Preview, schedule, riders, how to watch

The third man Road bike memorial classic of the season is the 120. Paris-Roubaix Race this Sunday (April 9th).

The “hell of the northreturns to its usual place on the calendar, coming exactly one week after the Tour of Flanders, which was postponed by a week last year due to external factors.

Famous – or perhaps notorious – for its cobbled (cobbled) sections, the race is one of the toughest and most prestigious on the calendar, as its other nickname suggests Queen of the classics.

Before the men’s race on Sunday is the third edition of the women Paris Roubaix Femmes on Saturday.

Traditionally, the men start Compiegne and the women inside Denain before the race on the Roubaix Velodrome over 257 km and 145 km respectively.

This is what you can look forward to at the Paris-Roubaix 2023 races.

2023 Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Riders to Watch

L’Enfer du Nordas the race is also called in France, is notoriously difficult to predict. Weather, Pavé Conditions, unforeseen mishaps And mechanical problems are just some of the factors that play a big role in deciding the race.

The last 11 editions of the men’s race have seen 11 different winners. Four of them – John Degenkolb (2015), Olympic Road Race Champion 2016 in Rio Greg van Avermaet (2017), three-time world champion Peter Sagan (2018) and defending champion Dylan vanBaarle (2022) – are expected at the start in Compiègne.

UAE team Emirates Tadej Pogacarwho won Flanders last weekend has never raced as a senior Paris-Roubaix and once again skips the race.

This works out Mathieu van der Poel – Third in 2021 and last month’s Milano-Sanremo winner – and second in 2022 Wout van Aert as the two main favourites.

Others who could be among the podium finishers include Mads Pedersenthird in Flanders; Florian Vermeersch, second on the cobbles in 2021; and Milano-Sanremo second Filippo Ganna.

Lotte Kopeky is the in-form rider in the Frauenfeld after successfully defending her title in Flanders last week.

defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini is back to try and win a second Queen Classic but her Trek-Segafredo teammate – first winner Lizzie Deignan – absent as she returns to full training after maternity leave.

Marianne Vosthe London 2012 Olympic champion, is no doubt looking to improve on her runner-up spot from 2021, when she was ‘best of the others’ after Deignan’s incredible 80km solo.

Circuits and parcours Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023

The men’s race is a 256.6 km (159.4 miles) Battle of attrition from Compiègne, north-northeast of Paris, to the Roubaix velodrome.

Compiègne has hosted the start of the race every year since 1977, except in 2020 when there was no race; It has finished at the Roubaix Velodrome since 1943, with the exception of three years from 1986 to 1988.

This year’s race includes 29 paved sectorsbeginning as tradition dictates Troisvilles about 100km into the course and with the last right outside the Roubaix Velodrome.

The three five-star sectors of pavé – the most difficult – are on Trouée d’Arenbergwith about 95 km to go; Mons-en-Pévèle 48km to go; and the Carrefour de l’Arbrewith only 17 km remaining.

The women’s race is shorter, although at 145.4 km (90.4 miles) it is the longest of the three editions held to date.

Paris-Roubaix Femmes will start in Denain, as has been the case on both previous occasions, with the peloton completing just over one lap of an opening course before heading north towards the Roubaix Velodrome.

The pavé at Hornaing, with 82.5km remaining in the race, is the first of 17 paved tests for the women, with both races sharing the same Hornaing to Roubaix section of the course.

There are two five-star cobblestone tests for the women: Mons-en-Pévèle And Carrefour de l’Arbre.

Paris-Roubaix 2023 race schedule

Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023 race schedule, April 8th

(All times local CEST, approximately after the start of the race at an average speed of 40 km/h)

• 1:35 p.m. – Fictitious departure
• 1:45pm – Actual race start, Denain, 145.4km to finish
• 1:50 p.m. – First passage of the starting line, Denain, 141.8 km
• 14:03 – Second run of the start line, Denain, 133.4 km
• 3:19pm – First Paved Sector 17 (3700m), Hornaing to Wandignies, 82.4km
• 4:10 p.m. – Pavé sector 11 (3000 m), Mons-en-Pévèle, 48.5 km
• 16:57 – Pavé sector 4 (2100 m), Carrefour de l’Arbre, 17.1 km
• 17:21 – Pavé Sector 1 (300m), Roubaix, 1.3km
• 17:23 – End of the race, Roubaix Velodrome

Men’s Paris-Roubaix 2023 race schedule, April 9th

(All times local CEST, approximately after the start of the race at an average speed of 45 km/h)

• 11:10 am – Fictitious departure
• 11:25 am – Actual race start, Compiègne, 256.6km to finish
• 1:33 p.m. – First paved sector 29 (2200 m), Troisvilles to Inchy, 160.3 km
• 3:00pm – Pavé Section 19 (2300m), Trouée d’Arenberg, 95.3km
• 15:17 – Pavé Sector 17 (3700 m), Hornaing to Wandignies, 82.5 km
• 16:02 – Pavé sector 11 (3000 m), Mons-en-Pévèle, 48.6 km
• 16:44 – Pavé sector 4 (2100 m), Carrefour de l’Arbre, 17.1 km
• 17:05 – Pavé Sector 1 (300m), Roubaix, 1.4km
• 17:07 – End of the race, Roubaix Velodrome

Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Previous race winners

The previous women’s winners are:

• 2021: Elizabeth Deignan (GBR), Trek-Segafredo
• 2022: Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), Trek-Segafredo

The last five men’s winners were:

• 2017: Greg van Avermaet (BEL), BMC Racing
• 2018: Peter Sagan (SVK), Bora-Hansgrohe
• 2019: Philip Gilbert (BEL), Deceuninck-Quick-Step
• No race in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and restrictions
• 2021: Sonny Colbrelli (ITA), Bahrain victorious
• 2022: Dylan vanBaarle (NED), INEOS Grenadiers

How to watch Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023

The races will be available on live TV and streaming services including the Global Cycling Network, Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe (including the UK), NBC Sports in the United States, SBS in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand and domestic TV channels in others countries.

Visit Paris-Roubaix.fr and Parix-Roubaix-femmes.fr for more information.