In the shadow of Paris-Roubaix
The border area between France and Belgium is home to many of the world's major cycling classics, the most famous of which is undoubtedly Paris-Roubaix. In the shadow of the monument, however, other races are making their way, as is the case of the Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut which, without making much noise, is already celebrating its 63rd edition.
Route
The race includes 12 cobbled sectors concentrated in the second half of the route, which adds up to a total of 201 km. The smell of Paris-Roubaix is strong, although without the extreme hardness of the monument, sprinters who can pass the pavés well can come to dispute the victory as happened last year, when Jasper Philipsen (1200) took the bunch sprint.
Favorites
As we were saying, the list of favorites includes sprinters who cope well the cobblestones and fast classics riders. Pascal Ackermann (1000), Fernando Gaviria (800), Piet Allegaert (400), Amaury Capiot (400), Jordi Meeus (400), Oliver Naesen (400), Stanislav Aniolkowski (400), Luca Mozzato (400), Marc Sarreau (400) or Clement Venturini (400) are some of the main favorites. The start list also includes some of the biggest names in the international peloton such as Primož Roglič (1200), Adam Yates (1000) and Jonas Vingegaard (800), although the race does not suit their characteristics and normally they will not ride for the win.