He raced 17 editions, but in April 2016 Mat Hayman finally claimed victory at Paris-Roubaix, a race that had been a prominent feature during his long and respected career.
Part of what made Hayman's victory so popular was that he spent the majority of his time in the sport riding in the service of others. He had sacrificed his chances for the greater good of the team but, having ridden over 450 sectors and 850km of cobbles throughout his Paris-Roubaix career, he has experience and knowledge few can match.
In the build-up to this year's race, Hayman sat down with Cyclingnews to talk through the most important pavé sectors, offering advice on tactics and race lines, as well as sharing some of his memories from previous editions.
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Troisvilles to Inchy (km97.5 / 0.9km) **
It doesn't matter what the race organisers throw at you in the first sector of the race, it's important simply because it's the first time you're on the cobbles.
You've got a full and usually intact peloton and it's the first opportunity to lose the race. It's such a fight to get to the front ahead of that sector but, at the same time, riders need to think about how much energy they want to spend at this point because there's still an awfully long way to the finish.
I'm frequently asked what the best position is heading into the first sector and if you're not first then you want to be second because then there's only one guy who can crash ahead of you, but that costs energy. The physical side of Paris-Roubaix is well known but there's also this constant game going on in your head because each time you move up or make an effort before a sector in order to improve your position it takes away vital energy. With each acceleration you ask yourself 'is this worth it?'.
Briastre to Viesly (km108.5 / 3km) ****
Haveluy to Wallers (km156.5 / 2.5km) ****
Trouée d'Arenberg (km164.5 / 2.3km) *****
Mons-en-Pévèle (km212 / 3km) *****
Camphin-en-Pévèle (km239.5 / 1.8km) ****
Carrefour de l'Arbre (km 242.5 - 2.1 km) *****
The complete list of 29 cobbled sectors of the 2019 Paris-Roubaix
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/seven-key-sectors-mat-haymans-guide-to-the-paris-roubaix-cobbles
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