Paris-Roubaix is unique. No other race over the season is harder to finish – for most of the peloton anyway.
That fact might be hard to believe when watching Mathieu Van der Poel cruise into the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux to win the 2024 edition of the race exactly three minutes ahead of his closest competitor.
The Dutchman rightly took all the headlines in this year's Hell of the North, but behind him were riders who had fought with all they had through the farm roads of northern France just to cross the finish line.
A classic Paris-Roubaix visual as the riders speed through the farmland of northern France
The early break of the day led by Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep)
Van der Poel's Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates kept the attackers on a short leash
Former Irish champion Rory Townsend (Q36.5) on his monument debut
Turn left for Roubaix!
Gleb Syritsa in the breakaway for Astana Qazaqstan
The Alpecin-Deceuninck domestiques go to work
The much talked about 'chicane'
The fans await the riders as they approach the legendary Trouée d'Arenberg
All aboard the Van der Poel train – the World Champion's first attack of the race
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) in pursuit of Van der Poel
Stefan Küng with young Groupama-FDJ teammate Laurence Pithie in his wheel
Further back, it's a fight to stay in touch with the leaders
Arenberg is a full gas effort
The support car for Ineos Grenadiers was ideal for the rough terrain
The world champion goes solo with 60km to go
Küng pulls the chase group along on his way to fifth
Grimace or smile from Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen?
Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) called Paris-Roubaix an "epic race" after his debut
Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) goes all-in
Van der Poel never looked like getting caught by the chasers
The lone figure of the rainbow jersey is at ease as he cruises round the velodrome, roared on by the fans
Van der Poel was three minutes ahead of second place
Van der Poel completes the cobbled monument double
The rainbow jersey is still almost white
The winner greets loved ones after the finish
The sprint is on for the podium placings
Pithie crosses the line to take an impressive seventh on debut
The New Zealander's arms shows the evidence of his crash
2015 winner John Degenkolb (dsm-firmenich-Post NL) leads out the sprint for 8th, which Meeus took
Degenkolb greets family after coming 11th on his 12th Sunday in Hell
The mud-splattered glasses of Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe)
These shoes weren't white for long
Jannik Steimle (Q36.5) crossed the line in 33rd
The riders' hands take a beating over the pavé
Cyrus Monk (Q36.5) was 48 minutes down, officially out of time
Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal - Quick-Step) processes the events of the day
AJ August (Ineos Grenadiers) was the youngest rider in the race and made it to the velodrome
Van der Poel waits to receive his second cobblestone trophy
Fans stuck around to witness the podium ceremony
Van der Poel, Philipsen and Pedersen on the podium
The Dutchman's sixth monument victory