Paris-Roubaix - Live coverage

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"It's something unique, not comparable to other races," Mathieu van der Poel said as he reported for duty in Compiègne this morning. Paris-Roubaix is, indeed, a race apart, but Van der Poel is in a familiar position. The Dutchman is the favourite to win this race, as he is at so many others, but he will face plenty of competition on the rocky road to Roubaix.

The peloton is due to roll out of Compiègne at 11am local time, and the race is scheduled to hit kilometre zero at 11.15. The conditions are bright and dry, which should encourage a fast race - as, indeed, should the forecast for tailwinds later in the afternoon. 

There are 30 cobbled sectors on the route, beginning at Troisvilles after 96km. That is something of an antechamber to Hell. The true Inferno begins at the Trouée d'Arenberg after 160km.

The cobbled sectors of Paris-Roubaix

A short-sleeved peloton is navigating the neutralised section, where the conditions are so different to the rain that so influenced last October's pandemic-delayed edition.

Van der Poel and Wout van Aert share a joke at the rear of the peloton as the race approaches kilometre zero. Van Aert is back in action after COVID-19 ruled him out of the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race. Kirsten Frattini has more here.

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In 1979, Giuseppe Saronni was asked to assess the second successive Paris-Roubaix victory of his arch-rival Francesco Moser. His response to Beppe Conti of Tuttosport was a masterpiece of pettiness, but it also cut to the central absurdity of this race.

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DSM garnered a lot of publicity this week for their plans to use a tyre-pressure adjustment system during this race, but they ultimately opted against it. Our columnist Fabian Cancellara can understand the riders' reticence to use the new technology today, and he has doubts about whether it's feasible even in the future given that riders already have so much to think about in the finale of a race like Paris-Roubaix. 

Peter Stuart and Daniel Ostanek were at the start in Compiègne this morning, and Peter has news of some technological tweaks. Trek-Segafredo's riders today are all equiped with 1x set-ups with a 54-tooth chainring. 

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Wout van Aert's condition after his time off with COVID-19 is a mystery, but the Belgian champion's form this Spring means that he remains a contender, even if he is not a favourite on the same level as his old rival Van der Poel. “It’s hard to say," Van Aert said at the start. "Of course, I’m not on the level I was before. It’s been a setback at the worst moment but I’m happy to be here, and hopefully I find the legs to be there in the final and then hopefully I can do something. It’s a bit question mark for me, we’ll see.”

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Meanwhile, Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) has abandoned Paris-Roubaix, the first rider to do so.

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Clement Davy has made it back to the peloton after his early crash, and the Frenchman is now receiving attention from the race doctor. The bunch is still together, but there has been no shortage of early aggression. TotalEnergies and Lotto Soudal are now trying to get something going.

Some dangermen have been active in trying to mmake the early break, including Dylan Teuns and Tim Merlier, but they are marked quickly by QuickStep-AlphaVinyl.

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Owain Doull (EF Education-EasyPost), Laurent Pichon (Arkea-Samsic) and Alexandr Riabushenko (Astana Qazaqstan) have half a minute on the peloton, but there is a counter-attack trying to forge across. Davide Ballerini (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) is among the riders trying to make it across and the peloton is lined out behind them.

Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) is Fabian Cancellara's 'danger favourite' for this race, and the Swiss rider is coming into Paris-Roubaix off the back of a fine spring campaign. All he's missing now is a landmark victory. "I always like this race from the first time I did it. So far, I wasn't able to score a really good result, but I have a feeling that today it's going to happen," Küng said at the start.

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The race is making its way through a section of crosswind. Ineos are active near the head of the peloton, perhaps with a view to creating echelons. Jumbo-Visma are also present in numbers, and this could complicate life for riders at the rear of the bunch...

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Van der Poel and Van Aert continue to lose ground, and they trail the front group by 40 seconds. This is a remarkable turn of events. As well as Ineos, there are a lot of QuickStep riders in the front group, and it seems that Stefan Küng is also in that group of 30 or so riders. 

A lot of favourites have been caught out by this split. Kasper Asgreen, Mads Pedersen, John Degenkolb, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are among those caught behind, and they are now 56 seconds behind this 30 or 40-strong front group that contains all of the Ineos line-up.

Ineos are doing the bulk of the driving in this front group. QuickStep also have numbers, wiith Yves Lampaert and Davide Ballerini present. So too, do Bahrain Victorious, who have Matej Mohoric up here with intent.

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Ineos are still doing the bulk of the work in this front group, but they are now getting some help from QuickStep-AlphaVinyl. Dangermen in this front group include Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) and Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl).

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Groupama-FDJ have joined Trek-Segafredo and Alpecin-Fenix in leading the chase in the second group. Stefan Küng is another big name to have missed the split... There seemed to be some confusion in the FDJ ranks at first, given that one of their riders took some turns in the front echelon, but now the squad is committed to trying to drag Küng back into contention.

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It's interesting that pretty much all of the Ineos riders have been working on the front of this 73-rider group. It's very difficult to figure out who the leader is, given that even Filippo Ganna has been taking long tunrs in front. Other strongmen in the front group, such as Mohoric and Nils Polittt, have had a free ride thus far.

It's remarkable that so many favourites were caught out in that split. Perhaps men like Van Aert and Van der Poel looked around and felt they had safety in numbers, but now their race has been severely complicated. 

Jannik Steimle, Tim Declercq, Florian Sénéchal and Yves Lampaert are all in this front group for QuickStep-AlphaVinyl. Patrick Lefevere's team has had a very subdued Spring, but this is suddenly a huge opportunity to put a different slant on things. Lampaert has been laid low by illness this year, however, and in an ideal scenario, QuickStep would have wanted Asgreen in this move. Sénéchal is a dark horse, mind. The Frenchman has been more afflicted by bad luck than by illness so far this spring.

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Alpecin-Fenix, Trek-Segafredo and Groupama-FDJ are chasing in the second group, but all they can do for now is keep the deficit stable at 1:19. This is shaping up to be something of a handicap race for Van der Poel once they hit the cobbles at Troisvilles. 

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A brief recap for those joining us just in time for the first cobbles at Troisvilles. After a fast start, no early break was able to gain any traction, but Ineos succeeded in splitting the peloton in two amid crosswinds with 210km still to race. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates), Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Kasper Asgreen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl), Greg Van Avermaet, Oliver Naesen (AG2R Citroen) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) were among the riders caught out and they are now 1:20 down as they approach Troisvilles. 

In the front group of 73, meanwhile, Ineos have all seven of their riders and QuickStep-AlphaVinyl have six of their number, as do TotalEnergies. Jumbo-Visma have three riders (but not, of course, Van Aert or Laporte), and Matej Mohoric looks very dangerous with some Bahrain Victorious teammates for company. That's how the land lies ahead of the pavé, but we can expect this race to be shaken up all over again imminently.

This first cobbled section at Troisvilles is rated with 3 stars, and it lasts for 2.2km. TotalEnergies hit the front on the approach to the church at Troisvilles...

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And back in the chasing group, there is a crash even before they hit the cobbles. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) come down and their races are now even more complicated...

Another crash in the second group, as Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Fenix) goes down on the cobbles, and that would be a loss for Van der Poel's chase effort. Out in front, meanwhile, Soupe led all the way through the 2.2km sector 30, and the leaders are safely through with a lead of 1:22 over the Van der Poel group.

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The average speed after two hours of racing is a very brisk 48.8kph. Meanwhile, the race jury has ordered the teams out from behind the front group, which means that any mechanical issues will be very severely penalised for the riders up there. 

Anohter crash, this time in the front group, and it's another Trek-Segafredo rider who goes down. Edward Theuns is quickly back on his bike, but he has work to do to catch back on.

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And more bad luck for Trek-Segafredo... Alex Kirsch was in the front group, but he crashes on the cobbles and loses contact. That incident could also provoke a lasting split in the front group

A puncture for Filippo Ganna, who has to stop and get a front wheel change when he comes off the cobbles. Unfortunately, the television pictures leave him before we can see how quickly he can remedy the problem.

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Ganna, meanwhile, has got a new front wheel and he is chasing back on to the front group. Ineos have relented to try to allow him back on and the Italian is chasing ferociously on the cobbles at Quiévy. It's a 3.7km sector, and efforts over that kind of distance are Ganna's food and drink. He has 40 seconds to recoup, however, and it won't be straightforward.

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Ganna makes it back to the front group with a kilometre or so of this sector still to go. Ineos stalled the pace to help Ganna's pursuit, but that has also reduced the gap to the Van der Poel group, which now stands at 40 seconds. 

DSM are making a monumental effort in the chasing group, and that is helping to drag Van der Poel and Van Aert back into contention as the race comes towards the exit of the third sector of cobbles. The gap is down to just 35 seconds as they reach smooth roads once again.

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Niki Terpstra (TotalEnergies) missed that crash and the Dutchman cannily slips off the front on the cobbles. He opens a small lead over the rest of the splintered front group by the time he comes out the other side. 

A puncture for Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), who was in the Van der Poel and Van Aert group before sector 27, but the mass crash on those cobbles has likely changed the make-up of the chasing groups. We await TV pictures for confirmation.

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Terpstra leads into the cobbles at Vertain, but his gap over the Ganna group is coming down steadily.

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Van der Poel and Van Aert were almost within reach of Ganna et al as they hit the cobbles at Saint-Python a while ago, but the crash in the front group there delayed everybody who was caught behind it. Such is the maddening cruelty of Paris-Roubaix. 

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Paris-Roubaix 2022

Ineos Grenadiers made the early running, placing seven riders in the front group and pushing on the pace on the cobbles.  (Image credit: Getty)

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There is a fast succession of cobbles over the next 10km, but the big sort-out comes with 95km to go in Arenberg. The sectors that precede the beginning of Hell Proper are as follows:

A puncture for Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) in the Van der Poel/Van Aert group. Trek-Segafredo's women enjoyed another great Paris-Roubaix yesterday, as Elisa Longo Borghini claimed victory, but their men have been plagued by bad luck so far. 

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Reynders is through sector 23 at Quérénaing with a lead of 27 seconds over the chasers. Meanwhile, there's another problem for Ganna, who unships his chain on the cobbles. He stops and gets some help from the Shimano neutral assistance. The Italian is now making his second, lone pursuit of the front of the race today. He has the strength to recoup the deficit, but he will surely pay for these efforts later in the race.

Reynders leads onto sector 22 (Quérénaing to Maing, 2km) with a gap of 27 seconds on the Mohoric/Lampaert group. Ganna is alone at 50 seconds. The Van Aert-Van der Poel group is at 1:43. 

QuickStep don't want Ganna getting back on, and Ballerini and Senechal force the pace on the cobbles at Maraing. A reminder that the Arenberg is still over 20km away and the finish is almost 120km away... This race could change a thousand ties in the interim.

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It seems as though Alpecin-Fenix are committed to chasing as much as they can before the Arenberg, when it will surely be all up to Van der Poel. They are powering the second group, and the gap has contracted to 54 seconds. There are 10km of smooth roads now before the next sector at Wallers. There will be greater shock and awe to come ahead, but these could be very crucial kilometres in the race. If Alpecin-Fenix can continue to close the gap, anything is possible for Van der Poel. If it yawns out again, his afternoon becomes much more difficult.

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Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Davide Ballerini (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl), Casper Pedersen (DSM), Tom Devriendt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) and Laurent Pichon (Arkea-Samsic) are in front with lead of 18 seconds over the chasers and 1:04 in hand on Van der Poel et al.

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A rear wheel puncture for Van Baarle in the second group on the road. The Dutchman gets a rapid bike change but he might have to drop back to the Van der Poel group, which is winding up the pace considerably ahead of the Wallers-Arenberg combination.

Alpecin-Fenix have been chasing as though the finish line is at the entry to the Forest of Arenberg - and, in some ways, it is. Van der Poel will surely look to surf across to the front on those fearsome waves of cobblestones. 

Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) and Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) try to bridge across to the five leaders before sector 20, the four-star, 2.5km sector of Wallers...

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And then there were four. A flat tyre for Davide Ballerini, who loses contact with the break. This changes the race drastically. QuickStep now have full motivation to chase... 

Ineos lead the peloton into the Arenberg, 1:44 down on Mohoric, Devriendt, Casper Pedersen and Pichon. Politt and Swift remain in between the two groups.

It seems Wout van Aert was not bluffing about his post-COVID condition. The Belgian champion is at the rear of the peloton, and it doesn't seem as though he had a puncture. That said, he is now moving up past other riders, so it's not over for him just yet.

Ganna powers to the front of the peloton on the Arenberg and opens a small gap. The peloton is stretching out considerably, and gaps are opening everywhere. The lie of the land will be so markedly different out the other side of this sector, but it seems clear that Van Aert is losing ground to the riders who matter in the hunt for victory. Laporte is also back with Van Aert.

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It seems Wout van Aert's Arenberg issues were caused by a mechanical problem. The Belgian champion gets a bike change ahead of sector 19, and he looks smoother on his new machine, but he has a lot of ground to recoup.

Mathieu van der Poel and many other riders have joined with Ganna and Küng, expanding that third group on the road to 20 or so riders. They are 1:29 down on Mohric et al, and 45 seconds clear of Van Aert as they come off sector 18.

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The pace has relented considerably in the Van der Poel-Ganna group, and that is allowing Van Aert to get back into contention. His bike issue at Arenberg meant we couldn't gauge his condition properly to this point. The next sectors should reveal a whole lot more. 

The next three sectors of cobbles are as follows:

Van Aert, meanwhile, has rejoined the sizeable group of favourites, 2:00 down on the three leaders Mohoric, Devriendt and Pichon. Kasper Asgreen is also in that group, and the scuffs on his kit suggest that he was a faller earlier in the race. As ever, Paris-Roubaix is a race of a thousand simultaneous stories, it's not straightforward to keep track of them all. 

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Hornaing to Wandignies is, at 3.7km, the longest sector of the race. After the relative detente in the favourites group that allowed Van Aert come back on, we can expect a further shake-up here. Groupama-FDJ hit the front of this group with intent on behalf of Küng. 

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Swift and Ballerini are about to be caught by the FDJ-led group of favourites, which is 1:47 down on Mohoric and company on this sector to Wandignies.

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Matej Mohoric really shouldn't have been given a head start like this, especially on a dry Paris-Roubaix buffeted by a tailwind... The Slovenian has 2:20 in hand on the other favourites with 73km to go. He is seeking to emulate Cyrille van Hauwaert (1908), Sean Kelly (1986) and John Degenkolb (2014) by winning Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in the same season.

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Mohoric leads the race onto sector 15 (Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières, 2.4km ****) with a lead of 2:01 on their immediate chasers and 2:25 on the group of favourites, which is now being led by Ineos Grenadiers. 

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Matteo Trentin senses a lull and clips away himself, with Tim Merlier following. Wout van Aert, meanwhile, maintains a close watching brief. 

Trentin and Merlier's counter-attack peters out. This large group is still 2:01 down on Mohoric et al, who are now on sector 14 from Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies.

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Situation

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Nathan Van Hooydonck leads the chasing group onto Orchies... Wout van Aert sits in second wheel and this is surely the beginning of a new phase in the race... Mathieu van der Poel is, for now at least, conspicuously absent from the head of the chasing group. 

The injection of pace from Van Hooydonck has make a deep cut in Mohoric's lead. 1:35 the gap as the leaders hit the second part of this two-part sector in Orchies. Kwiatkowski, meanwhile, has punctured and lost contact with the chasing group...

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The race is on sector 12, Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée, and Küng is leading the chase, cutting Mohoric's lead to 1:05 in the process. The third group on the road, featuring Kasper Asgreen, is not completely out the hunt at 1:32.

Dylan van Baarle sets out in lone pursuit from the chasing group on sector 12. The Dutchman is so smart at anticipating the accelerations of men like Van Aert, Van der Poel et al, and his skills as a rouleur mean he could well make it across to Mohoric et al.

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ROUBAIX FRANCE APRIL 17 LR Tom Devriendt of Belgium and Team Intermarch Wanty Gobert Matriaux Laurent Pichon of France and Team Arka Samsic and Matej Mohoric of Slovenia and Team Bahrain Victorious compete in the breakaway during the 119th ParisRoubaix 2022 Mens Elite a 2572km one day race from Compigne to Roubaix ParisRoubaix WorldTour on April 17 2022 in Roubaix France Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images

(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

Van der Poel begins to show himself with a long turn on the front of the chasing group on the cobbles of Mons-en-Pevele, but he doesn't rid himself of any of his company.

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Ben Turner, Stuyven and Lampaert were shaken loose of the group by that Van Aert  attack. Van der Poel, however, moves smoothly across to Van Aert on the uphill asphalt after Mons-en-Pevel, bringing Küng with him. This group of strongmen have pulled clear of the rest of the chasers...

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Van Aert does the bulk of the pace-making over that short sector. The gap to the leaders is down to 34 seconds ahead of the three-star sector to Ennevelin. A reminder of the sectors is available here.

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The chasing group expands further on the approach to Ennevelin, as Adrien Petit (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert), Ben Turner (Ineos), Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) bridge up to Van Aert, Van der Poel et al.

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Van Aert is chasing alone as he begins sector 9 to Ennevelin (1.4km, ***). He has 15 seconds or so to recoup on Van der Poel et al. 

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Van Aert makes it back to the chasing group with 36km and eight sectors of cobbles remaining. These ten riders are 34 seconds behind Tom Devriendt (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), who has the chance of a lifetime in his hands, but surely he can't fend off the strongmen massed behind him.

The pace relents in the chasing group on the smooth roads before sector 8. This is a dangerous moment, not so much for the gap to Devriendt as for the prospect of a move drifting off the front. Van Aert doesn't want to take any chances and makes sure he is the man sitting on the front, just in case any drifting is liable to happen...

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Wout van Aert puts in a little dig on the smooth road after the cobbles. There seem to be few doubts about the Belgian's recovery from COVID-19, but is he doing too much? Van der Poel, by contrast, has been very measured, but he looked very comfortable on that nasty little hill after Mons-en-Pevele. And Ineos, of course, have two cards to play with Turrner and Van Baarle.

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Dylan van Baarle counter-attacks and tries to bridge up to Mohoric and Lampaert. Van der Poel feels compelled to lead the chase behind them.

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The cobbles come thick and fast in the next few kilometres. Van Aert leads the chase on sector 7, but one suspects he, Van der Poel and Küng might be minded to save their big moves for sector 4 through the Carrefour-de-l'Arbre.

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Onto sector 6 (Bourghelles to Wannehain, 1.1km ***), and the four leaders have 40 seconds in hand on the chasers. Stuyven accelerates on the cobbles in a bid to bridge across alone... Nobody follows him for now...

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It's already different even before Camphin-en-Pévèle. Stuyven punctures out of the first chasing group. It's all up to Van Aert and Kung to bridge up to the leaders now...

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Van Baarle attacks at the head of the race, and that acceleration on Camphin-en-Pévèle has shaken Devriendt loose. Mohoric and Lampaert are grimly chasing Van Baarle, who has a lead of 10 metres or so. 25 seconds down, Van Aert and Kung are swapping turns on the cobbles.

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Kung almost comes down on the sharp left hand turn in the Carrefour de l'Arbre. He puts a foot down, but he loses contact with Van Aert. And that, it seems, is the end of his hopes of victory.

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Van Aert and Küng have picked up Devriendt, but the Belgian can't contribute much to their pursuit. They are now 53 seconds down, and even a podium place looks out of reach...

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Dylan van Baarle is pedalling very smoothly and he looks destined to win Paris-Roubaix, He has 40 seconds on Mohoric and Lampaert with just over 10km and two sectors of cobbles to go.

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Yves Lampaert crashes out of the chasing group at Hem. The Belgian hit a spectator on the roadside, and he is flung across the road. The Belgian is quickly on his feet, mercifully, but his hopes of a podium finish are gone.

Lampaert and Mohoric were riding close to the roadside, but it certainly appeared as though a fan reached his hand out towards them, and that is what brought the QuickStep rider down.

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Van Baarle glides across the final, 300m-long sector of cobbles. Paris-Roubaix is his.

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Van Baarle enters the velodrome and begins what is effectively a lap of honour.

Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) wins Paris-Roubaix.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) wins the sprint for second ahead of Stefan Küng (Grouapama-FDJ). Tom Devriendt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) took fourth ahead of Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious).

Van Baarle average 45.8kph - the fastest-ever edition of this race. 

Result

Dylan van Baarle on his victory: "It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it when I went on the velodrome, you know. I looked at the other side to see if there were some other guys. When the team car came up next to me with Servais [Knaven]. then I really started believing in it. It’s been crazy.

Van Baarle on Ineos' early aggression in the crosswinds: “No, it was not planned at all but it turned out like this. We were from the gun super focused. That’s what we wanted, we didn’t want to chase, we wanted to be on the front foot and that’s what we did. From that moment I knew we would have a good chance because we spent less energy than anyone else. We were also a bit unlucky I had a puncture, Pippo [Ganna] had a puncture but we just kept calm and the result is amazing.”

Paris Roubaix 2022 - 119th Edition - Compiegne - Roubaix 257.2 km - 17/04/2022 - Wout Van Aert (BEL - Team Jumbo - Visma) - Dylan Van Baarle (NED - INEOS Grenadiers) - Stefan Kung (SUI - Groupama - FDJ) - photo Luca Bettini/SprintCyclingAgency©2022

(Image credit: Luca Bettini/SprintCyclingAgency)

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