Historical stats
– The first edition took place in 1896 and was won by Germany’s Josef Fischer
– Paris-Roubaix was the first Classic to be shown live on TV, in 1960
– Two Belgians – Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck – share the record for the most wins, 4
– Roger De Vlaeminck is also the rider with the most podium finishes, 9
– Belgium leads the nation standings, with 55 triumphs in 114 editions
– Frédéric Guesdon holds the record for the most starts, 17
– Raymond Impanis and Servais Knaven have the most races completed, 16 each
– Ten riders have won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year: Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Fred De Bruyne, Roger De Vlaeminck, Romain Gijssels, Raymond Impanis, Gaston Rebry, Heiri Suter, Rik Van Looy and Peter Van Petegem
– The longest edition has never exceeded 280 kilometers, while the shortest one had 244 kilometers
– Marc Madiot is the only cyclist who has won Paris-Roubaix in the U23 ranks and subsequently as a pro
– In 1949, the victory was awarded to two riders: Serse Coppi and André Mahé
– Australia’s Stuart O’Grady is the only cyclist from outside of Europe who nabbed the win in Paris-Roubaix
– The longest successful breakaway was recorded in 1988, when Dirk Demol won after being for 222 kilometers at the front
– Last rainbow jersey wearer to emerge victorious was Bernard Hinault, in 1981
– Five riders have won Paris-Roubaix after taking the victory in the Tour de France: Louison Bobet, Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx
– In 1936 – when Georges Speicher was victorious – the race ended on a hippodrome
– Between 1986 and 1988, Paris-Roubaix finished in the town, because the velodrome was undergoing some repairs
– First year in which riders were allowed to get a spare wheel from their teammates was 1965
– Youngest ever winner is Albert Champion (20 years and 362 days in 1899); oldest one is Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle (38 years and 229 days in 1993)
– Last French success was brought by Frédéric Guesdon, in 1997
– In 1990, Eddy Planckaert and Steve Bauer sprinted for the victory and the Belgian won for just 1 cm
– Biggest winning margin dates from 1898, when Maurice Garin finished 28 minutes ahead of Auguste Stephan
– 1968 was the first year in which the start was given from Compiègne
– First time when the champion received a cobblestone-shaped trophy was in 1977
– Highest average speed – 45,130 km/h – was recorded in 1964, while the lowest one was in 1922 – 22,857 km/h
2016 stats
– 25 teams (18 World Tour and 7 Pro Continental) will line-up in Compiègne for the 114th edition
– Three of these teams are winless this season: Delko Marseille, Giant-Alpecin, Wanty-Groupe Gobert
– The course is 257.5-km long and features 52.8 kilometers of cobblestones across 27 cobbled sectors
– 33 countries will be represented in the peloton, with Belgium topping the list (36 riders)
– Three former champions are at the start of this year’s race: Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara and Niki Terpstra
– Four U23 winners (Koen De Kort, Damien Gaudin, Taylor Phinney, Ramon Sinkeldam) and four Junior winners (Andrew Fenn, Florian Senechal, Jasper Stuyven, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck) will be in the race
– Franck Bonnamour (20 years) is the youngest rider at the start line, while Svein Tuft (38 years) is the oldest one
– Mathew Hayman has the most participation of the riders in the race: 14
– Paris-Roubaix 2016 marks 6937 days since the last home win in the race
– 10 neo-pros will make their debut in a Monument at Paris-Roubaix: Mikel Aristi, Franck Bonnamour, Romain Combaud, Frederik Frison, Fredrik Strand Galta, Fabien Grellier, Hugo Hofstetter, Martin Laas, Ryan Mullen and Robin Stenuit
– The Paris-Roubaix peloton has won a combined total of 21 Monuments, 10 world titles (road race+time trial) and more than 120 Grand Tour stages
Cafe Roubaix 