After the warm, dry Paris-Roubaix Femmes on Saturday, very different weather conditions could have an effect on Sunday's race, after overnight rain rendered several of the 55 kilometres of cobbled sectors slippery and with some notably large puddles also on the course.
Barring the odd rain shower, weather conditions are expected to stay dry and overcast on Sunday for the 2025 edition of the Hell of the North, although wind gusts of up to 50kmh are expected at times.
However, the slippery conditions could well both raise the risk of crashes, and favour those riders with more off-road experience, like regular cyclo cross racers, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), both of whom of World Champions in that speciality.
Various media reported that there is some standing water in front of the Forest of Wallers, one of the key sectors, which the riders are expected to reach around 3PM. Mons-en-Pevele, another very tough segment of pave, is also reported to be muddy as a result of the rain.
The key question regarding conditions is how quickly the course will dry out, given there has been a lack of rain in the area over recent weeks.
Cyclingnews reported from the Paris-Roubaix start in Compiègne on Sunday morning that rain has stopped, although it remains damp and overcast, with a very slight breeze.
"I think there will be some wet cobbles but it should dry out really quick, you can see here, all the cobbles are dry here," regular Roubaix contender and former Flanders winner Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) told media at the start.
"But of course there are puddles, and the cars go through them and the mud on the cobbles dries out a bit slower, so areas where it's muddy - it can be slippery there also."
"Actually sector 2 [of the pavé] is usually quite a wet one, and there was even a crash there when it was dry because there was some mud there."
"I hope it won't be too wet," added four-times Roubaix racer Taco van der Hoorn (Intermárché-Wanty), "but we still have some time before we get there. The sides will be muddy so there'll be more riding on the cobbles themselves."
European Road Champion and recent Scheldeprijs winner for a second time Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) was more concerned about the wind, than the rain, saying that it was "perfect for echelons" in the early part of the very flat, exposed Roubaix course.
"Of course the rain will have an impact too, though, because you can't ride on the sides," Merlier said, although when asked by reporters to sum up Roubaix in three words, though, he only came up with two and neither had to do with the weather: "Hell" and "Cobbles."
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