Introducing Paris-Roubaix’s five most iconic cobblestone sectors

L’Enfer du Nord (The Hell of the North), La Pascale (the Easter race), a Sunday in Hell… whatever you call it, Paris-Roubaix is one of the biggest races on the calendar and one that is revered, feared and loved. As one of cycling’s Monuments, Paris-Roubaix is a tough one-day race that extends for over 250km. But it is the cobbles of northern France that make L’Enfer du Nord so difficult and sets it apart from every other race on the calendar.

The first edition of Paris-Roubaix in 1896 was a fearsome test indeed, not least because the final 60km of the race was ridden entirely over cobblestones. So large were the cobbles that the riders soon dubbed them ‘babies’ heads’ or ‘bowler hats.’ The race’s tough reputation had been set and the cobblestones have caused nightmares for riders for more than a century. With L’Enfer du Nord around the corner, we thought it was time to introduce you all to five of Paris-Roubaix’s most iconic cobblestone sectors.

Read more:

• 10 riders to watch at the men's Paris-Roubaix
• 10 riders to watch at Paris-Roubaix Femmes

Hornaing à Wandignies

Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length: 3.7km

© Getty Images

The longest sector of cobbles in the race

Used by local joggers throughout the year who want to avoid the traffic of the three villages the sector passes through, the Hornaing à Wandignies sector is the longest of the race and comes alive on Paris-Roubaix weekend.

But about the name, the 3.7km-long stretch of cobbles is also known as the Secteur pavé John Degenkolb, in honour of Germany's 2015 winner who saved the Paris-Roubaix Espoirs race when it faced serious financial trouble in 2019. For a man whose race-winning bike from 2015 still bears the mud and dirt of northern France’s cobbles, it must have meant the world to have a sector of this incredible race named after him.

The difficulty of this sector comes mostly in its length. 3.7km of bone-juddering cobbles are enough to rattle any man or woman, whether it be as the first cobbled sector in the women’s race or a mid-race torment for the men.

Trouée d’Arenberg

Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length: 2.4km

After World War II, many sectors of cobbles across France were being paved over and removed, particularly in the north as local representatives sought to overcome the negative reputation they believed the cobbles gave their region. As a result, the 1965 edition of Paris-Roubaix featured only 22km of cobbles throughout the 265.5km route and many feared the race had lost its edge.

Consequently, race director Jacques Goddet sent Albert Bouvet — recently retired cyclist turned course designer for L’Enfer du Nord — on a mission to find new cobblestone sectors for the race.

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A bridge that used to carry coal now overlooks one of cycling’s greatest spectacles

Jean Stablinksi, the former World Champion and Vuelta a España winner, suggested the Trouée d'Arenberg to the race directors, having worked in the mine under the Forest of Arenberg before his racing career. The sector, which is a 2.4km straight road through a forest, was first added to the race in 1968, in which Eddy Merckx led the peloton through the Arenberg to take victory in Roubaix. The Trouée d’Arenberg has remained an almost permanent fixture since, featuring in all but four editions of the race since 1968.

The cobbles begin as the riders enter the forest from the mining village of Arenberg, often speeding along at up to 60km/h as the fight for positioning ensues. There is a crown to the middle of the road, with the road sloping off to the edges due to a natural sinking caused by the mine below the forest — sometimes the road is 20cm lower at the edge than the middle hump. Not only do the riders have a tough decision to choose where to ride, but crossing between the cobbles is a task in itself because of the wide and irregular gaps between each cobblestone. Some cobbles are even 1.5cm higher or lower than the preceding cobblestone, they are that erratically laid!

Injuries, punctures, catastrophes… the Arenberg has seen it all. To this day, the name ‘Arenberg’ strikes fear into the hearts of all who tackle Paris-Roubaix. You may not win the race here, but it can certainly be lost.

• Read more: The Oreo test: How are the Arenberg cobbles shaping up for Paris-Roubaix?

Mons-en-Pévèle

Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length: 3km

© Getty Images

Even the cars struggle to get across these cobbles!

Mons-en-Pévèle roughly translates to Mound of Stones and the village itself is perched on top of a hill some 107m high. The hilltop village has been bypassed by the modern ‘Mons-en-Pévèle’ sector since 1967, with the Mons-en-Pévèle sector we are accustomed to now first featuring in 1978 and appearing every year, but 2001, since.

The modern sector may not climb the hill, but its severity is found in the 3km length, the five-star difficulty of the cobbles and the 1,000m false flat that concludes the sector. Beginning with a small downhill for 300m or so, the cobbles are rough and the build-up of mud is often lethal in the rain. Lethal for some, but providing opportunity for others, it is in the thick mud of Mons-en-Pévèle that Gianni Moscon extended his lead at the front of the race in 2021 — only to come undone by a puncture and subsequent crash.

With open countryside on either side, this five-star sector is also susceptible to winds, making one of the race’s hardest sectors just that extra bit difficult. As one of only three five-star sectors in the entire race, Mons-en-Pévèle is a frightening prospect with just 48km to ride before the finish.

Carrefour de l’Arbre

Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length: 2.1km

© Getty Images

A final opportunity to attack, Carrefour de l’Arbre provides a brilliant spot for spectators

Carrefour de l’Arbre is a five-star sector which was first included in Paris-Roubaix in 1980 and has been an ever-present since. Falling within the final 18km of the race, it is the final tough sector of cobbles that stand between the riders and the Roubaix Velodrome. As such, this is one of the last chances for the strongest to make their mark on the race. The area itself has made its mark on the history of France, serving as the location of the Battle of Bouvines which brought an end to the Anglo-French War in 1214 and united France under the leadership of Philippe II.

Translating to ‘Crossroads of the Tree,’ there are a few bends in the first half of Carrefour de l’Arbre, but the defining feature comes after 1.2km when a right-angled left turn takes the riders onto a straight stretch of cobbles. The cobbles here are rough and the final stretch to the Taverne de l’Arbre takes the form of a false flat, at which point the tanks are emptied and the riders are well and truly on their knees.

Used as a farm track for the other 363 days of the year, the Carrefour de l’Arbre is 30cm higher in the middle than it is on either side at some points, causing mayhem should a large bunch arrive here together. With mayhem comes opportunity, as Marc Madiot went on to show in 1985 and 1991 by attacking on the Carrefour de l’Arbre to win Paris-Roubaix.

Roubaix, Espace Charles Crupelandt

Difficulty: ⭐️
Length: 300m

This cobblestone sector was created for the centenary edition of the race in 1996 and is actually named the Chemin des Géants - Road of the Giants. The smooth strip of cobbles, which falls within 600m of the riders entering the Roubaix Velodrome, is iconic not for its difficulty or length but for its place in history. Dotted along the cobblestones are plaques dedicated to each winner of Paris-Roubaix, and the name of this sector itself holds a piece of race history.

© CC0 1.0.

Charles Crupelandt, 1913

The Espace Charles Crupelandt is an ode to a legend of both the race and its region. Charles Crupelandt was a Roubaix-born son of a guesthouse keeper who won Paris-Roubaix in 1912 and 1914, making him the first Roubaix resident to perform well in the race and give pride to a city that so often drowned its sorrows in beer - over 100,000 lined the streets of Roubaix in 1912 to cheer him home.

Eight years earlier, Crupelandt finished 13th in the Hell of the North at the age of just 17, before winning multiple stages of the Tour de France that took place in northern France. “One must never abandon a Paris-Roubaix,” quipped Crupelandt, and that he did not, despite various serious falls. It is only fair that, as the legends of today fly over the final cobblestone sector of Paris-Roubaix, they are at one with a legend of yesteryear who put Roubaix on top of the cycling world.

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