Paris–Roubaix (The Hell of the North) is a one-day professional bicycle race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, near the border with Belgium. Paris–Roubaix was first held in 1896 and has been held annually except for 1915 to 1918 (World War 1), 1940 to 1942 (World War 2), and 2020 (COVID-19).
It’s one of the oldest bicycle races in the world. It is one of the five Monuments of the professional cycling calendar, along with the Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Giro di Lombardia. It’s France’s second most popular bike race, after the Tour de France.
The Paris-Roubaix is considered the most difficult one-day race in professional cycling. The reason it’s nicknamed Hell of the North because the cobblestone sectors (pavé) are notoriously rough and harsh on the bikes and riders.
The race is held in the north of France in early April, which is often cold and wet. This weather makes the cobbled roads even more difficult to ride on. It covers a distance of almost 257km (160mi), which makes it one of the longest one-day races on the professional cycling calendar.
Past Paris-Roubaix winners
The 2023 Paris-Roubaix winner is Mathieu van der Poel of Team Alpecin-Deceuninck. Two riders have won Paris-Roubaix four times, and seven have won it three times.
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle was the last French rider to win this French race in 1992 and 1993. In 1949, André Mahé & Serse Coppi both shared the win.
4 wins
- Roger De Vlaeminck (1972, 1974, 1975, 1977)
- Tom Boonen (2005, 2008, 2009, 2012)
3 wins
- Octave Lapize (1909, 1910, 1911)
- Gaston Rebry (1931, 1934, 1935)
- Rik Van Looy (1961, 1962, 1965)
- Eddy Merckx (1968, 1970, 1973)
- Francesco Moser (1978, 1979, 1980)
- Johan Museeuw (1996, 2000, 2002)
- Fabian Cancellara (2006, 2010, 2013)
The table below lists all the past Paris-Roubaix winners and their winning times.
Paris-Roubaix winners, 1986 to present
| Year | Winner | Winning time |
|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Josef Fischer | 9hr 17′ |
| 1897 | Maurice Garin | 9hr 57′ 21″ |
| 1898 | Maurice Garin | 8hr 13′ 15″ |
| 1899 | Albert Champion | 8hr 22′ 52″ |
| 1900 | Emile Bouhours | 7hr 10′ 30″ |
| 1901 | Lucien Lesna | 10hr 49′ 36″ |
| 1902 | Lucien Lesna | 9hr 32′ |
| 1903 | Hippolyte Aucouturier | 9hr 12′ 30″ |
| 1904 | Hippolyte Aucouturier | 8hr 15′ |
| 1905 | Louis Trousselier | 8hr 4′ 15″ |
| 1906 | Henri Cornet | 9hr 59′ 30″ |
| 1907 | Georges Passerieu | 8hr 45′ |
| 1908 | Cyrille Van Hauwaert | 10hr 34′ 25″ |
| 1909 | Octave Lapize | 9hr 3′ 30″ |
| 1910 | Octave Lapize | 9hr 15′ 12″ |
| 1911 | Octave Lapize | 8hr 29′ 10″ |
| 1912 | Charles Crupelandt | 8hr 30′ |
| 1913 | François Faber | 7hr 30′ |
| 1914 | Charles Crupelandt | 9hr 2′ |
| 1919 | Henri Pélissier | 12hr 15′ |
| 1920 | Paul Deman | 10hr 47′ 20″ |
| 1921 | Henri Pélissier | 9hr 2′ 30″ |
| 1922 | Albert Dejonghe | 7hr 47′ |
| 1923 | Heiri Suter | 8hr 58′ 15″ |
| 1924 | Jules Van Hevel | 10hr 34′ |
| 1925 | Félix Sellier | 9hr 16′ 32″ |
| 1926 | Julien Delbecque | 7hr 34′ 42″ |
| 1927 | Georges Ronsse | 8hr 32′ 20″ |
| 1928 | André Leducq | 7hr 44′ 20″ |
| 1929 | Charles Meunier | 8hr 54′ 50″ |
| 1930 | Julien Vervaecke | 8hr 11′ 14″ |
| 1931 | Gaston Rebry | 7hr 1′ |
| 1932 | Romain Gijssels | 6hr 49′ 58″ |
| 1933 | Sylvère Maes | 6hr 59′ |
| 1934 | Gaston Rebry | 7hr 52′ 7″ |
| 1935 | Gaston Rebry | 6hr 40′ 57″ |
| 1936 | Georges Speicher | 7hr 15′ 1″ |
| 1937 | Giulio “Jules” Rossi | 7hr 17′ 57″ |
| 1938 | Lucien Storme | 8hr 13′ 38″ |
| 1939 | Emile Masson | 7hr 17′ 30″ |
| 1943 | Marcel Kint | 6hr 1′ 32″ |
| 1944 | Maurice De Simpelaere | 6hr 9′ 57″ |
| 1945 | Paul Maye | 7hr 52′ 54″ |
| 1946 | Georges Claes | 7hr 13′ 25″ |
| 1947 | Georges Claes | 6hrn 10′ 34″ |
| 1948 | Rik van Steenbergen | 5hr 35′ 31″ |
| 1949 | André Mahé & Serse Coppi | 6hr 11′ 59″ |
| 1950 | Fausto Coppi | 6hr 18′ 48″ |
| 1951 | Antonio Bevilacqua | 6hr 7′ 14″ |
| 1952 | Rik van Steenbergen | 5hr 50′ 31″ |
| 1953 | Germain Derycke | 5hr 39′ 19″ |
| 1954 | Raymond Impanis | 6hr 54′ 43″ |
| 1955 | Jean Forestier | 6hr 6′ 42″ |
| 1956 | Louison Bobet | 6hr 1′ 26″ |
| 1957 | Fred de Bruyne | 7hr 15′ 19″ |
| 1958 | Léon van Daele | 8hr 4′ 41″ |
| 1959 | Noël Foré | 6hr 8′ 20″ |
| 1960 | Pino Cerami | 6hr 1′ 45″ |
| 1961 | Rik van Looy | 6hr 19′ 8″ |
| 1962 | Rik van Looy | 6hr 43′ 57″ |
| 1963 | Emile Daems | 7hr 3′ 33″ |
| 1964 | Peter Post | 5hr 52′ 19″ |
| 1965 | Rik van Looy | 6hr 23′ 32″ |
| 1966 | Felice Gimondi | 6hr 59′ 26″ |
| 1967 | Jan Janssen | 7hr 8′ 31″ |
| 1968 | Eddy Merckx | 7hr 9′ 26″ |
| 1969 | Walter Godefroot | 6hr 46′ 47″ |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx | 6hr 23′ 15″ |
| 1971 | Roger Rosiers | 6hr 17′ 53″ |
| 1972 | Roger de Vlaeminck | 7hr 24′ 5″ |
| 1973 | Eddy Merckx | 7hr 28′ 43″ |
| 1974 | Roger de Vlaeminck | 7hr 17′ 26″ |
| 1975 | Roger de Vlaeminck | 6hr 52′ 4″ |
| 1976 | Marc Demeyer | 6hr 37′ 41″ |
| 1977 | Roger de Vlaeminck | 6hr 11′ 26″ |
| 1978 | Francesco Moser | 7hr 12′ 24″ |
| 1979 | Francesco Moser | 6hr 17′ 28″ |
| 1980 | Francesco Moser | 6hr 7′ 28″ |
| 1981 | Bernard Hinault | 6hr 26′ 7″ |
| 1982 | Jan Raas | 7hr 21′ 50″ |
| 1983 | Hennie Kuiper | 6hr 47′ 51″ |
| 1984 | Sean Kelly | 7hr 31′ 35″ |
| 1985 | Marc Madiot | 7hr 21′ 10″ |
| 1986 | Sean Kelly | 6hr 48′ 23″ |
| 1987 | Eric Vanderaerden | 7hr 18′ 3″ |
| 1988 | Dirk de Mol | 6hr 34′ 18″ |
| 1989 | Jean-Marie Wampers | 6hr 46′ 45″ |
| 1990 | Eddy Planckaert | 7hr 37′ 2″ |
| 1991 | Marc Madiot | 7hr 8′ 19″ |
| 1992 | Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle | 6hr 26′ 56″ |
| 1993 | Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle | 6hr 25′ 20″ |
| 1994 | Andrei Tchmil | 7hr 28′ 2″ |
| 1995 | Franco Ballerini | 6hr 27′ 8″ |
| 1996 | Johan Museeuw | 6hr 5′ 0″ |
| 1997 | Frédéric Guesdon | 6hr 38′ 10″ |
| 1998 | Franco Ballerini | 6hr 55′ 16″ |
| 1999 | Andrea Tafi | 6hr 44′ 15″ |
| 2000 | Johan Museeuw | 6hr 47′ |
| 2001 | Servais Knaven | 6hr 45′ |
| 2002 | Johan Museeuw | 6hr 39′ 8″ |
| 2003 | Peter Van Petegem | 6hr 11′ 35″ |
| 2004 | Magnus Backstedt | 6hr 40′ 26″ |
| 2005 | Tom Boonen | 6hr 29′ 38″ |
| 2006 | Fabian Cancellara | 6hr 7′ 54″ |
| 2007 | Stuart O’Grady | 6hr 9′ 7″ |
| 2008 | Tom Boonen | 5hr 58′ 42″ |
| 2009 | Tom Boonen | 6hr 15′ 53″ |
| 2010 | Fabian Cancellara | 6hr 35′ 10″ |
| 2011 | Johan Van Summeren | 6hr 7′ 28″ |
| 2012 | Tom Boonen | 5hr 55′ 22″ |
| 2013 | Fabian Cancellara | 5hr 45′ 33″ |
| 2014 | Niki Terpstra | 6hr 9′ 1″ |
| 2015 | John Degenkolb | 5hr 49′ 51″ |
| 2016 | Mathew Hayman | 5hr 51′ 53″ |
| 2017 | Greg van Avermaet | 5hr 41′ 7″ |
| 2018 | Peter Sagan | 5hr 54′ 6″ |
| 2019 | Philippe Gilbert | 5hr 58′ 2″ |
| 2021 | Sonny Colbrelli | 6hr 1′ 57″ |
| 2022 | Dylan Van Baarle | 5hr 37′ 0″ |
| 2023 | Mathieu van der Poel | 5hr 28′ 41″ |
Fastest Paris-Roubaix average speed
The fastest Paris-Roubaix was in 2023, won by Mathieu van der Poel with an average speed of 46.84 km/h (29.11 mph).
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Distance | Avg. speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mathieu van der Poel | 5hr 28′ 41″ | 256.6 km (159.4 mi) | 46.84 km/h (29.11 mph) |
| 2022 | Dylan Van Baarle | 5hr 37′ | 257.2 km (159.8 mi) | 45.792 km/h (28.45 mph) |
| 2017 | Greg van Avermaet | 5hr 41′ 7″ | 257.0 km (159.7 mi) | 45.204 km/h (28.09 mph) |
| 1964 | Peter Post | 5hr 52′ 19″ | 265.0 km (164.7 mi) | 45.129 km/h (28.04 mph) |
| 2013 | Fabian Cancellara | 5hr 45′ 33″ | 254.5 km (158.1 mi) | 44.19 km/h (27.46 mph) |
| 1948 | Rik van Steenbergen | 5hr 35′ 31″ | 246 km (153 mi) | 43.992 km/h (27.33 mph) |
| 2016 | Mathew Hayman | 5hr 51′ 53″ | 257.5 km (160.0 mi) | 43.907 km/h (27.28 mph) |
| 2018 | Peter Sagan | 5hr 54′ 6″ | 257.0 km (159.7 mi) | 43.547 km/h (27.06 mph) |
| 1960 | Pino Cerami | 6hr 1′ 45″ | 262.5 km (163.1 mi) | 43.538 km/h (27.05 mph) |
| 2012 | Tom Boonen | 5hr 55′ 22″ | 257.5 km (160.0 mi) | 43.476 km/h (26.97 mph) |
| 2015 | John Degenkolb | 5h 49′ 51″ | 253.5 km (157.5 mi) | 43.48 km/h (27.02 mph) |
| 2008 | Tom Boonen | 5h 58′ 42″ | 259.5 km (161.2 mi) | 43.41 km/h (26.97 mph) |
Biggest winning margin in Paris-Roubaix
The biggest winning margin was by Maurice Garin, who won in 1898 with 28 minutes over Auguste Stéphane. This is followed Lucien Lesna (1901, 26 minutes) and Josef Fischer (1896, 25 minutes)
Since 2000, the biggest winning margin was in 2002 when Johan Museeuw won with a 3′ 4″ gap to Steffen Wesemann.
The table below shows the 10 biggest winning margins in Paris-Roubaix.
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Winning margin | Second place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Maurice Garin | 8hr 13′ 15″ | 28′ | Auguste Stéphane |
| 1901 | Lucien Lesna | 10hr 49′ 36″ | 26′ | Ambroise Garin |
| 1896 | Josef Fischer | 9hr 17′ | 25′ | Charles Meyer |
| 1899 | Albert Champion | 8hr 22′ 52″ | 23′ 21″ | Paul Bor |
| 1900 | Emile Bouhours | 7hr 10′ 30″ | 18′ | Josef Fischer |
| 1905 | Louis Trousselier | 8hr 4′ 15″ | 7′ | René Pottier |
| 1922 | Albert Dejonghe | 7hr 47′ | 6′ | Jean Rossius |
| 1970 | Eddy Merckx | 6hr 23′ 15″ | 5′ 21″ | Roger de Vlaeminck |
| 1998 | Franco Ballerini | 6hr 55′ 16″ | 4′ 16″ | Andrea Tafi |
| 1966 | Felice Gimondi | 6hr 59′ 26″ | 4′ 8″ | Jan Janssen |
| 2002 | Johan Museeuw | 6hr 39′ 8″ | 3′ 4″ | Steffen Wesemann |
Slowest Paris-Roubaix average speed
The slowest Paris-Roubaix was in 1924, won by Jules Van Hevel with an average speed of only 25.55km/h (15.88mph).
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Avg. speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Henri Pélissier | 12hr 15′ | 22.857 |
| 1924 | Jules Van Hevel | 10hr 34′ | 25.55 |
| 1908 | Cyrille Van Hauwaert | 10hr 34′ 25″ | 25.63 |
| 1901 | Lucien Lesna | 10hr 49′ 36″ | 25.862 |
| 1920 | Paul Deman | 10hr 47′ 20″ | 25.95 |
| 1906 | Henri Cornet | 9hr 59′ 30″ | 27.034 |
| 1925 | Félix Sellier | 9hr 16′ 32″ | 28.03 |
| 1902 | Lucien Lesna | 9hr 32′ | 28.088 |
| 1897 | Maurice Garin | 9hr 57′ 21″ | 28.124 |
| 1921 | Henri Pélissier | 9hr 2′ 30″ | 29.09 |
Paris-Roubaix route
The distance of Paris-Roubaix in 2023 was 256.6km (159.4mi). Since its inception, the race distance has ranged from 244km (151.6mi) to 280km (173.9mi) long.
The race starts in Compiègne, located around 80km north of Paris. The riders then head northeast towards the town of Roubaix, located on the border with Belgium. The race finishes at the Roubaix Velodrome, a stadium for bicycle racing.
Before 1977, the race started in various locations around Paris.
- 1896 to 1897 Porte Maillot, Paris
- 1898 to 1899 – Chatou
- 1900 – Saint-Germain
- 1901 – Porte Maillot, Paris
- 1902 to 1913 – Chatou
- 1914 – Suresnes
- 1919 to 1928 – Suresnes
- 1929 to 1937 – Porte Maillot, Paris
- 1938 – Argenteuil
- 1939 – Porte Maillot, Paris
- 1943 to 1965 – Saint-Denis
- 1966 to 1976 – Chantilly
- 1977 to present – Compiègne
Before 1989, the race finished in various locations around Roubaix.
- 1896 to 1914 – Rue Vert, Croix
- 1919 – Avenue de Jussieu
- 1920 to 1921 -Stadium Jean Dubrulle,
- 1922 to 1928 – Avenue des Villas
- 1929 – Stade Amédée Prouvost
- 1930 to 1934 – avenue des Villas
- 1935 to 1936 – Flandres horse track
- 1937 to 1939 – Avenue Gustave Delory
- 1943 to 1985 – Roubaix Velodrome
- 1986 to 1988 – Aavenue des Nations-Unies
- 1989 to present – Roubaix Velodrome
Paris-Roubaix cobblestone sectors
In 2023, there are 29 cobbled sectors with a total distance of 54.5km (33.8mi). Each cobblestone sector is given a rating from 1-star (easiest) to 5-star (most difficult). The first cobblestone sector comes 96km (59.6mi) from the start.
There are three 5-star cobblestone sectors; Trouée d’Arenberg, Mons-en-Pevele, and Carrefour de I’Arbre.
- Trouée d’Arenberg, also known as the Arenberg Forest, is the first real challenge in the race after 162km (101mi). This 2.4km (1.5mi) stretch of cobbles was first used in 1968 and has been used in every race edition since then. It’s considered to be the most crucial sector of cobbles and usually has a significant impact on the outcome of the race.
- Mons-en-Pevele is a 3km (1.9mi) cobblestone sector located at 209km (130mi) was first used in 1903 and has been used in almost every race edition since then.
- Carrefour de I’Arbre is located in the last 16km (10mi) of the race. It was first used in 1980 and has been used in every race edition since then. This 2.1km (1.2mi) sector of cobbles is considered to be one of the hardest in the race due to its location near the end when riders are already fatigued.
- Quievy a Saint-Python and Hornaing to Wandignies, both 4-star sectors, are the longest at 3.7km (2.3mi) long.
The table below lists all the cobblestone sectors with their rating.
| Sector # | Sector name | Km. to go | Length (m) | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Troisvilles to Inchy | 160.3 | 2,200 | 3 |
| 28 | Viesly to Quiévy | 153.8 | 1,800 | 3 |
| 27 | Quiévy to Saint-Python | 151.2 | 3,700 | 4 |
| 26 | Saint-Python | 146.5 | 1,500 | 2 |
| 25 | Vertain to Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon | 139.4 | 2,300 | 3 |
| 24 | Verchain-Maugré to Quérénaing | 129.4 | 1,600 | 3 |
| 23 | Quérénaing to Maing | 126.7 | 2,500 | 3 |
| 22 | Maing to Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon | 123.6 | 1,600 | 3 |
| 21 | Haspres to Thiant | 117 | 1,700 | 3 |
| 20 | Haveluy to Wallers | 103.5 | 2,500 | 4 |
| 19 | Trouée d’Arenberg | 95.3 | 2,300 | 5 |
| 18 | Wallers to Hélesmes | 89.2 | 1,600 | 3 |
| 17 | Hornaing to Wandignies | 82.5 | 3,700 | 4 |
| 16 | Warlaing to Brillon | 75 | 2,400 | 3 |
| 15 | Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières | 71.5 | 2,400 | 4 |
| 14 | Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies | 65.2 | 1,400 | 3 |
| 13 | Orchies | 60.1 | 1,700 | 3 |
| 12 | Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée | 54 | 2,700 | 4 |
| 11 | Mons-en-Pévèle | 48.6 | 3,000 | 5 |
| 10 | Mérignies to Avelin | 42.6 | 700 | 2 |
| 9 | Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin | 39.2 | 1,400 | 3 |
| 8 | Templeuve – L’Epinette | 33.8 | 200 | 1 |
| 8 | Templeuve – Moulin-de-Vertain | 33.3 | 500 | 2 |
| 7 | Cysoing to Bourghelles | 26.8 | 1,300 | 3 |
| 6 | Bourghelles to Wannehain | 24.3 | 1,100 | 3 |
| 5 | Camphin-en-Pévèle | 19.9 | 1,800 | 4 |
| 4 | Carrefour de l’Arbre | 17.1 | 2,100 | 5 |
| 3 | Gruson | 14.8 | 1,100 | 2 |
| 2 | Willems to Hem | 8.2 | 1,400 | 3 |
| 1 | Roubaix – Espace Charles Crupelandt | 1.4 | 300 | 1 |
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.