The 2022 cycling season hopefully marks the return to normal for cycling betting after a year governed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The time has come to experience a "cult" Sunday, in which, as a spectator you don't have to worry about the mud clouding your eyes and the cobblestones breaking your legs.

Betting on Paris Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix is the toughest one-day race on the professional cycling calendar and a celebration of technology, with the world's best riders pitting their bikes and bodies against the brutal cobblestones of northern France.

The Paris-Roubaix, a 254 kilometres race, is also known as "The Hell of the North" or "The Classic of the Classics". It is also one of the most difficult races on the UCI calendar.

Betting on one of the most challenging classics of the season

The bikes they ride must be able to handle the type of surfaces better suited to mountain bikes, but at speeds of 40 km/h or more, over about 30 cobbled sectors.

Between the start in front of Napoleon's castle in Compiègne and the finish line on the concrete track of the Roubaix velodrome, there are 52.8 kilometres of the most unforgiving road surfaces Europe has to offer. Rarely used by day-to-day traffic, these cobbled tracks are more accustomed to the rumble of passing tractors than the swish of bicycle tires, but once a year, the world's biggest one-day race uses them to define its very character.

The winner of the 2021 edition, Italy's Sonny Colbrelli, used his usual race machine, the Merida Reacto — an aero road bike that can accommodate a 30mm tyre. In past years, tyre widths at Paris Roubaix have maxed out at 28mm, but we expect most riders in the 2022 races to use at least 30mm of rubber.

Recommended bets on Paris Roubaix

There will be 25 teams at the start of the 119th edition of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, April 17. All 18 WorldTour teams will, of course, be present, as will Alpecin-Fenix, Arkéa-Samsic and Team TotalEnergies, which have received an automatic invitation as the top 2021 ProTeams. The organizers have distributed four wild cards, and the lucky ones are B&B Hotels-KTM, Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB, Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise and Uno-X Pro Cycling.

For this 2022 edition of Paris Roubaix, one of the most difficult races on the UCI calendar will be the umpteenth episode of the duel between Wout Van Aert and Mathieu Van der Poel. Both cyclists will figure hugely in our recommended bets on Paris Roubaix.

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