The organisers of Paris-Roubaix have brought back two sectors of the rough cobblestone roads that make the race famous for 2024, bringing the total distance raced over pavé to 55.7km - 3.2km more than last year and the most in the past 30 years.
Each year, the cobbled sectors are assigned numbers counting down to the final stretch just before the velodrome in Roubaix. As has been the case for years, there will be 29 sectors in 2024, with two returning roads at Briastre and Le Hameau du Buat slotting in at numbers 26 and 24, respectively. The Biastre sector was last included in 2019.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou explains, "The influence on the race scenario will not be immediate, but having long and difficult sections to start with makes the race tiring, and the consequences may be felt later on."
It's only a minor change to the traditional route, which will be 259.9km long this year - 3.3km longer than in 2023.
After the first sector in Troisvilles, the race takes on the familiar cobbles from Viesly to Quiévy (#28) followed closely by the four-star Quiévy to Saint-Python (#27) pavé. Rather than turning left toward Saint-Python, this year, the race heads straight back to Viesly for the Biastre sector. The race will bypass the two-star Saint-Python sector and head through Solesmes toward the next difficulty in Vertain.
Sector #25 remains the same with the 2.3km long Vertain-Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon pavé. Rather than turn toward the Verchain-Maugré to Quérénaing, the route heads in the opposite direction toward Capelle for the slightly uphill Le Hameau du Buat (Capelle-Ruesnes) sector (#24).
The 2024 Paris-Roubaix route sneaks in a stretch of pavé between Artres and Quérénaing (#23) at the familiar back-to-back three-star sectors (#22, #21) Quérénaing-Maing and Maing-Monchaux-sur-Écaillon.
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This year's edition cuts out the jaunt down to Haspres and the 1.7km three-star sector between it and Thaint before rejoining the 2023 route ahead of the Haveluy (#20) pavé.
This sector is the last before the dreaded Trouée d'Arenberg (#19) - the first five-star stretch that marks the beginning of the end game.
From there, the route will be familiar to riders and viewers alike, with the same final 18 sectors that include the notable five-star Mons-en-Pévèle (#11) and the back-to-back Camphin-en-Pévèle (#4) and Carrefour de l'Arbre (#3) before the finish in the Roubaix velodrome.
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
