Key points:
 On Sunday, 9 April, the 120th edition of Paris–Roubaix will roll out from Compiègne and set the stage for the latest showdown between Wout van Aert and Mathieu Van der Poel, the King Kong and Godzilla of the elite classics scene, who are still on the hunt for their first cobblestone trophies in the André-Petrieux Velodrome.

 However, the start list is packed with outsiders eager to snatch the win from under their noses in the Queen of Classics, a race where anything can happen: Mads Pedersen, Filippo Ganna, Kasper Asgreen, Nils Politt, Matej Mohorič, Alexander Kristoff, Stefan Küng, Sep Vanmarcke, Gianni Moscon… and Arnaud De Lie in his debut in the Hell of the North.
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The Northern classics campaign is winding down. After a week of bone-rattling recon rides, a day of reckoning awaits for cobble-gobblers on a quest to settle the score, confirm their new-found status or pull off the coup of the decade. Out of the 175 riders on the start line in Compiègne, the main attractions will be Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, two stars who seem cut out for the Queen of Classics but have yet to deliver on that promise. A combination of zealous rivals, untimely punctures and tactical blunders have left them with a bitter taste in the velodrome, even on the podium. Last year, the Belgian had to settle for a frustrating second place, while his Dutch frenemy was just as disappointed to finish third in his Roubaix debut in 2021. Going into this year’s edition, the momentum seems to be with Van der Poel, who came out on top in Milan–San Remo and was the best of the rest in Pogačar’s Tour of Flanders recital. Yet Van Aert’s comparatively smaller haul, including a prestigious triumph in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, has also showed the depth of Jumbo–Visma, with Dylan van Baarle winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Christophe Laporte taking Gent–Wevelgem in tandem with his leader and Dwars door Vnderen with a solo move. The Roubaix title holder and the French man of the hour will be Van Aert’s key allies in his bid for glory on Sunday afternoon.

A quick glance at the recent history of Paris–Roubaix reveals that the wildest race on the calendar is seldom kind to the odds-on favourites, with eleven different winners in the last eleven editions. It is therefore crucial to take a long, hard look at the list of dark horses ready to surprise or take the fight to the classics titans in any scenario. Even without Van Baarle, Ineos Grenadiers have a real shot at defending the title with Filippo Ganna, the runner-up in San Remo, where he was sandwiched between VDP and WVA. Mads Pedersen’s performances in La Primavera (sixth) and De Ronde (third) make him a marked man too. Soudal–Quick Step are banking on Kasper Asgreen (seventh in Oudenaarde yesterday) and Yves Lampaert to grab a win and salvage their Northern campaign. Another Belgian team, Lotto Dstny, is fielding Florian Vermeersch, the breakthrough performer of the 2021 edition (second), and giving Arnaud De Lie the chance to make a strong impression in his own debut. This is exactly what Biniam Girmay had in mind before he crashed in the Tour of Flanders, but the Intermarché leader and victor of the 2022 Gent–Wevelgem could be forced to postpone his first Roubaix outing.

Among the French teams, Groupama–FDJ is pinning its hopes on Stefan Küng (third in 2022) and Arnaud Démare. TotalEnergies will strive to slip the 2018 champion, Peter Sagan, and Anthony Turgis into the decisive moves, while AG2R Citroën is rolling up to the start with a three-pronged Belgian offensive in which another former winner, Greg Van Avermaet, will rely on the support of Stan Dewulf and Oliver Naesen.

25 teams, main contenders
Australia
Jayco AlUla: Durbridge (AUS) and Štybar (CZE)
Bahrain
Bahrain Victorious: Mohorič (SLO) and Wright (GBR)
Belgium
Soudal–Quick-Step: Merlier, Lampaert (BEL), Asgreen (DAN) and Sénéchal (FRA)
Lotto Dstny: De Lie, Vermeersch and Frison (BEL)
Alpecin–Deceuninck: Van der Poel (NED), Dillier (SUI) and Groves (AUS)
Intermarché–Circus–Wanty: Girmay (ERI) and Rex (BEL)
Bingoal–WB: Van Keirsbulck (BEL)
Team Flanders–Baloise: Van Poucke (BEL)
France
AG2R Citroën: Van Avermaet, O. Naesen and Dewulf (BEL)
Cofidis: Walscheid (GER) and Wallays (BEL)
Groupama–FDJ: Démare (FRA) and Küng (SUI)
TotalEnergies: Sagan (SVK), A. Turgis (FRA) and Bodnar (POL)
Arkéa–Samsic: Hofstetter, Louvel (FRA) and McLay (GBR)
Germany
BORA-hansgrohe: Politt (GER) and Archbold (NZL)
Israel
Israel–Premier Tech: Vanmarcke and Van Asbroeck (BEL)
Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan: Moscon (ITA) and Bol (NED)
Netherlands
Jumbo–Visma: Van Aert (BEL), Laporte (FRA) and Van Baarle (NED)
DSM: Degenkolb (GER) and Eekhoff (NED)
Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: Kristoff and Tiller (NOR)
Spain
Movistar Team: García Cortina, Lazkano (ESP) and Norsgaard Jørgensen (DEN)
Switzerland
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team: Devriendt (BEL)
United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Bjerg (DEN), Ackermann (GER) and Trentin (ITA)
United Kingdom
Ineos Grenadiers: Ganna (ITA) and Kwiatkowski (POL)
United States
EF Education–EasyPost: Bisseger (SUI), Keukeleire (BEL) and Bettiol (ITA)
Trek–Segafredo: Stuyven (BEL) and M. Pedersen (DEN)

@ASO