A photographic look back at the Queen of the classics
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(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Servais Knaven won a very muddy race in 2001(Image credit: AFP)
Marc Madiot on his way to victory in 1985(Image credit: AFP)
Johan Museeuw digd deep on the way to victory in 2002(Image credit: AFP)
George Hincapie in action in 2001(Image credit: AFP)
Hincapie crashed out of the 2006 race(Image credit: AFP)
Tchmil, Museeuw and Duclas-Lassalle on the cobbles(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
An iconic image of George Hincapie (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Frederic Guesdon takes the biggest win of his career in 1997(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Johan Museeuw picks his line through the dirt (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Rolf Sorensen in action for Ariostea in 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
A young Andrei Tchmil in action for Alfa Lum in 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
A warm and dusty race(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen attack together in 2008 (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Roberto Amadio was wrapped up for the wet start in 1996(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Francesco Moser in 1986(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Andrea Tafi tries to survive on the mud in 1998 (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Mario CIpollini exits the Forest of Arenberg in 1995(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The muddy entrance to a section of pave in 1990(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The riders lined out in the Forest of Arenberg in 2000(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Two-time winner Sean Kelly at the start in 1993(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Stuart O'Grady kises the cobblestone after victory in 2007 (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle beats Franco Ballerini in the sprint in 1993(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The Mapei team finish 1-2-3 in 1996(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Either the central ridge or the grass verge is the place to be when Paris-Roubaix is dry(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ballerini on the attack in 1995(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Franco Ballerini retires after finishing the 2001 Paris-Roubaix (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fabian Cancellara raises his winner's cobblestone(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fabian Cancellara wins alone in 2006(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Boonen attacks with Thor Hushovd in 2009(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Tom Boonen leads the peloton through the Forest of Arenberg in 2009(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Jaan Kirsipuu tries to survive in the dirt and chaos on a corner(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Johan Museeuw celebrates in 2000 after crash and knee injury almost ended his career two years earlier(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Andrea Tafi on the attack(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Magnus Backstedt wins the sprint in 2004(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Paris-Roubaix is known as the Queen of the Classics and always produces a battle royale on the cobbles of northern France before the winner is crowned in the Roubaix velodrome.
Depending on the weather, Paris-Roubaix can be a blast over the dusty pave or a battle for survival in the mud and rain. Some riders love it but most others hate the pain and suffering the cobbles inflict on their bodies. It is not called the l’enfer du Nord, the hell of the north, for nothing.
We’ve trawled through our photographer’s archives to find some of the best iconic shots from the last 20 years. There were no digital cameras in the eighties so some shots are blurred as the riders flashed past but the images portray the drama, pain and pursuit of victory at Paris-Roubaix.
Paris-Roubaix was the big goal of the season for the late Franco Ballerini and we have images of him losing the sprint to Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle in 1993, his lone victory in the velodrome and then his emotional retirement in 2001.
We also dug out some shots of Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly, Steve Bauer, Magnus Backstedt, Stuart O’Grady’s victory in 2007 and more recent battles between Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
