The last of the cobbled classics and the most exceptional one, in every sense. And yet the obvious outcome is a repeat of last Sunday with Mathieu van der Poel going away for a solo win.The Course: a 15 minute neutralised roll out and then 260km. Its 96km to the first cobbled sector and this first section is no parade. The road rises and falls, its the hilliest part of the course and theres plenty of exposed roads in the countryside and street furniture in the towns, especially Saint-Quentin.The cobbled sectors come after 96km. The graphic above shows the ratings. Look closely and youll see theres no #15 and #8 features twice and if you recon the route you discover there are also some brief unmarked cobbles too; this years ratings have three more stars than last year. Sectors are subjectively rated by difficulty but also a function of distance. So a short sector with stones jagged enough to puncture tires and dreams alike may not merit a diabolical rating. Its always worth remembering that in this 260km race, roughly 80% is are on tarmac and 90% is tarmac and the one, two or three star rated sections.The tarmac sectors are arguably as important as the pav, riders sprint to get into position for the cobbles and once theyre on the farm tracks the fight for position backs off, the racing eases off from sprint to time trial.The Arenberg Forest has long been a self-fulfilling strategic points as riders rush to be at the front in case of a crash which heightens the crash risk. The previous section (number 20) is one of the toughest. The Arenbergs traditional bowling alley approach altered with the chicane right-left-right turns onto the sector after the CPA rider union made an 11th hour request. The addition of these bends has generated a lot of interest but on race day the defining point is the 2.3km length and the jagged stones with their protruding edges.Now the sectors come thick and fast as the route twists and turns across Le Nord, a corner of France that always gets grim portraits, take your pick from Zola, Varda or contemporary socio-economic data.Mons-en-Pvle is a five star brute, three kilometres and often where the race is lost by many. With 20km to go the crucial sectors of Camphin and then the Carrefour de lArbre arrive. This final one is five-star, two kilometres and the hardest part comes towards the end where it starts to climb and this is the crucial moment to make the difference.The Finish: Held in the old velodrome, riders enter the 500m rough concrete track for one and half laps. The banking can be exploited by a rider lucid enough to remember how to sprint on a track, harder than it sounds after 260km.The ContendersEmbed from Getty ImagesMathieu van der Poel won it last year, he won the Ronde last week and each time with a confident solo win. It almost feels like a question of what can beat him rather than who can beat him, that a puncture or a mechanical could pose more of a problem than his rivals but even then hes in the kind of form where he can reverse the situation. Hes got a good sprint, and if hes lost sometimes in a sprint in the past its often because hed made many efforts before; these days he is more measured and experienced.The one weakness for Van der Poel is team work, Alpecin-Deceuninck look smart but not imposing. In Jasper Philipsen theyve got last years second place finisher but if he rides its a helper less. Hes famously quick but resilient too which counts as the sprint in the Roubaix velodrome is as much a test of stamina as speed.For all the rest its about how to get ahead of Van der Poel. Attacking before he does is necessary but far from sufficient. The right move has to go such that teams wanting to beat Van der Poel have cooperate. Not collude, there will be no alliance against the rainbow jersey, just the hope they can get riders up the road together and force Alpecin to chase instead of missing the moves and having to chase themselves.Embed from Getty ImagesLidl-Trek gave a textbook example of team work in Gent-Wevelgem to enable Mads Pedersen to beat Van der Poel. Now theyre diminished, no Stuyven nor Kirsch. Jonathan Milan is a battering ram but the real question is about Pedersens form. We got a rough answer last weekend where he was scattering energy around Flanders but at least he was able to do to this and should be fresher and more focused now. Can he afford to race patiently and hope Van der Poel is forced to work more; last weeks outing might convince him to sit tight.Embed from Getty ImagesPatrick Lefevere said that if Remco Evenepoel won Lige then everyone who had been criticising him would have to eat their words about Soudal-Quicksteps spring classics campaign. Thats alas not happening now. Still his team have won two semi-classics, more than most. Its been thanks to Tim Merlier. His limits only come when theres climbing but the hard part for him and the team is constructing the victory, to put him in a place where he can unleash his sprint in the velodrome for the win. Asgreen and Lampaert look made for the race but havent bloomed this spring.Visma-Lease A Bike are having a tough time as well and the absence of Wout van Aert is worth dwelling on as this was supposed to be his big day, a chance to return to the roads where mechanical mishaps cost him the chance to contest the win a year ago. Dylan van Baarle is strong but how to win? Christophe Laporte is much more the archetypal rider, packs a fast finish and absent Van Aert has the keys to the team bus but hes been ill so form is unknown.Embed from Getty ImagesNils Politt (UAE) has been on the podium before and arguably hes racing better than ever. As we all saw he lost a sprint to Jan Tratnik so its probably solo or bust. Tim Wellens adds depth but was probably better suited to last Sundays climbs while Mikkel Bjerg comes off fourth place in Flanders and gives more options.Like Politt, Stefan Kng (Groupama-FDJ) where has also been on the podium but the top step is a leap. This time he and Laurence Pithie can work together but all it takes is one crash or incident and things come undone, they have to hope fortune is on their side this Sunday.Fred Wright leads Bahrain after Matej Mohori is out. Movistar are visible with Oier Lazkano and Ivan Garcia Cortina, both muscular riders who be present in the final hour but how to win?Uno-X have a cohesive squad and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) looks to be made for the race but has actually struggled on the cobbles and only once made the top-10 while Sren Wrenskjold packs a sprint, Ramus Tiller is strong too. TotalEnergies need a result but a win would be more than an upset, still Dries Van Gestel and Anthony Turgis are their best cards to play.Paris-Roubaix has sometimes favoured the long-odds riders, the early breakaways and the stalwarts, and supplied fairy-tale endings. Once more? Its a romantic notion but runs up against the way the race is ridden these days with high speeds, teams not giving the early breakaway any space and the favourites being willing to launch early rather than waiting only to fade the finale. Florian Snchal (Arka-B&B Hotels) would be the local pick but his spring has been ruined by injury so a result would be even more of a story, instead Luca Mozzato and Jenthe Biermans can hope for a top-10. At 33 Oliver Naesen is getting into the grizzled category but said he had great form in the Ronde on his way to seventh place so look out for him on Decathlons home roads. John Degenkolb (DSM Firmenich-PostNL) is a past winner, was seventh last year despite a crash in the finish but he crashed on Friday so this isnt going to be easy for the 35 year old.As well old hands finally getting their reward for patience, Paris-Roubaix can also anoint young talent. Alec Segaert (Lotto-Dstny) and Josh Tarling (Ineos) are both are time triallists who can turn on the power while Ineos have Ben Turner too. Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-LAB) is in his debut too but might have less room to race for himself. Laurenz Rex (Intermarch-Wanty) won Le Samyn and is an outside tip for many at this race as hes a strong rider with a big build and a mountain bike background.Van der PoelPedersen, PhilipsenPolitt, Van Baarle, Laporte, MerlierRex, Kng, Pidcock, Naesen, Milan, Pithie, DegenkolbWeather: cloudy and a top temperature of 19C. Crucially a 25km/h wind from the SW which could gust to 40km/h. This means a tailwind for the first half of the race and then for the second half, a crosswind or at least in the general direction of travel as the race twists on its way northwest towards Roubaix.This is the one race where climate matters as much as the weather. Its been a very wet winter so the ground is soaked and muddy sectors can endure and over the winter the stones have moved, potholes have appeared in places. As importantly the sides are often soft and riders seeking relief from the pav by riding on the dirt and grass verges can get bogged down.TV: live from start at 11.10am CEST to the finish at 5.20pm CEST. Normally its on the same channel you watch the Tour de France on so France Tlvisions for locals and VPN users, and Eurosport in most other countries. Arenberg starts around 3.00pm.Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift: its today (Saturday) between 1.30pm and 5.30pm CEST with TV coverage for the final two hours, about where the first of the 17 cobbled sectors begins. This blogs clumsy pick is Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) but its notable that the team isnt winning as often this season and races are more open, well see if Marianne Vos (Visma-LAB) can add this to her prolific collection and look out for Zoe Bckstedt in her Roubaix debut. Youll find a better informed and proper preview over at procyclinguk.com.The post Paris-Roubaix Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.