Twenty-six years after Frédéric Guesdon’s victory in 1997, France is still waiting for his successor on the Paris-Roubaix list. If they are not among the favourites, several riders can dream of creating a surprise this year. In the logical absence of climbers like David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot or Romain Bardet, ill-suited to the cobblestones, as well as Julian Alaphilippe and Valentin Madouas, already turned towards the Ardennes, the eyes will be fixed first on Christophe Laporte, irresistible since the beginning of spring.
At 30, the Varois from Jumbo-Visma is in the shape of his life. Winner of his first two classics at the end of March in Ghent-Wevelgem and Across Flanders, he remains in 14th place in the Tour of Flanders. And he is comfortable on the cobbles, as proven by his sixth place in 2021 in the colors of Cofidis, despite a broken rear brake, which forced him to brake the wheel with his… sole. However, he will first serve his leader Wout Van Aert in a team that also has the outgoing winner, Dylan van Baarle, in its ranks. But Paris-Roubaix is the most unpredictable race of the year where anything can happen permanently (fall, puncture, breakage of equipment,…) and Laporte could take advantage of the circumstances to come and plant his flag.
Florian Sénéchal, the regional stage
When Paris-Roubaix approaches, the senses of the Northerner awaken. Born in Cambrai, the Soudal-Quick Step runner knows the roads of the Hell of the North by heart. Winning here, twelve years after his victory in juniors, is the dream of his life. And he has the build, with a physique cut out for the cobblestone classics, and the experience. At 29, this will already be his 9th participation for four Top 20, including a sixth place in 2019. But he will have to rev up compared to a disappointing start to the season. Forced to abandon the Tour of Flanders because of intestinal pain last Sunday, like Laporte he will have a leader to protect in the person of Dane Kasper Asgreen.
The 28-year-old from Ile-de-France will compete in his fourth Paris-Roubaix where he finished 13th in 2021 and 18th in 2019. Two fine places of honor, but the TotalEnergies rider has so far mainly distinguished himself on the first two Monuments of the year, Milan-Sanremo (2nd in 2022) and the Tour of Flanders, from which he again took a fine 17th place on Sunday despite a succession of problems (fall, exploded tire, etc.). If he manages to escape the glitches, he will have a shot to play within a workforce of which he will be the trump card.
Arnaud Démare, the joker
The Groupama-FDJ sprinter is still empty-handed this season during which he hopes to at least approach the “hundred wall”, he who has 91 victories on his professional record. Opening your counter at Paris-Roubaix is a big odd. But the 31-year-old Picard, deprived of a train, is learning to manage more and more on his own and is not a cobblestone neophyte. In seven participations, he obtained three Top 20 and a sixth place in 2017. In the absence of Valentin Madouas, he will first be responsible for supporting the Swiss Stefan Küng, 3rd last year and outsider of this 120th edition . But here again, race circumstances could upset all plans and place Démare in the front row.