Seven key sectors: Mat Hayman's guide to the Paris-Roubaix cobbles

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Mat Hayman (Mitchelton-Scott) takes a trip down memory lane(Image credit: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)

He raced 17 editions, but in April 2016 Mat Hayman finally claimed victory at Paris-Roubaix, a race that had been a prominent feature during his long and respected career.

I'm frequently asked what the best position is heading into the first sector and if you're not first then you want to be second because then there's only one guy who can crash ahead of you, but that costs energy. The physical side of Paris-Roubaix is well known but there's also this constant game going on in your head because each time you move up or make an effort before a sector in order to improve your position it takes away vital energy. With each acceleration you ask yourself 'is this worth it?'.

The sector to Viesly comes right after Troisvilles to Inchy and it's got a four-star rating and that's really down to how long it is. You want to be in a good position through here and the next few sectors but, as a rider, what you're really looking for is a sense of control. From Viesly there are a number of sectors but unless the break hasn't gone there won't be that much action at this point in the race.

The sector to Wallers comes after a section of road, and that allows riders to come back after being distanced or dropped earlier in the race so you can almost have a full peloton at this point. It's relatively long, it's really open, there's a corner in it, and it really just sets the tone and puts everyone in position before Arenberg. It's important to be near the front ahead of Wallers because it just sets you up nicely before the Forest, and it's one of those points where you're not going to win the race but you could see your chances slip away.

Having a difficult sector before actually makes the Arenberg a little bit safer because the race is already splitting up. That means you've got fewer riders sprinting into the Forest, although I don't think I've ever lead the peloton onto the cobbles at this point. I've been fairly close to the front a few times and popped up here and there when I've looked at photos, but if I'm honest I don't know if that's down to tactical sense or just pure fear because that's what drives you when you're entering Arenberg. 

Last year I remember coming down for the start of Paris-Roubaix a few days before and the weather forecast was in the balance. There was a chance of us racing in the rain and it could have gone either way. The image of sprinting into the Forest flashed up in my head and I questioned whether I had the guts but you have to commit because no one is going to help you through that sector. I rode a couple of wet editions but they were back when I was a 20-year-old rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of taking on the cobbles in the rain. Towards the end of my career, I think that enthusiasm waned because of the crashes that I'd had. Those things change your perspective.

When it comes to tactics, there's not much advice you can instill for this sector. I always felt that riding the Arenberg in the recon was a lot worse than on race day when things seemed to go a lot faster and the speed is higher. There's probably nothing worse than for a neo-pro to ride over those cobbles in training and get absolutely battered, and then thinking you've got to race it in a few days.

This is a really tough one and it's where the winning group broke away during the cobbled stage of the 2018 Tour de France. There's a tricky entrance at the start but there's also a dead turn in the sector and they're brutal at this point in the race because you need to slow right down and then try and speed up again. They're the places where you can really do some damage. The year I won Luke Rowe lit things up in that sector before Ian Stannard took over and we went from 10 or 12 riders to five.

I was talking about it a few days ago with a few riders who will do the sportive this weekend. I told them that there have been times I've reached the Carrefour de l'Arbre and not even cared anymore. I'd be pointing the bike in the general direction and letting it go where it wanted to go because I simply had nothing left. Part of me has thought that if I crashed or punctured then at least I'd be able to lie down on the grass. You obviously don't want that but you're at a point in the race where the winning moves can go clear and you've got to give everything. In 2017 I thought I'd lost when Ian Stannard came under me and I was dropped.

Knowing that it's coming is something that's hanging over your head from the earlier sectors. The turns at the start make it hard, so it's a big advantage being at the front in case someone puts the hammer down. Until the first left-hand turn, it's nothing but really bad cobbles. You can try and take the grass but that's risky and you can often just find yourself with a bad run of stones that force you to knock off almost all of your speed. There's no line and you can see guys trying the right, left or middle but the truth is that there's no easy way through.  

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.