Paris-Roubaix race guide

We take a closer look at the epic route for the 'Hell of the North" as the cobbled classics reach a crescendo.

Preview of the 113th edition

The cycling world grinds to a halt on Sunday for one of the most prestigious and challenging races in the sport, Paris-Roubaix (April 12).

Also known as the "Queen of the Classics" and the "Hell of the North", the 253.5km marathon presents a unique test of endurance, bike handling, toughness and sheer will to win.

Some of the finest riders in history have built legacies around their successes in this race, with victory in the famous Roubaix Velodrome the defining moment in the career of many riders.

There are no climbs of note to navigate, but the riders instead have to negotiate 52.7km on bone-jarring cobblestones split over no fewer than 27 sections. Despite that being one sector less than 2014, the cumulative amount of cobbles rises by 1.6 kilometres.

Team Sky head into the race off the back of a strong classics campaign to date, hoping to improve on Juan Antonio Flecha’s third place in 2010.

Sir Bradley Wiggins lines up in his last race for the team, with Andy Fenn, Bernhard Eisel, Christian Knees, Salvatore Puccio, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas making up an impressive eight-man unit.

The route

The race kicks off in the now-traditional start town of Compiegne, 70km north-east of Paris, on Sunday morning.

The riders head north in search of cobbles (each graded on account of their length and severity), with the first of 27 sectors arriving after 98.5km at Troisvilles.

The most famous of all the sectors is the Trouee d'Arenberg, which will be tackled with 95.5km left. Although the race is not often won on the hellishly difficult surface of "the trench", it can easily be lost, as a crash or puncture will be difficult to recover from.

Positioning ahead of each key sector is vital. Starting at 54.5km to go, difficult sections at Auchy-lez-Orchies and Mons-en-Pevele will then thin the group out further, with the favourites usually becoming keen to force the winning move at this point.

The next flashpoint is the stretch through the section at Camphin-en-Pevele and especially Le Carrefour de l'Arbre. Separated by barely a kilometre and coming with under 20km to go, these sectors provide a perfect launching pad for a strike for home.

Three more sections of lesser cobbles must be negotiated on the 14km to the finish line, where a legendary finale awaits the front-runners in the form of one and a half laps of the Roubaix Velodrome.

TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1145-1600 with highlights at 2030 and 2200 (BE2).