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Peter Sagan wins his first Paris-Roubaix

First rider in 37-years to win the Hell of the North wearing the rainbow jersey

April 8, 2018
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Peter Sagan won the 116th Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, the fifth world champion to win the Hell of the North in the rainbow jersey. Sagan bridged across to the remnants of the day’s breakaway with 55-km to go. It was Sagan’s second Monument win after the 2016 Tour of Flanders. Before Sunday his best Paris-Roubaix result was sixth. He’s the first world champion to win the Hell of the North since Bernard Hinault triumphed 37-years ago. Sagan’s breakmate and runner-up Silvan Dillier (Switzerland/AG2R) had the greatest Monument of his career.

The Course
There were 29 cobbles sections this year for a total of 54.5-km, with the first arriving 93-km into the 257-km race. The Hell of the North’s three hardest, or five star, sections were dead-straight Trouée d’Arenberg at kilometre 162, Mons-en-Pévèle at 208.5-km and Carrefour de l’Arbre at 240-km. These three 2-km+ sections were where the cobbles are at their most irregular and nasty, with crowns to slip off.

Each five star sector has a four star sector proceeding it, with Camphin-en-Pévèle essentially ending just as Carrefour de l’Arbre begins. These pairings makes the Big Three even more taxing.



The Breakaway and the Trench of Arenberg

It was an explosive start to the race with attack after attack brought back, and lots of crashes. One rider, Michael Goolaerts (Belgium/Vérandas Willems-Crelan), sadly suffered cardiac arrest after his crash. Finally, Dillier’s 6-rider group shuffled away, holding a 7:45 gap by the first section of cobbles. This first taste of cobbles caused a crash that delayed Greg Van Avermaet. The current champion made it back on, as did Alexander Kristoff and Gianni Moscon. Quick Step and Katusha were prominent at the front of the peloton.

The breakaway entered Trouée d’Arenberg with a 2:30 gap. Bora-Hansgrohe and Sagan led a 40-rider favourites group into the Trench. The breakaway emerged out the other side with Movistar’s Marc Soler leading a duo. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/Quick Step) and Mike Teunissen (The Netherlands/Sunweb) charged off the front of the peloton.

Gilbert and Teunissen kept clear, with Bora-Hansgrohe chasing. Nils Politt (Germany/Katusha) bridged over to Gilbert and Teunissen with 85-km remaining. As soon as Gilbert’s group was brought back, his Czech teammate Zdenek Stybar attacked. Soler and company were now 1:10 ahead.

Soler fell back and was left behind by Stybar. John Degenkolb tried to bring a quartet across. BMC forced the pace in the greatly reduced peloton.

Mons-en-Pévèle/Sagan’s Move

Stybar, Soler and Degenkolb returned to the bunch, Sky leading the gang onto the four-star Bersée section ahead of Mons-en-Pévèle. Van Avermaet made a dig just before the second five-star section. Sagan let others stitch it up and then made his move. Incredibly, his rivals let him go. The triple world champion joined the three fugitives still up front.

Finally, it was time for Mons, with Sagan and friends holding a 35-seconds lead and the Slovakian in the front. Immediately, Kristoff, Luke Rowe and Tony Martin crashed. A nine-rider chase containing Van Avermaet, Quick Step’s Gilbert and Niki Terpstra and world cyclocross champion Wout Van Aert formed after the Mons as Sagan beat on with Jelle Wallays (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) and Dillier.

With 37-km to go, Sagan was still towing the breakaway, with the Van Avermaet/Terpstra chase 1:00 behind and the peloton +1:10. EF-Drapac had two pink fellows in the chase–Sep Vanmarcke and Taylor Phinney. Camphin-en-Pévèle/Carrefour de l’Arbre edged closer

Camphin-en-Pévèle/Carrefour de l’Arbre

It was just Sagan and Dillier left, with the Swiss starting to work, a Monument win within grasp. The duo entered Camphin-en-Pévèle with a 1:20 advantage, Dillier struggling to hold Sagan’s wheel. Terpstra dropped some chasers.

Sagan and Dillier survived the final tough pairing and held 45-seconds with 9-km and three sections of cobbles to go.

Dillier led into the velodrome but Sagan’s sprint was textbook and irresistible. The two shook hands on the boards and Dillier made a little doffing of the cap gesture.

Sagan thanked his teammates for their great work.

Terpstra was third, his third time on a Paris-Roubaix podium.

2018 Paris-Roubaix
1) Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Bora-Hansgrohe) 5:54:06
2) Silvan Dillier (Switzerland/AG2R) s.t.
3) Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Quick Step) +0:57