Alexander Kristoff finishes the season as the most efficient rider in the peloton, winning close to one in every four races he started: 20 wins for 82 race days. It’s an incredible rate when you consider he’s had a few training races and some mountain stages along the way too. Here’s a look at the win rates of the top riders, why it pays to be a sprinter and a look at those who slid down the rankings this year too.
They’ve changed the rules but can they change the ruler? Peter Sagan won the points competition by such a large margin last year that he’s an obvious pick to win again.
Here’s a look at the contenders and pretenders for the points competition and a wider look at the sprinters and their teams too.
Who can take on Alexander Kristoff? The Norwegian has been invincible and his biggest opponent could be misfortune, his chances were ruined last year by punctures and mechanicals. This is a race of last chances, the final cobbled classic of the season and just like last year time’s running out for Etixx-Quickstep to get that big win, the same for Sep Vanmarcke. Meanwhile Bradley Wiggins longs to end his road career in the Roubaix velodrome.
Amid the cobbled chaos there are many more names to contend with and it’s all live on TV for four hours.
He’ll go in the breakaways, he’ll win bunch sprints, he’ll take 300km classics or morning split stages. Alexander Kristoff is a problem for everyone else how to beat him in Paris-Roubaix is the question worrying many team managers keen to salvage something from the final cobbled classic.