Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The 116th edition Paris-Roubaix kicked off in the center of Compiègne on a sunny April 8, 2018. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) was among many top riders ready to face-off on the cobbles of Northern France in the race nicknamed the “Hell of the North.” Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Team staff kept wheels at the ready on every sector while early morning rain slicked the fabled pavé. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The front of the peloton chased an early breakaway on the first cobbled sector at Troisvilles. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Sector 28 at Viesly à Briastre made its debut in the 2017 edition of the race. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Riders dropped into the hairpin turn midway through the second sector of pavé as the gap held at eight minutes for the breakaway. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Several crashes took place in the earliest sectors of the race, with riders navigating the slick and tricky mud. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tireless domestiques Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Soudal) and Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe), descended into the corner on sector 26 at Quièvy which is traditionally ridden in the opposite direction in the race. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Two former Roubaix champions, John Degekolb (Trek-Segafredo) and Matthew Hayman (Mitchelton-Scott), rode safely in the peloton through one of the early sectors of cobbles. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The race approached the start of a newly-introduced sector with the town of Saint-Hilaire lez-Cambrai in the background. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Changes in the layout of pavé for the 2018 edition allowed for far greater fan access. In some cases, spectators could sprint from one sector to another and beat the riders. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin) and the Quick-Step team controlled the front of the chase through sector 25. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Big, sweeping farmland vistas were abundant on the springlike Sunday in hell. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
As the gap to the breakaway was slowly ground down, all the race favorites stayed near the front as they charged through the Trouée d’Arenberg. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Swiss champion Silvan Dillier (Ag2r La Mondiale) established himself in the early breakaway as the rider with the greatest tenacity throughout the day. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com (FILE)
Pure sprinters like Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) may have suffered the most on the day’s five-star sectors of pavé. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Offering bottles and sustenance, team staff provided small consolation during the Hell of the North. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The breakaway group continued its campaign through the open fields of sector 15 at Tilloy àSars-et-Rosières. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
With over 70km to go, Quick-Step’s Zdenek Stybar found some daylight between the break and the front of the peloton. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan began his move to the front of the pack at the fifteenth sector. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The calm during the storm, BMC domestique Michael Schär rode a nearly empty set of cobbles during the race. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
World champion Peter Sagan took his chances with a surprise move at Auchy à Bersèe with more than fifty kilometers to go. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
American Taylor Phinney (EF Education First-Drapac) showed strong form in supporting his team leader, Sep Vanmarcke. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Fans rejoiced in the warm weather as the riders battled it out in the Hell of the North. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan was the first through the iconic corner at Mons-en-Pévèle. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
With the breakaway dissolved, only Silvan Dillier (ALM) had enough left in the tank to hold onto Sagan’s wheel. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Wout van Aert (Verandas Willem’s-Crelan) showed true talent for the cobbles in Paris-Roubaix as he led Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) through the turn at sector 11. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Cysoing was one of the few sectors that still showed signs of the previous weeks’ of rain — the race organization did it’s best to “clean up” some of the worst muddy patches. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Fans howled and cheered as Dutch race favorite and former Roubaix champion Niki Terpstra reached Cysoing. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
As predicted — after a glowing performance at the Ronde van Vlaanderen — Wout van Aert showed he had the skills and the mindset to be a top Roubaix contender. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Jens Debusschere proved to be the best-placed Lotto-Soudal rider as he corned behind former Roubaix champion Greg Van Avermaet (BMC). Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Silvan Dillier kept close tabs on Peter Sagan as they neared the middle of infamous leg-crushing sector of cobbles called the Carrefour de l’Arbre. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan rode smoothly through some of the worst terrain of the day at sector 4, proving once again that he is a master bike handler. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dutchman Niki Terpstra (QST) refused to ease off the pace as Sagan and Dillier continued up the road at sector 4. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Grin or grimace? Sep Vanmarcke looked to be having a ball in the last 15 kilometers of the race. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Defending champion Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) struggled throughout the classics season to find the form he showcased in 2017. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
With several cards to play in the race, Quick-Step Floors’s squad worked hard to place its riders in the top ranks. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
After a single lap of cat-and-mouse, Peter Sagan put the screws to Dillier in the final 200 meters. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan sprints for the line, the newly-crowned King of Roubaix. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan let out a roar after winning Roubaix. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan hoisted his gold Specialized Roubaix over his head as all eyes were on him. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Niki Terpstra arrived on the velodrome to claim the final podium spot for the 2018 edition. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Sep Vanmarcke, Greg Van Avermaet, and Jasper Stuyven all pursued top-10 results, looking to out-sprint each other. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017 Roubaix champion, Greg Van Avermaet, gave it once last push for the line to take fourth place. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The last of the race favorites came in as another super strong group well represented by Stybar, Phinney, Naessen, Gilbert, Debusschere, Degenkolb, and van Aert. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Winner Peter Sagan congratulated 2014 Roubaix winner Niki Terpstra on the podium while flames of L’Enfer du Nord swirled around them. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The 2018 King of Roubaix. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan was given the he holy grail of cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Weekly Newsletter
Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered daily to your inbox.
