Paris-Roubaix

The 2011 Paris-Roubaix contains 51.5km of cobbles spread out over 27 sectors. The first comes 98km into the race and the final sector is at the entrance to the Roubaix velodrome.

PARIS (AFP) - Garmin-Cervelo's Thor Hushovd said he is ready to step up and do justice to the world champion's rainbow jersey when he bids for a maiden victory in the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic on Sunday.

Defending champion says he can’t control the Hell of the North, but Arenberg Forest will be key

PARIS, April 8, 2011 (AFP) - Australia's Baden Cooke will saddle up for Paris-Roubaix on Sunday with a chance to showcase his own ambitions in the tough one-day classic.

KORTRIJK, Belgium (VN) — With three days until Paris-Roubaix, and months of preparation complete, the main favorites now are simply waiting with the hope that the stars of training, recovery, form and luck will align for them on Sunday.

At the ripe age of 25, Mark Cavendish has already amassed a wealth of experience at the world’s biggest races. He’s won Tour stages, Giro stages, Milan-San Remo and a host of one-day events. Yet he’s never done Paris-Roubaix.

2011 Paris-Roubaix startlist, preliminary

Paris-Roubaix demands more of the machine. Every part of the bike needs to be up to the challenge. Frames, forks, wheels, tires, handlebars, cables, even pedals are all optimized.

One of cycling’s monuments, Paris-Roubaix is the grand-daddy of spring classics. With its infamous, rough, cobblestone farm roads, notorious weather and punishing speeds, the race lives up to its moniker l’enfer du Nord or “Hell of the North.” Graham Watson has been photographing the race since the 1980s, and he shares a few of his best shots here.

Paris-Roubaix winners, 1896-2010

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

Check out Nick Legan's author page.

BMC team doctor Max Testa says Taylor Phinney’s early departure from the Volta a Catalunya last week doesn’t mean that he will not be able to start Paris-Roubaix next month.

The cobbled classics are truly a subcategory of their own, reserved for the strongest, grittiest riders of the pro peloton.

BANYOLES, Spain (VN) – Gatis Smukulis slipped back into the peloton in Wednesday’s big climbing stage at the Volta a Catalunya, but a big stage win and two days in the leader’s jersey put the relatively unknown Latvian firmly in the spotlight.

France's FMB makes, by hand, the tires prized by the cobbled classics stars.

The German Pro Continental squad NetApp earned a wild card invite to Paris-Roubaix, the race announced earlier this month. Team director Ralph Denk said the squad, which includes American Steven Cozza, was "euphoric" over the team's first selection for a WorldTour event.

MARINA DI CARRARA, Italy (VN) — Fabian Cancellara is confident. But who isn’t? The classics leader for Leopard-Trek will start Tirreno-Adriatico with the stage 1 team time trial on Wednesday. He told reporters Tuesday that he sees no reason that he can’t repeat his double feat of Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix wins from 2010.

Though Mark Cavendish has been relatively quiet so far this season, HTC-Highroad brass is confident that their ace sprinter is poised for a brilliant season.

MUSCAT, Oman (AFP) - Reigning world road race champion Thor Hushovd has admitted his days of pushing to the front in a bid to win every bunch sprint that is within his grasp are now practically over.

Recently crowned world champion Thor Hushovd says he hopes to win Paris-Roubaix next year wearing the rainbow jersey.

André Mahé, the man who controversially shared victory in the 1949 edition of Paris-Roubaix with Serse Coppi, died Wednesday at his home in Brittany at the age of 90.

Roger Hammond is entering perhaps his final year of racing on a beefed up Garmin-Cervelo squad

A new book from VeloPress, The Spring Classics delves deeply into the rich stories of cycling's most glorious and meaningful history.

ASO is planning a citizens cyclosportive along the Paris-Roubaix course next April

Specialized kicked off its 2011 product presentation this weekend at Keystone Resort in Colorado.

Knaven prepares for final races

Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara on on Tuesday dismissed claims that he used a motorised bike when winning this season's Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix classics.

There's a big difference in pay days when it comes to golf and cycling.

Tech editor Zack Vestal looks at the bikes of Paris-Roubaix before they were subjected to a beating on the cobbles.

David Millar says he’ll leave Paris-Roubaix to the experts. The Garmin-Transitions captain got his first real taste of the Hell of the North, but made a mid-course revelation that he’s not cut out for the punishing march across the cobblestones.

VeloNews technical editor Zack Vestal spends Paris-Roubaix with the Mavic neutral support crew.

Beelgian world junior road champion Jasper Stuyven wins the junior edition of Paris-Roubaix.

American Lawson Craddock takes third in the juniors race at Paris-Roubaix.

Cervélo's Thor Hushovd finishes second and Brit Roger Hammond beats out two-time winner Tom Boonen for fourth — a good Paris-Roubaix, the team says.

An ill-timed crash on the cobbles undoes Tyler Farrar's Paris-Roubaix.

Crashes and close calls mark Paris-Roubaix for nine North American riders competing in Sunday’s “Hell of the North.”

Fabian Cancellara wins Paris-Roubaix.

2010 Paris-Rouabaix results

On Sunday, VeloNews.com will give away an autographed, high-quality print of this photo of George Hincapie, which was produced for the cover of the December 2009 issue of VeloNews. The winner will be chosen at random from among the followers of the VeloNews.com live coverage of Paris-Nice.

The riders of Team Sky are among a fortunate few whose bike sponsor attacked early in the season to equip them with brand new bikes for Paris-Roubaix

When the cameras roll on Sunday at Paris-Roubaix, keep your eyes peeled. Lazer Helmets and Oakley eyewear both have new accessories that will appear on sponsored riders.

Ask Sky’s Greg Henderson what he remembers about last year’s Paris-Roubaix, his first, and he won’t pull any punches with his answer.

He’s not the rider whose name is being bandied about as a podium pick, but HTC-Columbia’s Bernhard Eisel enters Paris-Roubaix Sunday with the support of his team and the confidence of a Ghent-Wevelgem victory two weeks ago.

Boonen: “The most important thing is to enjoy it”

The late two-time Paris-Roubaix champion Franco Ballerini, who died in an auto accident in February, is to be honored by race organizers on Sunday.

Britain's David Millar and Dutchman Theo Bos could not come from more different cycling backgrounds. But both will set aside everything they know about the sport as they prepare for an unforgettable experience on Sunday's grueling one-day classic, Paris-Roubaix.

Milram is making the Mares cyclocross platform available to those riders that choose to use it for Roubaix.

RadioShack riders will be lining up on bikes uniquely prepared for the world’s toughest single-day bike race.

VeloNews managing editor Neal Rogers, on the scene in France, gives a preview of Sunday's Paris-Roubaix

There’s no question Thor Hushovd would like to be in with a chance to win Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. By all accounts his Cervélo TestTeam has done everything possible to make his ride as successful as it can be, starting with his bike.

Specialized is letting a new Roubaix bike be seen under Saxo Bank star Fabian Cancellara this week in Belgium.

He’s never won a cobbled classic, and he’s yet to figure out how to beat pre-race favorites Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen. But this weekend Team Sky’s Juan Antonio Flecha is taking the start at Paris-Roubaix intent on beating both for the win.

The pavé of Paris-Roubaix:

Paris-Roubaix by the numbers

George Hincapie talks about Paris-Roubaix past and present and his chances this Sunday

Start List: Paris-Roubaix

A look at Paris-Roubaix bikes tested at Scheldeprijs this week by HTC-Columbia, Milram, Saxo Bank and Garmin-Transitions.

2010 Classics bike galleries

Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen has withdrawn from this Sunday's edition of Paris-Roubaix with an Achilles injury, his team confirmed on Wednesday.

2010 Paris-Roubaix galleries

Gallery: Boonen's classics bike

Basque hills and French cobblestones dominate what’s sure to be an action-packed week of racing in Europe.

Last year the second half of Boonen's campaign was compromised following a career-threatening second positive test for cocaine, but this season the big Quick Step rider, a world champion in 2005, appears reborn.

Teams announced for 2010 Paris-Roubaix

Anthony Tan sits down with George Hincapie to talk about pre-race rituals, Paris-Roubaix, the Giro, Cadel Evans and his new team.

Filippo Pozzato believes he’s poised to win at least one major classic this spring and he could care less which one it is.

Former Paris-Roubaix winner and Italian national coach Franco Ballerini has died from injuries suffered in a rally car accident on Sunday.

The 108th Paris-Roubaix will be held on April 11th, 2010

Steven Cozza had a front-row seat for his debut at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.   The 24-year-old bolted into the day’s main breakaway and then led the move across the famous Arenberg cobblestone section. Luckily, he wasn’t seriously injured in a late-race crash on a slick corner and was able to finish the race.   Things didn’t go as expected for the Garmin-Slipstream crew, who were quietly optimistic Martijn Maaskant would reach the final, top-three podium.  

Like many professional racers, Tony Cruz (BMC Racing) has a love-hate relationship with Paris-Roubaix. With Cruz, it’s mostly a love thing with the pavé, the history and the drama of the race, but he hates it that his dreams have been torpedoed by bad luck. Despite starting with high hopes in the team’s Paris-Roubaix debut, mechanical difficulties foiled Cruz’s ambitions Sunday and he was unable to reach the velodrome in what was his sixth Roubaix start of his career.