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{{Infobox Cycling race
| name          = Paris-Roubaix
| current_event = <!--2008 Paris-Roubaix-->
| image         =
| date          = Early-April
| region        = Northern France
| english       = Paris-Roubaix
| localnames    = Paris-Roubaix {{in lang|fr}}
| nickname      = The Hell of the North<br />Queen of the Classics<br />The Easter race
| discipline    = Road
| competition   = UCI ProTour
| type          = Monument one-day race
| organiser     = Amaury Sport Organisation
| director      =
| first         = 1896
| number        = 105 (as of 2007)
| last          =
| firstwinner   = {{flag|GER|empire}} Josef Fischer
| mostwins      = {{flag|BEL}} Roger De Vlaeminck<br />(4 wins)
| mostrecent    = {{flag|AUS}} Stuart O'Grady
}}
'''Paris-Roubaix''' is a famous single-day professional [[road bicycle racing|bicycle road race]] held in northern [[France]] starting in [[Compiègne]] and finishing in [[Roubaix]], near the [[Belgium|Belgian]] frontier.  It was one of the ten [[UCI Road World Cup]] races and became part of the [[UCI ProTour]]. It is one of the '[[Classic race|Classic cycle races]]' has the nickname ''The Hell of the North'' .<ref>{{cite web
| title = I'm talking total cobbles
| publisher = www.guardian.co.uk
| date = 5 April 2006
| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1746888,00.html
| accessdate = 1 September 2007}}</ref>
== History ==
Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest professional bicycle races. Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez got the idea to run the race and in 1896, the sports newspaper Le Vélo worked out original route between Paris and Roubaix.<ref>{{cite web
| title = The real Hell of the North
| publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
| date = 16 April 2006
| url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/features/2006/woodland_hell_of_the_north
| accessdate = 5 September 2007}}</ref> The race has been contested every year since 1896, stopped only by the two World wars.

The first edition of the race was held at [[Easter]], [[April 19]] [[1896]], so it got the nickname of ''La Pascale''([[English language|English]]: ''The Easter'').

188 competitors left the Bois de Boulogne park in [[Paris]] and raced almost 300&nbsp;kilometres to [[Roubaix]].<ref>{{cite web
| title = Paris-Roubaix 1998
| publisher = uci.ch
| date = 12 April 1998
| url = http://www.uci.ch/english/road/world_cup/pre_2000/pr98/pr1_98.htm
| accessdate = 10 September 2007}}</ref> [[Josef Fischer]], the winner of this first edition, received 1000 francs.<ref name=ROUB1>{{cite web
| title = 102nd Paris Roubaix Preview
| publisher = www.dailypeloton.com
| date = 9 April 2004
| url = http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=5951
| accessdate = 1 September 2007
| archive-date = 20 September 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070920081628/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=5951
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

The race is now organised by the media group [[Amaury Sport Organisation]] (ASO) who also run the [[Tour de France]].

Riders are often covered from head to toe in mud and grit, and race over the cobblestoned roads and hard rutted tracks of northern France.  However, the race got the nickname ''l'enfer du Nord'', or the ''Hell of the North'' from journalists who watched the race after world war I, and saw it  pass through many of the ruins, craters, and destruction along the way.<ref>{{cite web
| title = WWIII: La Trouée d'Arenberg is back
| publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
| date = 9 April 2006
| url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/
| accessdate = 1 September 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Roubaix, Vélodrome.jpg|thumb|left|In the Vélodrome in Roubaix the last 750 metres of the race takes place]]
Originally, the race was from Paris to Roubaix, but in [[1966]] the starting location was moved to [[Chantilly]], 50&nbsp;kilometres to the north of Paris, to be moved in [[1977]] to [[Compiègne]], approximately 80&nbsp;kilometres to the north of Paris.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Roubaix @ Roubaix - Specializing in cobbles
| publisher = www.cyclingnews.com
| date = 21 June 2006
| url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2006/features/specialized_roubaix_launch
| accessdate = 1 September 2007}}</ref> Famous for rough terrain, the route of Paris-Roubaix is adjusted slightly from year to year as the older roads are resurfaced and the race organisers seek to replace them with other challenging cobbles, to maintain the character of the race - in [[Paris-Roubaix 2005|2005]], for example, the race included 54.7&nbsp;kilometres of cobbled sections.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Paris-Roubaix 2005
| publisher = www.letour.fr
| date = 4 April 2005
| url = http://www.letour.fr/stf/roubaix/2005/us/
| accessdate = 5 September 2007}}</ref> The race finishes  with 750&nbsp;meters on the smooth concrete expanses of the large outdoor [[velodrome]] in [[Roubaix]].
== The bicycles of Paris-Roubaix ==
Due to its challenging course, and poor weather conditions, Paris-Roubaix presents a challenge to riders, team support personnel, and equipment alike.  Special [[Bicycle frame|frames]] and [[Bicycle wheel|wheels]] are often used specifically for Paris-Roubaix, in various configurations depending on the weather conditions.

== Paris-Roubaix Media ==
<gallery widths='160px' heights='100%' mode='traditional' caption=''>
File:Goldcobble.JPG|Winners since 1977 have received a mounted cobble (sett); the organisers keep a gold-plated cobble for themselves

File:Theo Vienne, Founder of Paris-Roubaix, circa 1896.jpg|[[Théodore Vienne]]Roubaix entrepreneur

File:Velodrome de Roubaix 1899.jpg|Share of the Société Anonyme du Vélodrome de Roubaix, issued 3 March 1899

File:Pavé, 100ème Paris-Roubaix.001.jpg|Cobblestone Emblem of Paris–Roubaix, Donated on the 100th anniversary by 'Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix' and 'La Ville de Roubaix' {{Coord|50.678548|3.204612}}

File:1896Josef Fischer.jpg|[[Josef Fischer (cyclist)|Josef Fischer]] won the first edition of Paris–Roubaix.

File:Alain bernard.JPG|Alain Bernard, President of 'Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix': "These days the mayors come to me with cobbles."

File:1ère partie carefour de l'arbre.jpg|The first section of pavé at the Carrefour de l'Arbre

File:Panneau pavé de Luchin.jpg|Commemorative marker-post for the Pavé de Luchin at the Carrefour de l'Arbre

File:Route pavée crt 2002.jpg|Cobblestone in northern France, near Lille.
</gallery>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{cb start}}
{{UCI ProTour}}
{{Paris-Roubaix}}
{{cb end}}

[[Category:Cycle racing in France]]
[[Category:History of Paris]]
[[Category:Roubaix]]
== Further reading ==
* [[Philippe Bouvet]] (with [[Pierre Callewaert]], [[Jean-Luc Gatellier]], [[Laget Serge]]): ''Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell''  [[VeloPress]], {{ISBN|978-1-934030-09-7}}. The inside story of the race, its great riders, its traditions, and its secrets
== Winners ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Country!!Year!!Name!!Team!!Team Country
|-
|{{flag|Germany|empire}}||1896||[[Josef Fischer (cyclist)|Josef Fischer]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy|old}}||1897||[[Maurice Garin]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy|old}}||1898||[[Maurice Garin]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1899||[[Albert Champion (cyclist)|Albert Champion]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1900||[[Emile Bouhours]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1901||[[Lucien Lesna]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1902||[[Lucien Lesna]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1903||[[Hippolyte Aucouturier]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1904||[[Hippolyte Aucouturier]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1905||[[Louis Trousselier]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1906||[[Henri Cornet]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1907||[[Georges Passerieu]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1908||[[Cyrille Van Hauwaert]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1909||[[Octave Lapize]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1910||[[Octave Lapize]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1911||[[Octave Lapize]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1912||[[Charles Crupelandt]]
|-
|{{flag|Luxembourg}}||1913||[[François Faber]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1914||[[Charles Crupelandt]]
|-
|rowspan=4|Not held||1915||rowspan=4|[[World War I]]
|-
|1916
|-
|1917
|-
|1918
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1919||[[Henri Pélissier]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1920||[[Paul Deman]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1921||[[Henri Pélissier]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1922||[[Berten Dejonghe]]
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}||1923||[[Heiri Suter]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1924||[[Jules Van Hevel]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1925||[[Felix Sellier]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1926||[[Julien Delbecque]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1927||[[Georges Ronsse]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}|| 1928||[[Andre Leducq]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1929||[[Charles Meunier]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1930||[[Julien Vervaecke]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1931||[[Gaston Rebry]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1932||[[Romain Gijssels]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1933||[[Sylvère Maes]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1934||[[Gaston Rebry]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1935||[[Gaston Rebry]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1936||[[Georges Speicher]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy|old}}||1937||[[Jules Rossi]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1938||[[Lucien Storme]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1939||[[Emile Masson jr]]
|-
|rowspan=3|Not held||1940||rowspan=3|[[World War II]]
|-
|1941
|-
|1942
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1943||[[Marcel Kint]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1944||[[Maurice Desimpelaere]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1945||[[Paul Maye]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1946||[[Georges Claes]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1947||[[Georges Claes]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1948||[[Rik Van Steenbergen]]
|-
|{{flag|France}} and||rowspan=2|1949<ref>tied</ref>||[[André Mahé]] and
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||[[Serse Coppi]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1950||[[Fausto Coppi]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1951||[[Antonio Bevilacqua]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1952||[[Rik Van Steenbergen]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1953||[[Germain Derijcke]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1954||[[Raymond Impanis]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1955||[[Jean Forestier]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1956||[[Louison Bobet]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1957||[[Fred De Bruyne]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1958||[[Leon Van Daele]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1959||[[Noel Fore]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1960||[[Pino Cerami]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1961||[[Rik Van Looy]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1962||[[Rik Van Looy]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1963||[[Emile Daems]]
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}||1964||[[Peter Post]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1965||[[Rik Van Looy]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1966||[[Felice Gimondi]]
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}||1967||[[Jan Janssen (cyclist)|Jan Janssen]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1968||[[Eddy Merckx]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1969||[[Walter Godefroot]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1970||[[Eddy Merckx]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1971||[[Roger Rosiers]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1972||[[Roger De Vlaeminck]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1973||[[Eddy Merckx]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1974||[[Roger De Vlaeminck]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1975||[[Roger De Vlaeminck]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1976||[[Marc Demeyer]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1977||[[Roger De Vlaeminck]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1978||[[Francesco Moser]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1979||[[Francesco Moser]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1980||[[Francesco Moser]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1981||[[Bernard Hinault]]
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}||1982||[[Jan Raas]]
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}||1983||[[Hennie Kuiper]]
|-
|{{flag|Ireland}}||1984||[[Seán Kelly (cyclist)|Seán Kelly]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1985||[[Marc Madiot]]
|-
|{{flag|Ireland}}||1986||[[Seán Kelly (cyclist)|Seán Kelly]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1987||[[Eric Vanderaerden]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1988||[[Dirk Demol]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1989||[[Jean-Marie Wampers]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1990||[[Eddy Planckaert]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1991||[[Marc Madiot]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1992||[[Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1993||[[Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle]]
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}||1994||[[Andrei Tchmil]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1995||[[Franco Ballerini]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||1996||[[Johan Museeuw]]
|-
|{{flag|France}}||1997||[[Frédéric Guesdon]]
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1998||[[Franco Ballerini]]||[[Mapei (cycling)|Mapei-Bricobi]]||{{flag|Italy}}
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}||1999||[[Andrea Tafi (cyclist)|Andrea Tafi]]||[[Mapei (cycling)|Mapei-Quick Step]]||{{flag|Italy}}
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||2000||[[Johan Museeuw]]||[[Mapei (cycling team)|Mapei]]||{{flag|Italy}}
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands}}||2001||[[Servais Knaven]]||[[Predictor-Lotto|Domo-Farm Frites]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|France}}||2002||[[Johan Museeuw]]||[[Lotto-Domo]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|France}}||2003||[[Peter Van Petegem]]||[[Lotto-Domo]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|Sweden}}||2004||[[Magnus Bäckstedt]]||[[Alessio-Bianchi]]||{{flag|Italy}}
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||2005||[[Tom Boonen]]||[[Quick Step]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}||2006||[[Fabian Cancellara]]||[[Team CSC]]||{{flag|Denmark}}
|-
|{{flag|Australia}}||2007||[[Stuart O'Grady]]||[[Team CSC]]||{{flag|Denmark}}
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||2008||[[Tom Boonen]]||[[Quick Step]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|Belgium}}||2009||[[Tom Boonen]]||[[Quick Step]]||{{flag|Belgium}}
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland}}||2010||[[Fabian Cancellara]]||[[Saxo Bank]]||{{flag|Denmark}}
|-
|10 April||2011|| || ||
|}