Belgium's Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet claimed his first Monument title in the Paris-Roubaix classic, battling through early setbacks and keeping his cool in the velodrome finale to win a five-man sprint on Sunday.
BMC rider Van Avermaet leap-frogged Czech Zdenek Stybar (Quick Step Floors) on the final straight in the famed outdoor velodrome in Roubaix after 257km featuring 55km of cobbled sections.
Dutchman Sebastian Langeveld (Cannondale Drapac) finished third.
Belgium's four-time champion Tom Boonen, chasing a record-breaking fifth title, ended his glittering career in his beloved race in 13th after being in contention for most of the afternoon as the peloton rode through clouds of dust in northern France.
"I suffered a lot but when you win you forget everything. Stybar did not work with us in the finale but I felt strong," said Van Avermaet.
It had been a hell of a day for Van Avermaet in the race famed as 'The Hell of the North' as he came close to dropping out of contention early on and looked far from likely to better his fourth place of 2013 and third place in 2015.
He was caught up behind a crash just ahead of the demanding Trouee d'Arenberg cobbled section 95km from the line and had to change bikes but he fought his way back to the main pack.
He then benefited from precious help from Italian team mate Daniel Oss, who rode himself into the ground as his leader and others broke clear some 35km from the finish.
Van Avermaet accelerated in the much feared Carrefour de l'Arbre cobbled sector, 14.5km from the finish line, to skim the leading pack down to three.
Van Avermaet, Langeveld and Stybar played mind games in the final lap in the Roubaux velodrome, so much that chasers Gianni Moscon of Italy (Team Sky) and Belgian Jasper Stuyven (Trek Segafredo) caught them with about 200 metres left.
Paris-Roubaix is the third of five Monument one-day races on the calendar after Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, before Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardy.
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