Paris-Roubaix: the key cobbled sectors

We look at some of the most famous and most significant sectors of pavé in the Hell of the North

Arenberg Forest pavé
(Image credit: Virginie Lefour / Getty Images)

Without its pavé, the Queen of the Classics would be no such thing. It would be relegated to the post of court jester – a slightly rolling jaunt across the fields of northern France that would be no more than a very long wait for a bunch sprint in the velodrome (which in fairness would be a sight to see).

Its cobbled tracks – relics of a bygone era – bring the spectacle, the entertainment and the character to the race. In the dry sunny weather they're dusty, tricky and slippery, and of course in the wet they are the same but with mud not dust. Each year the winner, in a final act of physical exertion, hikes a huge cobblestone trophy above his or her head. 

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