Paris-Roubaix: The Key Strava Segments

The 2024 Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes promises to deliver one of the most anticipated races of the Spring. The women’s race takes place on April 6, while the men's race is on April 7. Max Leonard previews the course and the segments that can make or break the riders.

In 2024, with the re-introduction of two cobbled sectors, the men’s race has the longest distance on pavé for over 30 years. It is 259.9km / 161.5 mi long, with 55.7km / 34.6 mi of cobbles split over 29 sectors.

The women’s race, meanwhile, is 148.5km / 92.3 mi long, with 29.2km / 18.1 mi of cobbles split over 17 sectors. The men start in Compeigne and the women in Denain. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck) will be hoping to repeat his win, as will Alison Jackson, who made a daring solo break to win the women’s race.

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The Segments to watch

Hornaing–Wandignies: at 3.7km / 2.3 mi, this four-star sector (they’re rated one to five for difficulty) is the longest in the women’s race, and also features in the men’s.

Troué de l’Arenberg: the most infamous ‘Arenberg Trench’ was discovered by pro racer and former miner Jean Stablinsky in 1968. This 2.2km / 1.4 mi five-star sector features the worst cobbled surface, and it can often be decisive, not so much by selecting the winner but by ending the chances of many competitors for the top spot on the podium. However, it is too close to the start to be featured in the women’s race.

Mons-en-Pévèle: featuring in both men’s and women’s races, this 3km / 1.9 mi five-star sector comes soon after Hornaing–Wandignies and features both sharp turns and a small climb, in what is otherwise a very flat race.

Carrefour de l’Arbre: the last of the five-star sectors for both men and women, the ‘Crossroads of the Tree’ is only 15km / 9.6 mi from the finish, making it a potential launchpad for the winner of both the men’s and women’s races. Current KOM is Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease A Bike), who took the title in 2023 chasing his arch rival van der Poel after a puncture. The QOM is Lizzie Holden (Lifeplus Wahoo), who became queen during a Roubaix recon ride in 2022.

Roubaix velodrome: the famous climax to the race takes place inside the town’s municipal velodrome, where both men and women must complete two-and-a-half laps to finish.