Haussler: In Paris-Roubaix, anything can happen

No Classic smiles upon the outsider with quite the same regularity as Paris-Roubaix, which only makes the ill fortune it doles out seem all the more cruel. Perhaps as many as a third of the 175 riders who retire to their hotel rooms in the hinterland of Compiègne on Saturday evening will privately allow themselves to think, "Maybe, just maybe," only to be jarringly disabused of the notion by some mishap or another on Sunday afternoon.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.