The 'Hell of the North' takes place over the Easter weekend this year, two weeks after the Tour of Flanders instead of the usual one, giving riders some respite from the cobblestones for that little bit longer which may see some stronger legs.
The 2021 edition of the race was one of the greatest spectacles of last year's cycling season, with heavy rain and thick mud making for awful conditions which saw Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) take an emphatic victory in his first appearance, collapsing at the finish covered in mud in a moment that will endure in cycling history.
The women's race will take place the day before the men's for the second time ever as a curtain-raiser in the Paris-Roubaix Femmes, after last year's inaugural event saw Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) ride solo for 82 kilometres to the finish in a memorable win.
Paris-Roubaix Femmes
A total distance of 124.7 kilometres, the second edition of the women's race sees an additional lap of the starting circuit in Denain, which will make up the first 40 kilometres of riding before the peloton heads for the cobbles.
The cobbled sectors of the route take up 29.2 kilometres of the race, featuring the incredibly difficult Carrefour-de-l’Arbre and Mons-en-Pévèle that will put serious hurt on the legs, before the traditional finishing lap around the André Pétrieux velodrome in Roubaix.
Deignan will not be appearing to defend her title, but Trek-Segafredo still have a strong representation at the race with Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini looking to improve on her third-placed finish last year.
The route for the 2022 edition of the Paris-Roubaix Femmes. Source: ASO
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) is one of the pre-race favourites after picking up wins at Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders in an incredible start to her 2022 season.
Danish prodigy Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) is likely to lead her team's hopes and the legendary Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) will be many fans' pick to take the victory after finishing second in 2021.
Rounding out the field is Brugge-De-Panne champion Aussie Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Amstel Gold winner Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) and last year's fifth-place finisher Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ).
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Paris-Roubaix
The men undertake a fairly unchanged route to last year's race, with 257.2 kilometres of hellish terrain and 54.8 kilometres of unforgiving cobbled sections standing between them and the finish.
A flat first half of the route will see a surely nervous peloton trying to get in the best position for the second half, as the infamous Trouée d’Arenberg (Forest of Arenberg) looms at the 162-kilometre mark.
A straight path of overwhelming resistance with 2.3 kilometres of cobblestones, it will be the first of three testing sections that will start to separate the contenders from pretenders.
The three-kilometre Mons-en-Pévèle will greet the riders at the 209-kilometre mark as the next of the enduring cobbled sectors, before the Carrefour de l’Arbre puts the final round of hurt on the peloton just 16 kilometres from the finishing lap around the André Pétrieux velodrome in Roubaix.
The route for the 2022 edition of Paris-Roubaix. Source: ASO
After a terrifying health scare where he suffered an episode of 'cardiac arrhythmia' at the finish of the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya, 2021 champion Sonny Colbrelli will not take to the start line in this year's Queen of the Classics.
Belgian champion Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) is also uncertain to compete as he recovers from COVID-19, meaning the race may be without two of the strongest riders in the sport.
These absences make last year's third-place finisher Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) the most likely favourite for victory after a stellar start to his season in the Classics has seen a return to form for the Dutchman.
Milan-San Remo winner Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) and Christophe Laporte (Jumbo Visma) will be the others to watch as they'll likely step up to the plate in the absence of their star teammates, while Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert (both QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) will be looking to give the Wolfpack a memorable win.
Without strong Brit Tom Pidcock, INEOS Grenadiers will bring Tour of Flanders runner up Dylan van Baarle as well as Italian star Filippo Ganna, who takes to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix for the first time in his career, and Lotto Soudal have 2021 runner-up Florian Vermeersch looking to go one better in 2022.
The Hell of the North promises to deliver once again, so don't miss a minute of all the drama and incredible racing on SBS.
2022 Paris-Roubaix - LIVE SBS schedule
Paris-Roubaix Femmes
Saturday, April 16
21:30 - 00:30 (AEST)
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Paris-Roubaix Men's
Sunday, April 17
18:55 - 01:45 (AEST)
LIVE on SBS On Demand, with LIVE SBS coverage from 21:30 (AEST)
