The hardest race of the year is here, the Paris-Roubaix cobbled classic this Sunday. It has all the elements that make a monument: distance, history and something else none of the others feature - really bad roads.

The 29 cobbled sectors that dot the farmlands in northern France turn what would be a flat sprinters’ race into a war of attrition involving simple punctures to serious crashes.

The riders face 256.6km from Compiègne to Roubaix's velodrome, 54.5km of which is over the nasty cobbled farm roads. The women have a bit less overall to deal with, but it’ll be just as hard.

In the third women's edition, SD Worx must be considered favorites with their recent run of domination. Lotte Kopecky will be at the top of the SD Worx list after her Tour of Flanders win last week. Other stars include 2022 winner Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM Racing)

After the Tour of Flanders with Tadej Pogacar's win, anything seems possible with the classics hierarchy shaken. Is Jumbo-Visma still the dominant team of the spring and can Wout van Aert bounce back? Or maybe his team-mate and 2022 winner Dylan Van Baarle if he's feeling better? Or will Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) get his first win?

If it's not the big names, the top muscle men would be Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X).

Soudal-Quick Step should support Yves Lampaert. They have sprint options too with Fabio Jakobsen and Tim Merlier. Don't forget Jumbo has fast-man Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma). And there's Dane Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), third in the Tour of Flanders.

FloBikes has the women's race live for Canada this Saturday and the men's Sunday.

With so many factors heading towards that famous velodrome, expect the unexpected in Paris-Roubaix.