THE RETURN OF SPRING
March 16 th 2022 - 17:00
In 2022, Paris-Roubaix returns to its traditional springtime date, with the start of the 119th edition on Sunday 17 April in Compiègne. The riders will battle on an essentially unchanged course of 257.2 km, including 54.8 km of cobbles. Of the 30 sectors, three will be of particular interest to the future riders of the Tour de France, who will take them on, once again, on stage 5.
Three years after Philippe Gilbert's victory, the Paris-Roubaix peloton will return to the cobbles in April, on a slightly unusual date with the Amstel Gold Race having been requested to switch calendar slots due to the impossibility of disrupting road traffic on the day of the first round of the presidential election. Nevertheless, in a return to tradition, the Queen of the Classics will, once again, take place on Easter Sunday.
It is also on a course in keeping with the spirit of the event where cycling's best acrobats will battle, with the first cobbled sector immediately after the village of Troisvilles. The slight changes from the October 2021 route concern the Cambrésis cobbled sectors, but they shouldn't change their impact on the race. After the peloton thins, the first battle of the contenders for victory begins with the Trouée d'Arenberg, which is a monster, whatever the weather conditions.
This year, the immediate aftermath of Arenberg will also serve as a preview of stage 5 of the Tour de France, when it will encounter the sectors of Hornaing-Wandignies (#17), Warlaing-Brillon (#16) and Tilloy-Sars-et-Rosières (#15). From there, nearly 70 kilometres to the Roubaix velodrome, with some cruel portions like the passages through Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre. There will be no shortage of moments of truth!
Paris-Roubaix Challenge
Saturday 16th of April - After Paris-Nice Challenge, it is on the “Hell of the North” and its mythical cobbles that the competitors will offer themselves a new challenge. Amateur cyclists will face this legendary race a few hours before the professional pelotons and compete in one of the three proposed distances (70 km, 145 km and 170 km). More information here.