Podium History of Paris-Roubaix | 2007 edition | 2009 edition | Complete results | Photos
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
The race: The 2008 Paris-Roubaix was 259.5 kilometers long and raced at an average speed of 43.406 km/hr
There were 198 starters and 113 classified finishers.
Though rain was forecast for race day, the riders were greeted with almost clear skies, though the roads were wet from the previous night’s rain.
It was with 53 kilometers to go on the Auchy-lez Orchies cobbled sector that Johan van Summeren made the attack that put a group of eight riders ahead of the field.
At sector seven, Templeuve-Moulin-de-Vertain with 33 kilometers left to race, Fabian Cancellara attacked the lead group taking Alessandro Ballan and Tom Boonen with him.
The trio worked well together, though Cancellara tried to get away at least once. Ballan led the lead trio onto the Roubaix velodrome where Tom Boon showed was clearly the strongest man of the three. He easily beat his exhausted fellow escapees to win Paris-Roubaix for a second time.
Complete Results:
Alessandro Ballan leads during the first lap on the Roubaix velodrome.
Boonen wins in front of Cancellara and Ballan
Another shot of the finish
Through the Arenberg Forest
More Arenberg Forest. Johan van Summeren leads Tom Boonen.
More suffering in the Arenberg Forest
Panorama of cobbled sector
CSC doing their share. I think the second rider is Stuart O'Grady and the fourth is Fabian Cancellara.
Boonen leads Cancellara
Belgian champion Stijn Devolder
Tom Boonen earns another cobblestone