Paris-Roubaix 2022: Who’s riding? When is it on TV? Can returning Wout van Aert take Mathieu van der Poel down a peg?

Now the French public (or at least, some of them) has voted in the Presidential elections, what should have happened last weekend can now happen: the 119th edition of Paris-Roubaix will be run on Easter Sunday one day after the second edition of the women’s Queen of the Classics. While the calendar quirk has largely mystified fans used to the Tour of Flanders following Paris-Roubaix on successive Sundays, it has kept the door open to Wout van Aert, the Belgian champion who missed the Ronde after contracting Covid earlier during Flanders Week.

In his absence, Mathieu van der Poel won a thrilling edition after being pushed by debutant Tadej Pogacar all the way to the finish. Ad/> But Van der Poel could not sustain his stellar streak last Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race – and this unorthodox overlapping of the start of Ardennes Week with the showpiece race of the cobbled classic season could well make for an unpredictable spectacle as Paris-Roubaix returns to its springtime slot for the first time since 2019.

Paris — Roubaix'More cautious than cautious' — Van Aert doubt for Paris-Roubaix after CovidA DAY AGO Emotional Colbrelli braves mud and rain to claim stunning Paris-Roubaix 2021 victory Colbrelli suffered from 'unstable cardiac arrhythmia', say team after collapse Colbrelli leaves hospital after successful defibrillator implantation operation With sunshine and mild temperatures forecast over the weekend, the same muddy conditions which made last year’s Hell of the North live up to its name will not be a factor. But racing over the coarse and unforgiving cobblestones of northern France is never a picnic, so fans can still expect high levels of pain, suffering and drama.