Paris-Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest professional bicycle races. Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez got the idea to run the race and in 1896, the sports newspaper Le Vélo worked out original route between Paris and Roubaix.[2] The race has been contested every year since 1896, stopped only by the two World wars.

The first edition of the race was held at Easter, April 19 1896, so it got the nickname of La Pascale(English: The Easter).

188 competitors left the Bois de Boulogne park in Paris and raced almost 300 kilometres to Roubaix.[3] Josef Fischer, the winner of this first edition, received 1000 francs.[4]

The race is now organised by the media group Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) who also run the Tour de France.

Riders are often covered from head to toe in mud and grit, and race over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France. However, the race got the nickname l'enfer du Nord, or the Hell of the North from journalists who watched the race after world war I, and saw it pass through many of the ruins, craters, and destruction along the way.[5]

In the Vélodrome in Roubaix the last 750 metres of the race takes place

Originally, the race was from Paris to Roubaix, but in 1966 the starting location was moved to Chantilly, 50 kilometres to the north of Paris, to be moved in 1977 to Compiègne, approximately 80 kilometres to the north of Paris.[6] Famous for rough terrain, the route of Paris-Roubaix is adjusted slightly from year to year as the older roads are resurfaced and the race organisers seek to replace them with other challenging cobbles, to maintain the character of the race - in 2005, for example, the race included 54.7 kilometres of cobbled sections.[7] The race finishes with 750 meters on the smooth concrete expanses of the large outdoor velodrome in Roubaix.

Due to its challenging course, and poor weather conditions, Paris-Roubaix presents a challenge to riders, team support personnel, and equipment alike. Special frames and wheels are often used specifically for Paris-Roubaix, in various configurations depending on the weather conditions.

• Philippe Bouvet (with Pierre Callewaert, Jean-Luc Gatellier, Laget Serge): Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell VeloPress, ISBN 978-1-934030-09-7. The inside story of the race, its great riders, its traditions, and its secrets