2023 Paris-Roubaix Race Preview
The details of this year's 2023 Paris-Roubaix are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The cobblestones of northern France await once again as cycling's most brutal one-day classic prepares to send its peloton into the unforgiving pavé that has defined greatness and broken dreams in equal measure for well over a century. Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North, returns in 2023 with a field packed with genuine contenders and enough uncertainty to make predictions feel almost foolish.
Defending champion Dylan van Baarle will be hoping to repeat his 2022 heroics, but the Dutchman faces an extraordinarily deep pool of rivals who will be targeting him from the very first sector. The Sky Sports and INEOS Grenadiers camp will be looking to protect their man while knowing that on a day like this, no team can fully control events once the roads deteriorate into those legendary stretches of ancient stone.
Mathieu van der Poel arrives as many people's favourite. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has an almost supernatural ability on rough terrain, his cyclocross background giving him a fluidity over the cobbles that few can match. He was devastating on the pavé in 2022 and will be hungry to finally claim a victory that feels like it was written for him. His rivalry with Wout van Aert adds another compelling layer to the narrative, with the Jumbo-Visma man equally capable of winning on any given Sunday.
Tadej Pogačar adds a fascinating dimension this year, as the Tour de France champion has shown increasing interest in the classics and possesses the raw power and explosive punch to cause serious problems even on terrain that is theoretically outside his comfort zone.
The sectors of Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre will once again serve as the proving grounds where races are made and lost. A single puncture or mechanical failure at the wrong moment can undo months of preparation in an instant, which is why every team will be desperate to keep their leaders at the front of the bunch as the parcours begins to bite in earnest.
Weather always plays its part in shaping Paris-Roubaix's character. Rain transforms the cobbles into something genuinely treacherous and rewards the bravest descenders and those willing to commit fully when the margins for error all but disappear. A dry edition rewards raw power and smooth technique. Either way, suffering is guaranteed.
The Roubaix velodrome finish line, that magnificent if crumbling amphitheatre, will once again witness a moment of pure sporting drama as whoever emerges from the dust or mud claims their place among the legends of the sport.
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