11 APRIL
PARIS-ROUBAIX
ESTABLISHED 1896 EDITIONS 119
Of all the races lost to the covid-19 pandemic, the most keenly missed was Paris-Roubaix. The Queen of Classics is one of the most prestigious events of the year, with a unique parcours and challenge.
It’s a paradox, or perhaps absolutely typical of cycling, that one of its most important one-day races is a throwback to the past.
It’s unlike anything else on the calendar -at least the Tour of Flanders is part of a coherent series of similar events, from Omloop, through E3, Gent-Wevelgem and the other Flemish classics. There is no other race that is anything like Paris-Roubaix. Yet the riders and teams keenly focus on it.