Six Australians will be in action after the teams were announced for Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix race – including defending champion Mathew Hayman.
Hayman was a shock winner last year after beating the likes of four-time winner Tom Boonen, Ian Stannard and Edvald Boasson Hagen following a long breakaway.
He will attempt to retain his title alongside compatriots and Orica-Scott team-mates Luke Durbridge, Mitchell Docker and Alex Edmondson. Miles Scotson, from South Australia, will line up for BMC Racing while Cannondale-Drapac’s Tasmanian, Will Clarke, completes the Aussie contingent in the famous race.
This will be the 115th edition of the Paris-Roubaix, or Hell of the North, and is due to start at 10.55am local time.
Apart from the Australians, all eyes will be on Classics star Boonen in his final tilt at the race before he then immediately retires from cycling.
The Belgian already has four victories under his belt – in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2012 – but needs one more to go ahead of Roger De Vlaeminck as the most successful rider in the race’s illustrious history.
This year he will have to contend with a 257km route that features a massive 55km of cobblestones after race organisers added two more sections of pave.
Australian cycling fans can watch the whole race live on Sunday evening on SBS’s Vice Land channel. Coverage starts at 9.30pm AEST, with the race expected to finish sometime around midnight.