Key points:
 The course of the 2018 edition will stretch for 257 km and feature no fewer than 29 cobblestone sectors totalling 54.5 km.
 The pre-race parade in Compiègne will take the peloton through the Glade of the Armistice, where the armistice that ended World War I was signed on 11 November 1918.
 A brand-new sector will be added to the course in Cambrésis, near the start of the gruelling part of the race. However, the decisive moments will come later, with the Trouée d’Arenberg, the Mons-en-Pévèle sector and, finally, the Carrefour de l’Arbre, with the Roubaix Velodrome tantalisingly close!

The highlights of the season already loom on the horizon. After spending the winter training hard to prepare for their objectives, the majority of riders who make up the international peloton have already kicked off the season under the sunny skies of Australia, South America, the Middle East or Spain. Some are racking up race miles with their sights firmly set on the cobbled classics, where the main course will be served to the cobble-gobblers between Compiègne and Roubaix on 8 April. The riders will hit the first cobbled sectors after reaching Troisvilles, barely 100 kilometres into the race. The amount of cobblestones is a shade lower than last year, but still more than enough to deal serious damage. These cobbled sectors will total 54.5 km (versus 55 km in 2017), compared with an average of 52.58 km for the last ten editions.
For many years, the organisers of Paris–Roubaix have done their bit to discover and preserve these extraordinary roads, which guarantee a spectacular show on the day of the race and, even more importantly, give the landscapes of the region a special flavour. The course changes for the 2018 edition affect the 30 kilometres after Troisvilles. The Saint-Python sector is back after a year on ice, but the riders will tackle it in the opposite direction this time round. Another new sector, this one stretching for 1,500 m between Saint-Hilaire and Saint-Vaast, will push the riders harder shortly afterwards. These new changes are not expected to play a decisive role in the outcome of Paris–Roubaix, as the big stars usually keep their powder dry until the final 100 kilometres.

PARIS-ROUBAIX CHALLENGE 7.4.2018
After Paris-Nice Challenge, it is on the “Hell of the North” that the competitors will offer themselves a new challenge. Amateur cyclists can also face this legendary race on the eve of the professional peloton’s entry into action. More than 6,000 competitors of 66 nationalities will compete in one of the three proposed distances (70 km, 145 km and 172 km).
Information on: www.parisroubaixchallenge.com
Paris-Roubaix Challenge in figures:
• 8th edition of Paris-Roubaix Challenge
• More than 6,000 participants
• 3 routes of 70 km, 145 km and 172 km
• 66 nationalities at the start

Text ASO
Veröffentlicht durch Gerhard Plomitzer