP), Mohoric (SLO) and Poels (NED)

Belgium
Soudal Quick-Step: Bagioli (ITA), Schmid (SUI) and Vervaeke (BEL)
Lotto Dstny: Van Gils (BEL), Eenkhoorn (NED) and Sweeny (AUS)
Intermarché–Circus–Wanty: Calmejane (FRA) and Costa (POR)
Alpecin–Deceuninck: Hermans (BEL) and Stannard (AUS)
Bingoal–WB: Teugels and Mertz (BEL)

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Pogacar (SLO), Hirschi (SUI), Ulissi (ITA) and Wellens (BEL)

Spain
Movistar Team: Mas and Aranburu (ESP)
Equipo Kern Pharma: Adrià and Arrieta (ESP)
Burgos BH: Bol (NED) and Sánchez (ESP)

United States
Trek–Segafredo: Mollema (NED), Ciccone (ITA) and López (ESP)
EF Education–EasyPost: Chaves (COL), Powless (USA) and Honoré (DEN)

France
AG2R Citroën Team: Cosnefroy and Bonnamour (FRA)
Groupama–FDJ: Madouas, Gaudu and Molard (FRA)
Cofidis: Jesús Herrada (ESP) and Lafay (FRA)
Team Arkéa–Samsic: Barguil and Champoussin (FRA)
TotalEnergies: Latour and Vuillermoz (FRA)

United Kingdom
Ineos Grenadiers: Pidcock (GBR), Kwiatkowski (POL) and Martínez (COL)

Israel
Israel–Premier Tech: Teuns (BEL), Woods (CAN) and Schultz (AUS)

Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan Team: Lutsenko (KAZ) and De la Cruz (ESP)

Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: T. Johannessen (NOR) and Charmig (DEN)

Netherlands
Jumbo–Visma: Benoot (BEL) and Valter (HUN)
Team DSM: Bardet, Combaud (FRA) and Hamilton (AUS)

Paris-Roubaix – 257 Km

1 VAN DER POEL Mathieu NED Alpecin-Deceuninck 05:28:41 46,8km/h!!
2 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:46
3 VAN AERT Wout BEL Jumbo-Visma 00:46
4 PEDERSEN Mads DEN Trek-Segafredo 00:50
5 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 00:50
6 GANNA Filippo ITA INEOS Grenadiers 00:50
7 DEGENKOLB John GER Team DSM 02:35
8 WALSCHEID Max GER Cofidis 03:31

9 REX Laurenz BEL Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 03:35
10 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Jumbo-Visma 04:11
11 VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 04:11
12 VERMEERSCH Florian BEL Lotto Dstny 04:11
13 BAX Sjoerd NED UAE Team Emirates 04:11
14 VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan BEL Jumbo-Visma 04:11
15 KRISTOFF Alexander NOR Uno-X Pro Cycling Team 05:36
16 VANMARCKE Sep BEL Israel-Premier Tech 05:36
17 TEUNISSEN Mike NED Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 05:36
18 VAN GESTEL Dries BEL TotalEnergies 05:36
19 TRENTIN Matteo ITA UAE Team Emirates 05:36
20 STUYVEN Jasper BEL Trek-Segafredo 05:36

Fluchtversuch von Jonas Koch bleibt unbelohnt bei Paris – Roubaix

Traditionell bildete Paris-Roubaix heute den Abschluss der Kopfsteinpflaster-Klassiker am Osterwochenende. Wie bei den letzten Rennen dauerte es abermals lange, bevor sich eine Spitzengruppe vom Feld absetzen konnte. BORA – hansgrohe war von Beginn an aktiv und bei jeder ernsten Attacke vertreten. So gelang es in Folge auch Jonas Koch in die 4-Mann-Gruppe des Tages zu kommen. Während in der Gruppe dahinter Politt, Haller und Meeus Probleme durch mehrere Massenstürze bzw. technische Probleme hatten, konnte sich Jonas bis rund 90 km vor dem Ziel an der Spitze des Rennens behaupten. Nach dem Wald von Arenberg schloss eine erste Favoritengruppe zu Jonas auf und leider konnte dieser etwa 20 km später das Tempo vorne nicht mehr halten. Dahinter kämpfte Nils Politt in der ersten größeren Gruppe, die 60 km vor dem Ziel Jonas einholte. Im Finale spielte heute keiner der BORA – hansgrohe Fahrer eine Rolle und am Ende erreichte Nils als Bester des Teams das Ziel auf Rang 35.

Von der Ziellinie
“Zu Beginn sind wir ein starkes Rennen gefahren und waren bei allen Attacken dabei. Ich war dann auch in der Gruppe und bis Arenberg lief alles ganz gut. Auch dort bin ich gut durchgekommen und dachte, mit den Favoriten läuft die Gruppe gut. Aber ich habe dann in einem Sektor ein Hinterrad berührt und kam fast zu Sturz. Dort hab ich den ganzen Schwung verloren und es ist extrem schwierig, wieder zu beschleunigen. Dort habe ich auch gemerkt, dass mein Tank leer war und mein Rennen war dort eigentlich zu Ende.” – Jonas Koch

“Ich hatte heute einfach nicht die besten Beine und konnte ein gutes Tempo fahren, aber bei den Attacken hat mir die letzte Kraft gefehlt. Zu Beginn war ich einmal in einen Sturz verwickelt, das war aber kein Problem. Ich musste dann einmal das Rad wechseln und da war das Rennen schon voll im Gange, das hat ein paar Körner gekostet. Im Wald von Arenberg kam dann ein Fahrer vor mir zu Sturz und ich habe den Anschluss an Ganna verloren. Da war das Rennen eigentlich für mich zu Ende. Es war sicher nicht mein bester Tag.” – Nils Politt

Mathieu Van der Poel sets his legend in stones with Paris-Roubaix win

Alpecin-Deceunick rode an excellent 2023 Paris-Roubaix to set up its leader Mathieu Van der Poel for a magnificent victory and his deluxe domestique Jasper Philipsen for a second place that rounded off the day for the Belgian team. The Carrefour de l’Arbre was decisive yet again in the Hell of the North, with a crash for John Degenkolb (Team DSM) and a flat tire for Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) putting Van der Poel in an ideal position for a deserved solo victory in the Vélodrome André Petrieux after being the most aggressive rider of the race by far. This is the Dutchman’s second Monument win of the season, following Milano-Sanremo, and his third-ever next to his two victories in the Tour of Flanders – a landmark triumph on what can already be defined as a legendary career. As for Van Aert, he took his second straight podium in Paris-Roubaix after crossing the finish line in third position.

175 riders took the start in the 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix at 11:26, off to ride 256,6 kilometres between Compiègne and the Vélodrome André Pétrieux in Roubaix with 29 cobbled sectors to be covered. The first hour of racing was as fast as its 51,5 kph average speed might indicate. It wasn’t until 82 kilometres into the race that Jonas Koch (Bora-Hansgrohe), Derek Gee (Israel-PremierTech), Sjoerd Bax (UAE Team Emirates) and Juri Hollman (Movistar Team) managed to create the day’s breakaway. Nils Eekhoff (Team DSM) nearly joined them with a counter-attack that fell short. Coming into the race’s first cobbled sector, Troisvilles to Inchy (km 96.3 — 2.2 km), the gap between the front group and the bunch was 1’25”.

Sad farewell for Peter Sagan
The pack came quite compact into the cobbles, and that provoked several crashes. Half a dozen cyclists who were riding in the first positions of the bunch hit the ground midway through the Viesly to Quiévy (km 102.8 — 1.8 km) cobbled sector. Amongst them were Soudal-Quick Step’s Davide Ballerini and TotalEnergies’ Peter Sagan and Daniel Oss. The Slovakian myth, who was racing his last-ever Paris-Roubaix before retiring next winter, was forced to pull out from the race. Meanwhile, the break kept a decent margin on the bunch – up to 1’50” as they entered Maing to Monchaux-sur-Écaillon (km 133 — 1.6 km).

Jumbo-Visma rocks the tree, Alpecin-Deceuninck picks up the apples
Going into the Haveluy to Wallers (km 153.1 — 2.5 km) cobbled sector, Jumbo-Visma took the reins of the bunch, with Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte taking turns to put some daylight between them and the rest of the field. John Degenkolb (Team DSM), Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) managed to get on their wheel as they caught breakaway riders Koch, Bax and Hollman, with Gee out of contention due to a mechanical. After the Trouée d’Arenberg (km 161.3 — 2.3 km), the front group was joined by Jasper Philipsen, Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Max Walscheid (Cofidis) and Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and lost Laporte due to a mechanical, creating a 13-strong unit with strength in numbers for Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Everything up for grabs in the Carrefour de l’Arbre
A race of attrition took place in the final 80 kilometres. Several attacks by Van der Poel created a selection of seven riders at the front after Mons-en-Pévèle (km 208 — 3 km), comprising Van Aert, Küng, Ganna, Pedersen, Degenkolb, Van der Poel himself and his teammate Philipsen. The group made it together to the Carrefour de l’Arbre (km 239.5 — 2.1 km) cobbled sector, where 8 out of the last 20 editions of Paris-Roubaix were settled. As it turned out to be the case, yet again, in 2023…

One crash, some confusion, a puncture… and Van der Poel takes off
With 16,5 kilometers to go, already in the Carrefour de l’Arbre, an unfortunate turn of events saw Degenkolb hit the ground after tapping into Van der Poel as he swerved out of Philipsen’s wheel. It was in the confusion caused by the crash that Van Aert tried to power away, only to find Van der Poel immediately catch his wheel and overtake him. As the Dutchman began to further accelerate, Van Aert suffered a puncture that put him out of contention. After the Gruson (km 242.3 — 1.1 km) cobbled sector, Van der Poel had a 20” gap on the reformed chase group that virtually sealed his win in the Vélodrome André Petrieux. Behind, Van Aert and Philipsen managed to drop the rest of the chasers to secure a podium place.

120th PARIS–ROUBAIX 2023 SECTOR RATINGS

Key points:

 On 9 April, the peloton of the 120th edition will battle it out on a 256.6 km course with 54.5 km of cobbles spread out over 29 sectors, the first of which comes 160 km from the line. Each sector is rated on a scale from one to five stars.
 Meanwhile, the third edition of Paris–Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, which will be held one day earlier on Saturday, 8 April, features 29.2 km of cobblestones. The last 84 km of the men’s and women’s races are identical.

Following Paris–Roubaix race director Thierry Gouvenou and Paris–Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift race director Franck Perque’s most recent reconnaissance of the course on 4 April, the organisers have rated the difficulty of the cobbled sectors in the race based on their length, the unevenness of the cobbles, the overall condition of the sectors and their location. The Trouée d’Arenberg (no. 19), Mons-en-Pévèle (no. 11) and the Carrefour de l’Arbre (no. 4) remain the only sectors with a five-star rating.

The cobble-gobblers scouting the roads from now until Sunday will spend the week acclimatising to this exceptional terrain and putting their gear through its paces. Meanwhile, the organisers have turned the invitation for the media to join in the recces into a tradition that starts with a fluffy omelette for breakfast at Chez Françoise in Troisvilles, an institution of Paris–Roubaix. Yet, with the first cobbled sector just around the corner, grub will be the last thing on the minds of the riders when they zip past this famous café on Sunday. The return of the three-star Haspres sector (km 139.6) for the first time since the 2004 Paris–Roubaix will add an element of surprise. The Trouée d’Arenberg, the most dreaded and often decisive moment of the race since its introduction in 1968, has received a makeover from an un-baa-lievable team of gardeners in anticipation of the peloton blasting into the sector at nearly 70 km/h. A 40-strong herd of goats was called into action to nibble away at the weeds coating this forest lane, which turns into the biggest arena on planet cycling once a year. It was the ideal solution to reduce the risk of slipping without applying toxic products to this protected area. The champions who emerge unscathed from the Trouée d’Arenberg and inch a bit closer to the coveted trophy will owe the Goat Gang a big „thank you“! It is 93 kilometres from there until the finish line.

In contrast with their male counterparts, the riders of Paris–Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift will not reap the rewards of the goats‘ work, while the first part of the course has been stretched, bringing the total distance close to 150 km. The cobblestones remain unchanged, with 29.2 km spread out over 17 sectors. The women’s course will converge on the men’s one with 84 km to go, starting with the 3.7 km long four-star sector from Hornaing to Wandignies, the very same one that Brit Lizzie Deignan used as a springboard for her victorious solo adventure last year. It will be much harder to catch the favourites unawares this time round.

The 29 cobbled sectors of Paris–Roubaix

Cobblestones sectors 17 to 1 are common to both races

29: Troisvilles to Inchy (km 96.3 — 2.2 km) ***
28: Viesly to Quiévy (km 102.8 — 1.8 km) ***
27: Quiévy to Saint-Python (km 105.4 — 3.7 km) ****
26: Saint-Python (km 110.1 — 1.5 km) **
25: Vertain to Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon (km 117.2 — 2.3 km) ***
24: Verchain-Maugré to Quérénaing (km 127.2 — 1.6 km) ***
23: Quérénaing to Maing (km 129.9 — 2.5 km) ***
22: Maing to Monchaux-sur-Écaillon (km 133 — 1.6 km) ***
21: Haspres to Thiant (km 139.6 — 1.7 km) ***
20: Haveluy to Wallers (km 153.1 — 2.5 km) ****
19: Trouée d’Arenberg (km 161.3 — 2.3 km) *****
18: Wallers to Hélesmes (km 167.4 — 1.6 km) ***
17: Hornaing to Wandignies (km 174.1 — 3.7 km) ****
16: Warlaing to Brillon (km 181.6 — 2.4 km) ***
15: Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières (km 185.1 — 2.4 km) ****
14: Beuvry to Orchies (km 191.4 — 1.4 km) ***
13: Orchies (km 196.5 — 1.7 km) ***
12: Auchy to Bersée (km 202.6 — 2.7 km) ****
11: Mons-en-Pévèle (km 208 — 3 km) *****
10: Mérignies to Avelin (km 214 — 0.7 km) **
9: Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin (km 217.4 — 1.4 km) ***
8: Templeuve — L’Épinette (km 222.8 — 0.2 km) *
8: Templeuve — Moulin-de-Vertain (km 223.3 — 0.5 km) **
7: Cysoing to Bourghelles (km 229.8 — 1.3 km) ***
6: Bourghelles to Wannehain (km 232.3 — 1.1 km) ***
5: Camphin-en-Pévèle (km 236.7 — 1.8 km) ****
4: Carrefour de l’Arbre (km 239.5 — 2.1 km) *****
3: Gruson (km 242.3 — 1.1 km) **
2: Willems to Hem (km 248.4 — 1.4 km) ***
1: Roubaix (km 255.2 — 0.3 km) *

Paris-Roubaix Challenge

Saturday, April 8th 2022 – 24 hours before Paris-Roubaix and a few hours before Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, a peloton of amateur riders will measure themselves on this legendary spring classic and its fabled cobblestone sectors. Three distances are on offer to cyclists, in order to accommodate all the preparation levels: 70, 145 and 170 kms. Every rider will find an appropriate legend.

HISTORICAL SERIES : IT TAKES TWO TO TANGLE
The legends of sport are forged in the fire of long-running rivalries between two champions. Paris–Roubaix, a prime target for the cobble-gobblers, often sets the stage for no-holds-barred contests between acrobats on wheels. A mechanical at the wrong time, poor positioning or a moment of hesitation when the decisive move comes can seal the outcome of the race. The site paris-roubaix.fr looks back on the history of these epic duels ahead of the latest showdown between the best of enemies, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, in their hunt for a maiden win in the Queen of Classics.

The first three episodes can be found on the Paris-Roubaix website
@ASO