After a very fast start to the race, the riders are in the cobbled sections and the damage is already high. Follow with us, live, the 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix.
13:48 – The Alpecin-Deceuninck in front
After the Jumbo-Visma and the Ineos-Grenadiers, it is the turn of the Alpecin-Deceuninck to take the lead at the head of the peloton. They open the road in the Verchain-Maugré sector in Quérénaing (km 127.2 – 1.6 km) ***.
13:46 – Watch out for the aisles!
As we have seen, particularly in the Saint-Python sector, the cobblestones are dry, but this is not the case for the shoulders where the water from the rains of recent weeks has formed puddles. It will be necessary to be well placed so as not to have to put the wheels in the wrong places.
13:45 – Puncture for Politt
Second in 2019, Nils Politt had a rear wheel puncture and is trying to lose as little time as possible. The German champion is lucky that the peloton has slowed down.
13:39 – Rajovic on the ground
In the Saint-Python sector, as the peloton closed in to avoid a puddle of mud, Rajovic went to test the pavement, causing a traffic jam at the rear. The peloton is very stretched.
13:38 – Jumbo-Visma in action
In the Saint-Python sector, it is the Jumbo-Visma riders who are at the head of the peloton, as much to protect themselves as to put pressure on their opponents.
13:37 – Puncture for Theuns
Edward Theuns also suffered a puncture and lost a lot of time in a peloton towed by the Jumbo-Visma formation.
13:34 – Seneschal has a puncture!
In the third cobbled sector from Quiévy to Saint-Python (km 105.4 – 3.7 km) ****, Florian Sénéchal lost contact with the peloton. The French champion is the victim of a puncture and no assistant is around.
13:33 – Another fall at the head of the peloton
Coming out of a right-hander, Rowe, in second position in the peloton, lost control of his front wheel and mowed down his partner as well as a rider from the Soudal-Quick Step.
13:30 – Sagan on the ground
In the sector from Viesly to Quiévy (km 102.8 – 1.8 km) ***, a fall occurs around the 20th position in the peloton. Sagan is thrown to the ground. The triple world champion does not get up. His last at Paris-Roubaix could end there. They are four others to have accompanied him on the pavement.
13:29 – In the second sector
The peloton led by the Ineos-Grenaiders enters the second sector at high speed from Viesly to Quiévy (km 102.8 – 1.8 km) ***. The breakaways are pointed 1’12” ahead.
13:27 – A peloton cut in half
The first cobblestone sector has made it possible to identify a first hierarchy. The pace of the leading men blew the peloton in two. About twenty, even thirty units try to return to the bulk of the group before entering the second sector.
13:24 – Eekhoff in the row
On a potato hunt for about ten kilometers, Nils Eekhoff was finally caught in the cobblestone sector from Trouville to Inchy.
13:22 – Agreen has a puncture
From the first cobblestone sector, Kasper Asgreen suffered a puncture. The Danish Soudal-Quick Step rider desperately waits for his car to be repaired as the peloton leaves without him.
13:18 – A tense peloton
Now that the breakaway has formed, the peloton is led by the teams of the favorites and we feel great concentration as we approach the first cobbled section at Trouville.
13:11 – Eeckhoff not expected
The four leading men did not want to wait for Nils Eekhoff. The Dutchman from DSM finds himself trapped at 35 seconds and releases a lot of strength in his pursuit. The peloton trails behind at 1’24”.
13:09 – Eekhoff on a potato hunt
Having left at the wrong time, Nils Eekhoff tries to make the connection with the leading quartet. He is clocked in at 11 seconds, when the peloton is 50 away from the breakaways. There are still 167 kilometers to go.
13:06 – Four runners go out
Sjoerd Bax (UAE Emirates), Derek Gee (Israel – Premier Tech), Juri Hollman (Movistar) and Jonas Koch (Bora-Hangrohe) took advantage of a slight slowdown at the front of the peloton to move forward. The quartet seems to have obtained the endorsement of the pack.
13:00 – Twelve different winners
Paris-Roubaix is a difficult race which is rarely offered twice in a row to the same runner. You have to go back to 2009 to see a runner achieve the double. It was the Belgian Tom Boonen, quadruple winner of the event. Since then each edition has crowned a different man. Will Dylan van Baarle end the series?
12:59 – Hofstetter back
Victim of a fall at the back of the peloton, Hugo Hofstetter regained his place in the peloton.
12:55 – Boasson-Hagen resumed
It is not good to escape in this beginning of Paris-Roubaix. Boasson-Hagen did not last long, alone against the unleashed pack. The Norwegian was caught and brought to his senses. The head of the package is stretched. We feel that itching in the legs of many runners but the ground remains unfavorable.
12:52 – Boasson-Hagen exits
About 25 kilometers from the first cobbled section in Trouville, Evald Boasson-Hagen escaped alone. The Norwegian took a few tens of meters ahead of the peloton.
12:49 – Fall in the peloton
In a long straight, on the right of the road, Hugo Hoffstetter (Arkéa-Samsic) makes a mistake and falls. He takes with him the champion of Serbia Dusan Rajovic (Bahrain Victorious). The other riders managed to avoid the pileup by passing through the grass.
12:45 – Sagan wants to enjoy his last
Peter Sagan has always had a special relationship with Paris-Roubaix. For a long time the Slovak had bad luck on the cobblestones of the North before managing to tame them in 2018, wearing his world champion jersey. A coronation for him and one of the best memories of his career. If he no longer plays up front, the leader of TotalEnergies has not given up and knows that a misunderstanding could create a surprise. More than a second victory in Roubaix, he wants above all to take advantage of his last participation, he who is living his last season in the peloton. “This year, I may not have the best legs of my career, but they are still good. First of all, I want to enjoy the atmosphere of this race one last time. This It would be huge to win, and anything is possible in this race, so I’m going to do my best.”promised the triple world champion.
Traditionally, the famous French classic starts from Paris and always ends in the Vélodrome de Roubaix. This year the runners will use the Haspres sector, which has been absent for 20 years. The cyclists will have a total of 54.5 kilometers of cobblestones, 300 meters less than last year, over a course of 256.6 kilometers.
Discover all the teams involved in the mythical race with the start list announced as the teams announce.
Here is the complete list of the cobblestone sectors that will be used by the peloton for this Paris Roubaix 2023.