Paris-Roubaix 2023

The road

At the start

The Hell of the North, no Pogačar

The 120th Paris-Roubaix: 175 riders leave Compiègne for 257 kilometres, the Trouée d'Arenberg and the Carrefour de l'Arbre waiting in the second half. Tadej Pogačar is not on the start list, which leaves Mathieu van der Poel — winner at Milan-San Remo, second at both E3 and the Ronde — as the man to beat, with Jasper Philipsen beside him. Wout van Aert has the strongest team here and no Monument yet this spring.

How it was won

1. 195 km to go

   Trouée d'Arenberg

   The cobbles plunge dead straight through the Wallers forest and the front of the race splits apart. A lead group of thirteen, Van der Poel with two teammates among them, powers clear onto the road to Mons-en-Pévèle.

2. 249 km to go

   Mons-en-Pévèle

   Van der Poel launches the first of a flurry of attacks across the punishing Mons-en-Pévèle sector. When the dust clears only seven riders remain up front: Van der Poel, Van Aert, Philipsen, Pedersen, Küng, Ganna and Degenkolb.

3. 318 km to go

   Camphin-en-Pévèle

   Pedersen leads the seven onto the four-star Camphin cobbles, everyone knowing the five-star Carrefour de l'Arbre waits immediately after. Van der Poel eases up onto Philipsen's wheel, poised to strike.

4. 417 km to go

   Carrefour de l'Arbre

   On the cruel pavé of the Carrefour de l'Arbre the race is decided. Philipsen drifts right and squeezes Van der Poel into Degenkolb, who crashes out of contention — and in the chaos Van der Poel powers off the front and is gone, alone, for good.

5. 5At the line

   Vélodrome André-Pétrieux

   Van der Poel rides into the Roubaix velodrome alone for the fourth Monument of his career. Forty-six seconds later the chase arrives and Jasper Philipsen takes second in the sprint, ahead of Van Aert — who has attacked that group again and again all afternoon and still leaves Roubaix with nothing.

The result