It's the most exciting race of the year. Period. Sure, the Grand Tours are amazing, the other cobbled races are a thrill, but let's be honest. Paris-Roubaix is the best race of the year.
The "Hell of the North" has won the hearts and bruised the bones of riders for over 100 years with a simple, brutal recipe. Take the best riders in the world and throw them over the stones for five or six hours, and whoever rattles into the velodrome first becomes immortal. Some of the greatest riders in the history of the sport have won here, while others have the lack of a Paris-Roubaix title next to their name as the Monument they missed.
Paris-Roubaix has served as the cornerstone of careers for riders like Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Rick van Looy, Roger de Vlaeminck, and a host of others. It's a race for big personalities and unforgettable stories, with secteurs like the Trouee de Arenberg and Mons-en-Pevele serving as hallowed ground for racers and fans alike.
For 2018, it's not a rider so much as a team that looks to be the dominate force. This spring, Quick-Step have won 8 of the 9 cobbled spring races, only ceding Gent-Wevelgem to reigning World Champion. Wins from Nikki Terpstra, Elia Viviani, Fabio Jakobson, and others have turned them into the overwhelming favorites for this Sunday, although picking just who is their best choice is anyone's guess. Phillipe Gilbert, winless so far, is looking to win his fourth Monument, but he's likely going to enter the race on equal odds with Terpstra, who is still rinsing the champagne out of his shoes from winning Flanders last week. The team also boasts Yves Lampaert and Zdenek Stybar, both more than capable of winning after strong spring campaigns themselves.
2017's winner, Greg van Avermaet, has come up empty handed this spring, unable to break the Quick-Step chokehold on Belgian races this year. The BMC man has looked strong and certainly been consistent, but he seems to be missing the that little something he had last season. What he may be missing is support; in losing Daniel Oss, his BMC team doesn't have the firepower late in the race.
Oss is now in the service of van Avermaet's old foe, Peter Sagan. The three-time World Champion is the only rider to crack Quick-Step, taking a bunch sprint win at Gent-Wevelgem. Already a winner at Flanders in 2016, Paris-Roubaix is a big whole in Sagan's already legendary resume, but this might be the most difficult field he's faced since the days of the Cancellara and Boonen rivalry.
This year's race is offers up a full 29 secteurs, making 54 kilometers of the race's full 250 kilometer on the pave. While there is plenty of important racing early, the pressure will start to really pull the peloton apart when the race hits the Arenberg forest just inside the final 100 kilometers of racing.
It's looking like dry, dusty conditions for Sunday, and everyone at up.bike will be tuned into to watch. Enjoy your Paris-Roubaix weekend, everyone!