April 08, 2018 (Roubaix, France) – Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, the reigning world road champ, was unstoppable executing a bold attack with 54km remaining to claim his second Monument victory after winning the Tour of Flanders in 2016, to silence all critics.

Silvan Dillier (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale, the only rider from an early break of six to survive, proved capable of staying with Sagan to take home the biggest podium of his career finishing second.

Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors landed on the podium in third almost a minute behind the breakaway duo. Defending champ Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team finished fourth.

Sagan bided his time as several rivals tried to escape and the initial break was down to three riders including Sven Erik Bystrøm (UAE Team Emirates), Silvan Dillier (AG2R La Mondiale) and Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal).

After a failed attack by Van Avermaet at the 200km mark Sagan went with a strong and well-timed acceleration but there was no concerted chase from the rest of the group.

His gap grew and when he caught the break only Dillier could hold on as the chasers led by Van Avermaet and Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors tried in vein to reel them in.

Canada’s Hugo Houle (Astana Pro Team) completed his fourth Paris-Roubaix finishing 84th while fellow Canuck Antoine Duchesne (FDJ) did not finish this year. “It was a tough day out there but I’m happy to have completed my fourth Paris-Roubaix,” tweeted Houle.

The race was marked by the tragic loss of young Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts (Vérandas Willems-Crelan), 23, who died from cardiac arrest following a crash.

His team announced the sad news in an on-line statement following the race. “It is with great unimaginable sadness that we have to communicate the passing of our rider and friend Michael Goolaerts. He passed away Sunday evening at 22:40 in Lille hospital in the presence of his family members and loves ones, who we keep in our thoughts. He died of cardiac arrest, all medical assistance was to no avail.”

“It’s unbelievable,” said Sagan. “It’s amazing to win Paris-Roubaix! I’m so tired after this race but I have to say, this year I wasn’t involved in any crashes, I wasn’t feeling tired at the start and just tried to save energy. After I went on the attack I just kept going until the finish. I feel so much better than I have done in all the years I’ve ridden Paris-Roubaix. I was so much more tired than than I am today. Thank you to all my teammates, because they did such a great job.”

Results

1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 5:54:06
2. Silvan Dillier (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale
3. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors 0:57
4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 1:34
5. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
6. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
7. Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin 2:31
8. Taylor Phinney (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors
10. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Soudal
11. Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team Sunweb
12. Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
13. Wout Van Aert (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
14. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Lotto Soudal 2:37
15. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 3:07
16. Amund Grøndahl Jansen (Nor) LottoNL-Jumbo
17. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
18. Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
19. Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky
20. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain-Merida
21. Bert De Backer (Bel) Vital Concept Club 3:48
22. Mathew Hayman (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
23. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team
24. Edward Theuns (Bel) Team Sunweb 4:23
25. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
26. Marc Sarreau (Fra) FDJ
27. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
28. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
29. Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal
30. Imanol Erviti (Esp) Movistar Team
31. Koen de Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
32. Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 7:10
33. Truls Korsaeth (Nor) Astana Pro Team
34. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
35. Matti Breschel (Den) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 7:40
36. Maarten Wynants (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo
37. Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal
38. Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal
39. Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Soudal 7:45
40. Daniel Oss (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 7:50
41. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky
42. Tanguy Turgis (Fra) Vital Concept Club 0:12:15
43. Jimmy Turgis (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
44. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:12:54
45. Rick Zabel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
46. Adrien Petit (Fra) Direct Energie
47. Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin
48. Boy van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
49. Owain Doull (Gbr) Team Sky
50. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
51. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team
52. Maximilian Richard Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb
53. Julien Morice (Fra) Vital Concept Club
54. Jay Thomson (RSA) Dimension Data
55. Tony Gallopin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
56. Jimmy Duquennoy (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
57. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
58. Juraj Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
59. Luke Durbridge (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
60. Gregory Rast (Sui) Trek-Segafredo
61. Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ
62. Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) FDJ
63. Mitchell Docker (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
64. Tom Scully (Nzl) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
65. Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) FDJ
66. Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) FDJ
67. Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal
68. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
69. Roger Kluge (Ger) Mitchelton-Scott
70. Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
71. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
72. Tony Martin (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin 0:13:01
73. Ludovic Robeet (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic 0:13:11
74. Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:14:46
75. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
76. Bram Tankink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 0:14:48
77. Brice Feillu (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic 0:14:49
78. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:14:56
79. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
80. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Direct Energie 0:15:00
81. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
82. Jos van Emden (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
83. Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Vital Concept Club 0:15:02
84. Hugo Houle (Can) Astana Pro Team
85. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
86. Kenneth Vanbilsen (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
87. Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky 0:15:04
88. Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
89. Pierre Luc Perichon (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic 0:17:41
90. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha-Alpecin
91. Nuno Matos (Por) Movistar Team
92. Julien Stassen (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic 0:17:47
93. Kenny Dehaes (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
94. Dries De Bondt (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan 0:20:12
95. Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data 0:20:47
96. Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale 0:23:01
97. Jack Bauer (Nzl) Mitchelton-Scott
98. Julien Trarieux (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
99. Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
100. Luka Pibernik (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
101. Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:26:54
OTL Timo Roosen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
OTL Senne Leysen (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
OTL Ludwig De Winter (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
OTL David Per (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
OTL Filippo Ganna (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
OTL Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
OTL Simon Sellier (Fra) Direct Energie
OTL Romain Cardis (Fra) Direct Energie
OTL Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data
OTL Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Nor) Fortuneo-Samsic
OTL Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) Vital Concept Club
OTL Stijn Steels (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
DNF Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Kristijan Koren (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Ivan Garcia (Esp) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Borut Bozic (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Bram Welten (Ned) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Michael Carbel (Den) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Maxime Daniel (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Magnus Cort (Den) Astana Pro Team
DNF Oscar Gatto (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Astana Pro Team
DNF Meiyin Wang (Chn) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Team Sky
DNF Matteo Trentin (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Luke Rowe (Gbr) Team Sky
DNF Stefan Küng (Sui) BMC Racing Team
DNF Marcel Kittel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Alex Kirsch (Lux) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
DNF Lukas Spengler (Sui) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
DNF Corentin Ermenault (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Carlos Barbero (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz (Pol) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Brenton Jones (Aus) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Yannick Martinez (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team
DNF Marc Soler (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Hector Carretero (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Adrien Garel (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Stijn Devolder (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
DNF Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar Team
DNF Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) BMC Racing Team
DNF Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) BMC Racing Team
DNF Francisco Ventoso (Esp) BMC Racing Team
DNF Tim Declercq (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
DNF Florian Senechal (Fra) Quick-Step Floors
DNF Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Alex Edmondson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Ryan Mullen (Irl) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Antoine Duchesne (Can) FDJ
DNF Olivier Le Gac (Fra) FDJ
DNF Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb
DNF Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Jaco Venter (RSA) Dimension Data
DNF Nicolas Dougall (RSA) Dimension Data
DNF Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Direct Energie
DNF Yohann Gene (Fra) Direct Energie
DNF Damien Gaudin (Fra) Direct Energie
DNF Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Sunweb
DNF Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb
DNF Ian Stannard (Gbr) Team Sky
DNF Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
DNF Michael Goolaerts (Bel) Veranda’s Willems Crelan
DNF Julien Vermote (Bel) Dimension Data
DNF Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe