Over its 127-year history, Paris-Roubaix has become one of the most hotly anticipated dates on the calendar. Its cobbled sectors, velodrome finish and distance all lend it a character that just isn't replicated elsewhere. It's isn't called the Queen of the Classics for nothing.
The Paris-Roubaix Femmes, inaugurated in 2021 and won by Lizzie Deignan, was an instant hit, and only adds to the Roubaix story.
The races will be held on the same weekend, with the women's event on Saturday and the men following on Sunday. Read on to find out where the parcours will take them.
Route
The route for both men's and women's races differs to last year, with the men getting a new cobbled sector and the women getting a chunk of distance.
Despite the return of the three-star Haspres sector to the race (last used in 2004), the men's parcours treads a familiar and well-loved furrow. The opening 100km is flat-to-rolling and will be dispatched with ease by a peloton warming up for the first cobbles, which they'll hit at Troisville, the first of 29 cobbled sectors.
From that point on the pavé comes thick and fast – a steady stream of granite tumbling into the riders' paths. While the early cobbles are generally not overly treacherous, they're far from easy. Haspres, which is the ninth sector at 1.7km long and worth three stars, is actually typical of what the riders encounter.
The Trouée d'Arenberg, which comes at 161km, is the first five star sector, famous for its atrocious surface, which cuts die-straight through a perfectly forbidding forest.
The race is backloaded with tough cobbles, and from this point on the four and five star sectors become more numerous. The toughest of them include the 3km Mons-en-Pevèle sector at 208km, and the now-iconic Carrefour de l'Abre at 239km, whose stones rival those of Arenberg for sheer headbanging relentlessness. With the Roubaix velodrome bearing down on the riders just 17km up the road, 'Carrefour' is often where the final key move is made.
The women's race has been boosted by 20km this year, from 124.7km in 2022 to 145.5 this time round. This has been done by adding a big loop to the south of the start in Denain, and while it doesn't add any pavé, it's a significant chunk of extra kilometres that are bound to have an effect later on at the sharp end of the race.
The cobbles themselves will be familiar to the riders. Hornaing à Wandignies, where Lizzie Deignan embarked on a 79km winning break in 2021, is once again the first sector. From this point on the women's race follows the same course as that of the men, taking in the same pavé. This includes the toughest sectors of Mons-en-Pevèle and Carrefour de l'Abre, as well as Templeuve, where last year Elisa Longo Borghini attacked to win.
The only obvious omission is the Trouée d'Arenberg. Organisers say that the race start location and distance mean they're unable to include it.
Read more
More on the key cobbled sectors
Paris-Roubaix 2023 start list (men)
Bahrain Victorious
GRADEC Kamil
PASQUALON Andrea
MOHORIČ Matej
WRIGHT Fred
MILAN Jonathan
MIHOLJEVIČ Fran
RAJOVIČ Dušan
Jumbo-Visma
VAN AERT Wout
LAPORTE Christophe
AFFINI Edoardo
ROOSEN Timo
VAN BAARLE Dylan
VAN DIJKE Tim
VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan
Ineos Grenadiers
GANNA Filippo
HEIDUK Kim
KWIATKOWSKI Michał
ROWE Luke
SHEFFIELD Magnus
SWIFT Connor
TARLING Josh
Alpecin-Deceuninck
VAN DER POEL Mathieu
DILLIER Sylvain
GAZE Samuel
GROVES Kaden
GOGL Michael
PHILIPSEN Jasper
VERMEERSCH Gianni
Soudal-Quick Step
MERLIER Tim
BALLERINI David
LAMPAERT Yves
ASGREEN Kasper
PEDERSEN Casper
SÉNÉCHAL Florian
VAN LERBERGHE Bert
Trek-Segafredo
THEUNS Edward
HOOLE Daan
LEIPINŠ Emils
STUYVEN Jasper
PEDERSEN Mads
KIRSCH Alex
VACEK Mathias
EF Education-Easypost
DOULL Owain
KEUKELEIRE Jens
RUTSCH Jonas
SCULLY Tom
SHAW James
VAN DEN BERG Julius
VAN DEN BERG Marijn
Groupama-FDJ
ASKEY Lewis
LE GAC Olivier
LIENHARD Fabian
DÉMARE Arnaud
KÜNG Stefan
STEWART Jake
WATSON Samuel
Team DSM
EEKHOFF Nils
DAINESE Alberto
DEGENKOLB John
BITTNER Pavel
HEINSCHKE Leon
ANDRESEN Tobias Lund
NABERMAN Tim
Lotto-Dstny
SLOCK Liam
BEULLENS Cedric
FRISON Frederik
GRIGNARD Sébastien
DE LIE Arnaud
VERMEERSCH Florian
VAN MOER Brent
Bora-Hansgrohe
POLITT Nils
ARCHBOLD Shane
KOCH Jonas
GAMPER Patrick
HALLER Marco
MEEUS Jordi
Total Energies
BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
SOUPE Geoffrey
SAGAN Peter
OSS Daniel
VAN GESTEL Dries
BODNAR Maciej
TURGIS Anthony
Bingoal WB
DE MAEGHT Dorian
SALBY Alexander
ROBEET Ludovic
LAUK Karl Patrick
VANDEPITTE Nathan
DESAL Ceriel
VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume
Israel-PremierTech
REYNDERS Jens
VANMARCKE Sep
GEE Derek
ZABEL Rick
EINHORN Itamar
VAN ASBROECK Tom
BOIVIN Guillaume
Uno-X Pro Cycling
BENDIXEN Louis
RESELL Erik Nordsæter
KRISTOFF Alexander
BLUME LEVY William
WÆRENSKJOLD Søren
HALVORSEN Kristoffer
TILLER Rasmus
AG2R Citroën
GAUTHERAT Pierre
SCHÄR Michael
DEWULF Stan
RAUGEL Antoine
VAN AVERMAET Greg
NAESEN Oliver
TOUZÉ Damien
Q36.5 Pro Cycling
COLOMBO Filippo
PUPPIO Antonio
BAUER Jack
MOSCHETTI Matteo
DEVRIENDT Tom
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
ZUKOWSKY Nickolas
Flanders-Baloise
DE WILDE Gilles
DE VYLDER Lindsay
DE PESTEL Sander
VANHOOF Ward
COLMAN Alex
FRETIN Milan
APERS Ruben
Astana Qazaqstan
CHZHAN Igor
LAAS Martin
BOL Cees
GRUZDEV Dmitriy
FEDOROV Yevgeniy
SYRITSA Gleb
Cofidis
CARVALHO Andre
RENARD Alexis
ALLEGAERT Piet
NOPPE Christophe
WALSCHEID Max
KREDER Wesley
WALLAYS Jelle
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
TEUNISSEN Mike
PLANCKAERT Baptiste
PAGE Hugo
THIJSSEN Gerben
REX Laurenz
Movistar
GARCÍA CORTINA Iván
NORSGAARD Mathias
ROMEO Iván
JACOBS Johan
MAS Lluís
HOLLMANN Juri
LAZKANO Oier
Arkéa-Samsic
LOUVEL Matis
HOFSTETTER Hugo
RUSSO Clément
DEKKER David
MOZZATO Luca
BIERMANS Jenthe
MCLAY Daniel
Jayco-AlUla
BALMER Alexandre
PÖSTLBERGER Lukas
ŠTYBAR Zdeněk
O'BRIEN Kelland
STEWART Campbell
DURBRIDGE Luke
REINDERS Elmar
UAE Team Emirates
MOLANO Juan Sebastián
BAX Sjoerd
LAENGEN Vegard Stake
ACKERMANN Pascal
GIBBONS Ryan
TRENTIN Matteo
BJERG Mikkel
Paris-Roubaix 2023 start list (women)
Trek-Segafredo
LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
BALSAMO Elisa
BRAND Lucinda
SANGUINETI Ilaria
BÄCKSTEDT Elynor
KLEIN Lisa
Jumbo-Visma
BEEKHUISd Teuntje
RÜEGG Noemi
VOS Marianne
RIEDMANN Linda
LABECKI Coryn
VEENHOVEN Nienke
Team SD Worx
CECCHINI Elena
MARKUS Femke
KOPECKY Lotte
MAJERUS Christine
GUARISCHI Barbara
WIEBES Lorena
Team UAE-ADQ
BUJAK Eugenia
UMIEGA Karolina
CONSONNI Chiara
HOLDEN Elizabeth
BASTIANELLI Marta
TOMASI Laura
Movistar
BIANNIC Aude
GUTIÉRREZ Sheyla
SIERRA Arlenis
RODRÍGUEZ Gloria
MACKAIJ Floortje
Team DSM
HENGEVELD Daniek
KOOL Charlotte
GEORGI Pfeiffer
KOCH Franziska
JASTRAB Megan
PLOUFFE Maeve
FDJ-SUEZ
WIEL Jade
COPPONI Clara
LE NET Marie
BROWN Grace
GROSSETÊTE Maëlle
FAHLIN Emilia
Lifeplus-Wahoo
RYSZ Kaja
RICHARDSON Kate
VIGIE Margaux
LEECH Madelaine
TACEY April
LAURANCE Typhaine
Arkéa Pro Cycling
FOUQUENET Amandine
LIBOREAU Lucie
LE DEUNFF Marie-Morgane
TRÉGOUËT Maurène
HINAULT Maryanne
MORICHON Anais
Ceratizit-WNT
BRAUßE Franziska
LACH Marta
ALONSO Sandra
FIDANZA Arianna
DE ZOETE Mylène
SCHWEINBERGER Kathrin
Jayco-AlUla
CAMPBELL Teniel
PATERNOSTER Letizia
ALLEN Jessica
KESSLER Nina
PATE Amber
HOWE Georgie
Canyon-SRAM
BOSSUYT Shari
SKALNIAK-SÓJKA Agnieszka
CROMWELL Tiffany
VAN DER DUIN Maike
CHABBEY Elise
TOWERS Alice
Liv Racing-TeqFind
BARBIERI Rachele
NEUMANOVA Tereza
DEMEY Valerie
KOREVAAR Jeanne
JASKULSKA Marta
RAGUSA Katia
AG Insurance-Soudal Quick Step
GOOSSENS Marthe
RIJNBEEK Maud
BORGSTRÖM Julia
MEERTENS Lone
KASPER Romy
KNAVEN Britt
Parkhotel Valkenberg
SOUREN Scarlett
VANHOVE Marith
NOOIJEN Lieke
VAN ROOIJEN Sofie
VAN HAAFTEN Kirstie
VAN HELVOIRT Lisa
Cofidis
CASTRIQUE Alana
PILOTE FORTIN Gabrielle
BERTEAU Victoire
FORTIN Valentine
ERAUD Séverine
TALBOT Josie
EF Education-Tibco-SVB
HONSINGER Clara
STEPHENS Lauren
BORGHESI Letizia
POIDEVIN Sara
BÄCKSTEDT Zoe
JACKSON Alison
Uno X Procycling
DIDERIKSEN Amalie
NORMAN LETH Julie
ANDERSEN Susanne
CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia
AHTOSALO Anniina
LUTRO Amalie
Zaaf Cycling Team
SILVESTRI Debora
COLES-LYSTER Maggie
ROMANCE Marta
GARCÍA Lucía
ZAYED AHMED Ebtissam
DE FRANCESCO Danielle
Human Powered Health
VAN 'T GELOOF Marjolein
MACPHERSON Makayla
WILLIAMS Lily
KRÖGER Mieke
VANDENBULCKE Jesse
Israel-PremierTech-Roland
DELBAERE Fien
COLLINELLI Sofia
BUCH Hannah
GRIFFIN Mia
BAUR Caroline
EKLUND Nathalie
Saint Michel-Mavic-Auber93
FOURNIER Roxane
BORRAS Marion
BOILARD Simone
POMPANON Margot
AVOINE Alison
LE MOUEL Célia
Fenix-Deceuninck
COUZENS Millie
SCHWEINBERGER Christina
CANT Sanne
MARTINS Maria
KUIJPERS Evy
TRUYEN Marthe
Stade Rochelais-Charente Maritime
ABGRALL Noémie
NENADOVIĆ Kristina
JANSE VAN RENSBURG Frances
GADD Lucy
ALLIONE Marine
SCHOENENBERGER Chloé
