Greg LeMond rode the 1986 edition of Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The protagonists of the 2003 Paris-Roubaix on a sector of pave(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Frédéric Guesdon beats Jo Planckaert to the 1997 Roubaix win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Henk Vogels powers over the pave in 1997(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Franco Ballerini riding to his second career Paris-Roubaix victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A humble salute in 1998 from winner Franco Ballerini(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Eros Poli mid-crash in 1998(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Museeuw tries to get back up after his kneecap shattering crash(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Steels tries to keep it upright on the pave(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The all Mapei podium of 1998 with Wilfried Peeters, Franco Ballerini and Andrea Tafi(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Museeuw crashes in the Trouée d'Arenberg, shattering his kneecap(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wilfried Peeters, Andrea Tafi and Tom Steels complete the all 1999 Mapei–Quick-Step podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Steels celebrates the win for third place to complete an all Mapei–Quick-Step podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Riders undress and prepare for the showers(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
George Hincapie in the iconic Roubaix showers(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pave, fans, dust and the pelton. It must be Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The iconic Johan Museeuw celebration from 2000(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Museeuw, Wilfried Peeters and Tom Boonen at the pre-race press conference in 2004(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Van Petegem and Johan Museeuw cross the line in 2004 arm in arm(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Roger Hammond can't hide his disappointment from 2004(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Mavic neutral motorbike is a crucial component to the running of Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Servais Knaven soaks in the emotion of winning the 2001 Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Muddy editions of Roubaix are a nightmare for commentators trying to identify riders(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A mud caked Wilfried Peeters during the 2001 Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andrei Tchmil riding on the muddy pave in 2001(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
László Bodrogi at the bottom of a crash in 2001(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Christophe Morel receiving assistance after a heavy crash in 2001(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Ludo Dierckxsens scrubbing himself after the muddy 2001 Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pave under water...(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The wheels from the 2001 edition of Roubaix post-race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Museeuw and Wilfried Peeters after the former won the 2002 edition of the race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Museeuw wins his third and final Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A mud cacked Tom Boonen back in 2002(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A muddy faced young Tom Boonen in 2002(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen enjoys the sweet joy of kissing his first Roubaix trophy(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen pumps his fist after winning his first Roubaix in 2005(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
If there's a sector of pave, the fans will be there(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen, Alessandro Ballan and Juan Antonio Flecha wait for the train to cross in 2006(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
CSC enjoy the party after Fabian Cancellara's 2006 win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara putting the power down as he rides to the victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen leads the peloton through the Arenberg in 2006(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara celebrates the first of his three Roubaix wins(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bernard Hinault with Fabian Cancellara after the Swiss rider won his first Roubaix in 2006(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Lars Michaelsen, Fabian Cancellara and Allan Johansen testing wheels during a recon of Arenberg in 2006(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara during a recon of the Arenberg forest in 2006(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Gustav Larsson crashes right in front of the camera during a recon of the pave(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Stuart O'Grady in the Arenberg on his way to winning in 2007(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The dust is ever present during the dry editions of Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Stuart O'Grady can't believe he's won Paris-Roubaix in 2007(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
2006 winner Fabian Cancellara congratulates 2007 winner and teammate Stuart O'Grady(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Forest of Arenberg is always packed with fans(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen sprinting to the win in 2008(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The balloons are released as Tom Boonen kisses the pave trophy(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen celebrates his third Roubaix victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen with his Quickstep boss Patrick Lefevere after his third win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
There is one one happy face on the Roubaix podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) crosses the line(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara can't belief his second win at Roubaix in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pippo Pozzato pays tribute to Franco Ballerini in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara riding to the victory in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The two main protagonists at Roubaix over the last two editions riding side-by-side in the Arenberg(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
John Degenkolb in 2011 having finished Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle wins the narrow sprint ahead of Franco Ballerini in 1993 at the age of 38(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle won the 1993 edition of Paris-Roubaix for Z(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Maurizio Fondriest rode with Del-Tongo in 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Mapei boss Giorgio Squinzi with Franco Ballerini's 1995 trophy(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Mapei teammates Johan Museeuw and Franco Ballerini on the 1995 Paris-Roubaix podium(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Franco Ballerini is hoisted into the air by fans after his 1995 victory(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Wilfried Peeters with teammate Rik Van Slycke in 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Joachim Halupczok models the Diana-Colngao-Animex team kit from 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The Ariostea team prepare for the 1990 Roubaix(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Bjarne Riis rode the 1990 edition of Roubaix with Castorama(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Frans Massen rides over the Wallers Haveluy sector(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Sean Yates waits for the team car after a mechanical(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Eddy Planckaert won the 1990 edition of the race(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The GB Bianchi team bikes featured a mix of rigid and suspension forks(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Paolo Fornaciari and a young Mario Cipollini sits in the team car(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Sean Kelly was a two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Bruno Boscardin with reporters inside the Roubaix velodrome in 1993(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The bikes of Paris-Roubaix have changed significantly since Bianchi introduced a 'dual-suspension' model for the 1995 edition(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle and Fabio Baldato on the 1995 start line(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Andrei Tchmil waits in the team car ahead of the 1995 Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The pave was a lot more colourful in 1986(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Sean Kelly at the 1986 Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Marc Sergeant riding the pave in 1986(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Belgian champion Paul Haghedooren in 1986(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Johan Vansummeren won Paris-Roubaix then proposed to his girlfriend in 2011(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Vansummeren finds the strength to hold aloft the trophy(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara wins the sprint in 2011(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
World champion Thor Hushovd working hard in 2011(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen raises four fingers in the arm as he wins the 2012 edition(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen went long in 2012 and won his fourth Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The podium finishers from 2012 congratulate each other(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pippo Pozzato's helmet pays tribute to the late Franco Ballerini(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Orchies sector is popular of the fans(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara celebrates his third win at the 'hell of the north'(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara is exhausted after his 2013 triumph(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sep Vanmarcke can't hide his disappointment after 2013 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sep Vanmarcke finds himself leading out Fabian Cancellara in 2013(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
An international feel to the Troisvilles to Inchy sector(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Johan Vansummeren rides through the dust(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The peloton passes through the Arenberg in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nikki Terpstra celebrates the 2014 Paris-Roubaix, a first for Dutch riders since 2001(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Sagan finds a smooth route in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nikki Terpstra arrived in the velodrome alone in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alexander Kristoff gets going after a mechanical(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Boonen doesn't require gloves when riding the pave(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The top four from the 2015 Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bradley Wiggins called time on his Sky career after the 2015 Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
John Degenkolb celebrates his win with wife and child in 2015(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Riders squeeze under the train barrier in 2015(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Some riders waited for the train, some chanced their luck(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The bikes of Paris-Roubaix get their own podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
John Degenkolb adds Paris-Roubaix to his win at Milan-San Remo in 2015(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Giant-Alpecin team celebrates on the podium in 2015(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
There are some paved roads in Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The fans pack the first sector of pave from Troisvilles to Inchy(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A shot of the race in 2016(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Sylvain Chavanel in 2016(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Tom Boonen in 2016(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Mat Hayman topped the podium in 2016(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Mat Hayman in the Arenberg Forest(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
A dusty 2017 edition(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Greg Van Avermaet pounding the cobbles(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Peter Sagan in the world champion's stripes(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Tom Boonen raced his final Roubaix in 2017(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
The sprint for victory in 2017(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Van Avermaet celebrates his win(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
The Arenberg Forest in 2018(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
A shot of the peloton in 2018(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Sagan and Dillier in 2018(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
The sprint for victory(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Sagan takes victory in the world champion's stripes(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
The peloton in 2019(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Politt, Sagan and Gilbert(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Politt checks on his competitor's progress(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Gilbert eventually triumphed in the velodrome(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Since its first edition in 1896, Paris-Roubaix has grown to become one of the most iconic races on the cycling calendar. Known as 'The Queen of the Classics', or 'The Hell of the North, the French race with its sectors of pavé appears an anachronism in the highly professionalised 21st century world of cycling.
It is a race for those who can handle the rough pavé and 250km plus length but often it is not the strongest rider who wins the race. Paris-Roubaix often sees completely different bikes for the riders compared to the rest of the year with Bianchi even supplying a 'dual suspension' road bike in the 1990s.
Belgians Roger De Vlaeminck and Tom Boonen hold the record for the most wins on four apiece, though seven riders have three wins to their name and 11 have two. Experience counts on the pavé and once riders have a feel for the race, numerous riders have gone on to dominate across 117 previous editions.
Greg Van Avermaet, Peter Sagan and Philippe Gilbert are the last three winners of the race.
With what would've been the 2020 edition of the race coming up later this week, Cyclingnews has put together a gallery from the 'The Hell of the North' from the late 1980s to 2019.
Swipe or click through the gallery above for some of the best photos from recent editions of Paris-Roubaix.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
