Paris-Roubaix is one of the five monuments of cycling and is famous for its cobblestone passages, some of which date back to the 19th century. Ten facts that make the race special.
The beginnings
Towards the end of the 19th century, cycling was already popular, but often took place on cycle racing tracks, which was plausible for two reasons: spectators could follow the races from start to finish - and the racers were spared having to bump from one flat tyre to the next on the roads of the time. This was also the case in Roubaix, where a cycling track was opened in 1895, which quickly became a crowd-puller and venue for popular track races. The initiators of the track eventually came up with the idea of organising a road cycling race from Paris to Roubaix on this track. After research by the sports newspaper Le Vélo and route reconnaissance, the premiere of the race finally took place on 19 April 1896.
The first winner
The first winner, Josef Fischer from Atzlern in the Upper Palatinate, was a rare highlight for German cycling. The name, which is only familiar to a few cycling enthusiasts today, belongs to a popular racer at the time who was one of the best in his field internationally. Before his victory in Paris-Roubaix, he had already won the Vienna-Trieste (1892), Vienna-Berlin (1893) and Milan-Munich (1894) races and long-distance rides.
The route
"It's not the course that makes a bike race difficult, it's the riders." This cycling wisdom is largely overridden in Paris-Roubaix. There is no other cycling race that is so directly and unpredictably influenced by the course. However, this was not the case from the start. Most of the completely flat route from Paris to the French-Belgian border region ran on well-maintained main roads, with the notorious cobblestones only challenging the racers far to the north. As modernity did not stop at France's north, however, more and more sections were tarmaced and the race became faster and faster - not to say more monotonous. It wasn't until the 1960s that the organisers began to send the racers over more and more cobbled sections, which were subsequently preserved specifically for the race and placed under a preservation order.
The pavés
The founding history of Paris-Roubaix tells us that the organisers wanted to establish a rather easy race. In the last decade of the 19th century, characterised by an unswerving belief in progress and ever new best performances in many areas of society, the organisers of cycling races also outdid themselves with ever longer distances and greater challenges - to overcome which, incidentally, it was completely normal at the time to use all medical substances and innovations. The organisers of Paris-Roubaix obviously did not want to follow this record-breaking ambition and only routed the course over cobblestones for the last three dozen kilometres. This only changed fundamentally in the 1960s.
Today, Paris-Roubaix comprises around 30 cobbled sections, depending on the route, which are known as sectors and numbered in descending order. The sectors have names and are divided into five levels of difficulty, with five stars denoting the most difficult category and one star the easiest. The categorisation is determined by the length of the section, the time at which it is ridden during the race - and of course the nature of the cobblestones. The most famous and difficult sectors, which are often decisive for the race, include the forest of Arenberg, Mons-en-Pevèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre. The last section just before the entrance to the Roubaix racecourse is only 300 metres long, runs over very well-maintained, smooth cobbles and is dedicated to the former racer Charles Crupelandt, the only winner of the race to come from Roubaix.
The goal
The first cycling track, the "Vélodrome roubaisien", was built in 1895 and became the venue for major track cycling races in the years that followed. At the beginning of the First World War, the 333.33 metre-long track, which had been covered with wood in the meantime, was closed and dismantled by the German occupying forces. Today's cycling track, the "Vélodrome André Petrieux", dates back to 1936 and is part of the "Parc des Sports" in Roubaix. It is not covered, is 499.75 metres long and is made of concrete. It has been the finish of Paris-Roubaix since 1943, with a brief interruption between 1986 and 1988, when the finish was in the centre of Roubaix.
The Germans at Paris-Roubaix
The first time it happened, it was a big bang: After Josef Fischer's victory, it would take 119 years before John Degenkolb succeeded him in 2015 as only the second German winner. German racer Herbert Sieronski finished third in 1932 and Rudi Altig, also in third place, in 1967. Didi Thurau and Gregor Braun also finished third in 1980 and 1982 respectively. Olaf Ludwig made it onto the podium twice, finishing second in 1992 and third in 1993. Steffen Wesemann took second place in 2002. In 2014, John Degenkolb finished second behind Dutchman Niki Terpstra before winning the race a year later. Nils Politt completes the record of podium finishes by German professional cyclists at Paris-Roubaix with second place in 2019.
German Ambassador
John Degenkolb was appointed ambassador of the Friends of Paris-Roubaix in 2018. The Friends are dedicated to preserving the route of the legendary cycling race. The reason for Degenkolb's appointment was the impending cancellation of the 2019 Paris-Roubaix junior race due to a lack of funds. Degenkolb then initiated a fundraising campaign and contributed 2500 euros himself. The money raised saved the race. To recognise Degenkolb's initiative, the Pavé-Sector d'Hornig à Wandignies-Hamage was renamed "Secteur John Degenkolb". He is the only foreign - and still active - professional cyclist to receive this honour.
The trophy
At Paris-Roubaix, the winner does not receive a trophy but a cobblestone mounted on a pedestal, which symbolises the special demands of the race.
The hell of the north
The race was only given the nickname "L'Enfer du Nord" after the end of the First World War. It did not refer to the challenging ride over the poor roads and cobblestone passages, which were quite common at the time. The attribution referred to the devastation of the war in the region. In the late 19th century, Roubaix, together with Lille, was part of the northern French coalfield, a centre of the international textile industry and known as the "city of a thousand chimneys". The economically successful region suffered accordingly from the confiscation and destruction by the German occupying forces. The first cycle race after the war in 1919 led through a smoking, stinking, muddy landscape of ruins - through the "Hell of the North".
Records
Four victories in the "Hell of the North" mark the record, achieved by Roger De Vlaeminck (1972, 1974, 1975 and 1977) and Tom Boonen (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012), both from Belgium. The performances of the legendary classics team Mapei were also outstanding, winning five times in six years between 1995 and 2000 and twice taking all three places on the podium (1996 and 1998). The fastest race was completed in 2024 by Mathieu van der Poel with an average speed of 47.85 km/h.
The women's race
Paris-Roubaix Femmes is one of the youngest offshoots of the classic one-day spring races, but has been part of the Women's WorldTour since the first edition. It owes its existence to the forced break in cycling during the coronavirus pandemic. After being postponed twice due to the pandemic, it was held for the first time on 2 October 2021. The previous editions started in Denain, from where the women essentially follow the men's course and have to complete around 20 pavé sections. The finish line is also the cycle race track in Roubaix. The first winner in 2021 was Britain's Lizzie Deignan; the most recent triumph (2025) was by France's Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Thomas Musch
Publisher
