Paris – Roubaix 2021 – Preview – Peter Sagan today – ŠPORT.sk

Perhaps the most famous bicycle monument has had a very long break. It did not take place last year due to the pandemic. Further shifts and fears of complete abolition came this year, when French organizers were forced to postpone the 118th edition of Paris-Roubaix to the beginning of October.

In the end, everything worked out. We are a few hours away from the start of Hell of the North and it will be a historical edition. On 257.7 km of the track, 30 legendary sectors with cubes, the so-called cat heads. 175 gladiators from 25 teams will fight for eternal glory.

Track profile:

Track map:

The cubes will be (finally) wet!

For the first time since 2002, we will witness a wet year of French monumental classics. Rain fell on the track during the week and is forecast to rain at night from Saturday to Sunday, in addition to during the race. It promises an epic battle of the world’s best classicists.

The nature of the race can change a lot, because the dice will be different. Instead of dust, we will see mud, the ground will be slippery, cyclists’ jerseys will be changed beyond recognition. This show will be a kind of reward for a break of almost a thousand days.

All sections with cubes are loaded in the final 160 km. Together, they are waiting for riders more than 55 kilometers after the cat’s heads. The first sector with pavés comes after 96 km, the last one ends only a kilometer before the finish line.

The most difficult 5-star sections are the Trouée d’Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre. The latter ends only 20 km before the finish.

In addition to the three most difficult sections, there are six 4-star sections and a number of those with an even lower star rating. Organizers and cyclists say the lighter sections will be as challenging on Sundays due to rain as the 4- or 5-star sections will be dry.

Asphalt roads will be enjoyed by cyclists from the start in Compiègne, near Paris, almost 100 km. An escape should be created here, which has already significantly spoken out several times in the final form of the race. Matthew Hayman even won in 2016, in 2018 Silvan Dillier sprinted for a triumph against Peter Sagan, who also spent the whole race ahead.

Will cyclocross riders excel?

Weather conditions favor cyclists who have excellent control of their machines. Of course, Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel or Zdeněk Štybar would be among the biggest favorites even in the dry, but these three have a total of 10 titles from the World Cyclocross Championship! And Sunday will be reminiscent of cyclocross fights not only because of the mud baths.

Wout Van Aert will want to make amends last Sunday’s failure, when he failed to win a medal at the World Cup and ended up after a poor performance in the field of losers. Mathieu van der Poel was in a similar situation.

Czech cyclist Zdeněk Štybar considers Roubaix to be a heartbeat. Out of seven starts, he booked 6 places in the Top 10 and two second places. As a former excellent cyclocross player, he wanted a rainy edition every year. His wish came true and the Czech cyclist believes that this ingredient could help him achieve his great goal. He brought good form and healthy self-confidence to France.

There are many favorites, Sagan says goodbye to the team

The length of the break between the 117th and 118th years of the race is also indicated by the fact that the last winner Philippe Gilbert was 36 years old at the time of the triumph in 2019. He will now defend his triumph as a 39-year-old veteran. He will be on the team with another former Roubaix winner, the German John Degenkolb.

The duo of Belgians in the service of the French AG2R Citroën team Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen belong to the circle of the biggest names of the race. The first named ruled Hell of the North four years ago. He is indistinct this season, but the indestructible Greg should never be underestimated.

Bora – hansgrohe also comes to the start of the race with an interesting pair. Peter Sagan won Paris-Roubaix in 2018. His colleague Nils Politt was second a year later when he was the only one to resist the onset of the later winner Gilbert.

It will be a special race for Petr Sagan, because for the last time he will attach the start number to his jersey as a rider of a German team. Sagan spent five years in Bor. During his time with the Germans, he won the green jersey twice at the Tour de France, this year he won the scoring competition at the Gire, won the triumph at Paris – Roubaix and also claimed the jubilee 100th victory.

The last former winner at the start is Niki Terpstra from the TotalEnergies team. The Dutch phenomenon won in 2014 in the Omega Pharma – Quick Step jersey.

In the wider circle of favorites, we must also count on the pair of Sonny Colbrelli, Matej Mohorič. The cyclist from Bahrain – Victorious has been riding in exclusive form for the last two months and both would like to turn the phase into a triumph of life.

Trek fighters – Segafredo Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons and the fourth man of the World Championships in Belgium Jasper Stuyven have the same plans. In addition to Zdeněk Štybar, Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert will also aim for the best possible location in Deceuninck.

Julian Alaphilippe Roubiaix will not be able to win the two-time world championships, but the silver Dylan van Baarle and the bronze Michael Valgren will want to show a week after their big races that they are currently at the top of the classic game.