Paris-Roubaix is a race for specialists, perhaps the most untamable of the classics and certainly the one that requires the most severe physical and technical requirements. Its cruelty and harshness frighten some, but inspire many others, who make it the highlight of their season. And there are those who love Roubaix and have never given up on it: John Degenkolb, Jasper Stuyven and Oliver Naesen have never withdrawn from the Queen of Classics, and the same applies to Margaux Vigié and Chiara Consonni, who have ridden and completed the first four editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift. We met them to understand the details of their preparation, the technique that allows them to pedal on the pavé, their little tricks and also the mental aspect of this challenge, which they have mastered better than others.

JOHN DEGENKOLB. "ROUBAIX IS INSIDE ME"
John Degenkolb was destined to win Paris-Roubaix. It was the prophecy pronounced by his U23 coach, Patrick Moster, before the German rider became a professional and tamed the cobblestones of the Hell of the North, winning the edition in 2015 and also conquering victory in Roubaix during the 2018 Tour de France.

A victory in 2018 that was like a resurrection, after the serious accident he suffered in Spain in 2016, and which also marked his only success at the Tour, on roads always associated with spring and Degenkolb, so much so that the longest pavé sector of Paris-Roubaix (from Hornaing to Wandignies-Hamage) is now named after him.

At 36 years old, obviously, his best seasons are behind him, but Degenkolb continues to amaze with his mastery of the race. Like everyone, he suffers in the Hell of the North, but can boast a record of 12 placements in as many participations.
"I will always have the determination to somehow reach the velodrome" is now his distinctive motto for this race.

"PREPARATION MUST BE PERFECT"
The roads and pavé leading to Roubaix are like the back of a rough hand, each edition is a renewed test that requires optimal preparation. "I would say that 20, maybe 30% of that race is definitely in what you have to set up in advance. And this is not just two or three days before, it starts months before to be ready and ensure that everything is definitively in place. The entire day's setup must be perfect: your legs must be good, you must be 100% mentally ready, your equipment, your teammates, the roadside staff, the team support... Only if you manage to bring all this as close to 100% as possible, then you can do well. If you have some problems, you can go on, but if the problems add up, you can't make it".

To leave nothing to chance, the German veteran does reconnaissance every year: "not necessarily to know the route, but to test the equipment, especially if there is new gear". Experience teaches him this, remembering the nightmares of 2012, when he obtained his worst result (63rd) in Roubaix: "It was the first year with electronic shifting. Basically, as soon as I was on the pavé, I couldn't change gears".

"THE STONES? THE FIRST TIME I WAS SHOCKED"
Is there anyone in the group who knows the northern cobblestones better than John Degenkolb? Beyond his race record, the German champion is an ambassador for Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix, and the sector from Hornaing to Wandignies-Hamage was even renamed in his honor in 2020 to recognize his commitment to saving the Junior event. Degenkolb loves the Paris-Roubaix pavé... But it wasn't love at first sight.

"The first time I pedaled on the Roubaix pavé, I was totally shocked, I couldn't believe that was the Arenberg Forest, where we would race three days later. I knew everything about Paris-Roubaix because I'm passionate and I always loved watching it as a fan, but I didn't think it was so hard. When I tell people who have never been there that they are missing out on the historic roads of cycling, they don't really understand what I mean. It's a huge challenge and it's so different from anything you can experience on a bicycle. Even if I found the worst cobblestone sector in Germany, it wouldn't even come close to what we have in Nord-Pas-de-Calais".

Yet, in this very first participation, he finished 19th despite "a very stupid crash at Carrefour de l'Arbre. I ended up lying on the ground, Boonen and Hushovd flew past me. But I managed to continue and fight until the velodrome".

His grit and abilities immediately confirmed the prediction of his coach Patrick Moster: "Even before I became a professional and without ever having been on that pavé, he told me: 'One day you will win Roubaix'. I will never forget it".

A MATTER OF MENTALITY
To survive the Hell of the North, cyclists need strong legs, the right equipment, unique skills, a bit of luck... and a lot of mental strength. "In the end, it's about having the right concentration, concentration and determination to really give it your all".

The 2015 winner has no problem getting excited about Paris-Roubaix: "For me, it's practically the pinnacle of the Classics. In the opening weekend, you get the first feelings of the pavé and the climbs. Then, you go beyond Sanremo, you enter the Ronde week. And you get closer to Roubaix. So my excitement keeps rising because this race is special to me. In fact, it's the most special of the year, something truly unique. There's not much I need to do to get more excited. Roubaix is inside me. Moreover, I'm not afraid but I have enormous respect for the race. Crossing the Arenberg Forest, anything can happen: many things are not in your hands. You must have faith and hope for the best".

"RETIRE? I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT TO MAKE IT"
Degenkolb says he has fallen "four or five times" on the Roubaix roads, where icons like Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck have bitten the dust and thrown in the towel: "in my first participation, at the Tour when it was raining [stage 5, 2014], even when we raced it in October, in 2021, and when Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen pushed me off the road in 2023". No matter how brutal the cobblestones are, "in the end, every accident is painful. I don't think there's a big difference in falling there compared to other races". Falls that, however, have never forced him to leave the race.

"I don't know what will happen in the future, but I know I will always have the determination to somehow reach the velodrome. Of course, if you can't continue, you can't... But as long as I can get back on the bike, I will always fight to get there. This race is so special that, even if you're not fighting for the victory, just being in the finishing order is something special to fight for. And I tell you that I wouldn't mind finishing out of time if circumstances required it. I think it's a race where it's worth arriving at the finish line, always and anyway".

Degenkolb's commitment to Paris-Roubaix saw him go beyond his limits just to be at the start: "In 2021 I had a bad crash the week before Roubaix, at the Leuven Worlds. I had a lot of skin torn off, but my form was quite good and I was really focused on Roubaix that year, so even though the circumstances and my health were not really good, I did everything to be in the race. I could have easily said: 'I'm not going'. But I wanted to be there because we knew it would probably be a rainy Roubaix and I wanted to experience it. But I guarantee you that I don't want to live through a race like that again, it was even worse than I expected!"

THE EXTRA: "IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE A FAIRY TALE"
Degenkolb is not only the active rider with the most finishes at Paris-Roubaix, but he could well be the one to whom the race has brought the most intense joys. "I don't think there's any other rider right now racing with the same passion I have for Paris-Roubaix and the same connection I have with it. I had the enormous honor of spinning my career around Roubaix, around this race, with the addition of the Tour de France stage".

His triumph in the 2015 edition of the Hell of the North probably marked the highest point of his career: "What strikes me the most is that in 2015 I was able to bring home the pavé. This makes me even more proud, obviously, compared to the fact that I finished the race every year. But it's definitely a nice statistic and something special".

And his victory in Roubaix during stage 9 of the 2018 Tour de France had a different and profound meaning, a year and a half after being hit by a motorist during training: "It almost seems like a fairy tale. I fought for years and years to get this Tour de France stage victory and in the end I found it on the Paris-Roubaix route: I believe this says it all. It still gives me goosebumps to think about it: it was a dream come true".

THE PROFILE
John Degenkolb (Picnic PostNL)
Born on January 7, 1989 in Gera (Thuringia, Germany)
Teams: HTC-Highroad (2011), Argos-Shimano, Giant-Shimano, Giant-Alpecin (2012-2016), Trek-Segafredo (2017-2019), DSM, DSM-Firmenich, Picnic PostNL (from 2022)

Main victories:
    Paris-Roubaix 2015
    Milan-San Remo 2015
    Paris-Tours 2013
    Gent-Wevelgem 2014
    Cyclassics 2013
    12 Grand Tour stages (1 at Tour de France, 10 at Vuelta, 1 at Giro)

Results at Paris-Roubaix:
2011: 19th
2012: 63rd
2013: 28th
2014: 2nd
2015: Winner
2017: 10th
2018: 17th
2019: 28th
2021: 53rd
2022: 18th
2023: 7th
2024: 11th
The curiosity: After the hell comes comfort, in pure Roubaix style. John Degenkolb fully embraces the tradition by taking his post-race shower in the historic velodrome park. Where a plaque commemorates his 2015 victory and certifies his status as a conqueror of the Hell of the North.