Greg Van Avermaet, BMC Racing Team’s Belgian rider won Paris-Roubaix 2017, the 115th edition of the “Queen of the classics” with a record average speed of 45.129 kph (28.042 mph). Avermaet broke Peter Post’s record of 45.204 kph (28.088 mph) which was set in 1964.
The race started fast, very fast. The first two hours’ average speed was a hair-raisin’ 50.5 km/h (31.37 mph)! All breakaway attempts were brought back quickly by the peloton, and the first “successful” break, featuring Yannick Martinez (Delko Marseille), Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal), and Mickaël Delage (FDJ), forged clear only just before the first sector of cobbles at Troisville. The trio never had more than 45 seconds on the peloton.
Tom Boonen was looking for a record-breaking fifth victory. With Roger de Vlaeminck, he is one of two riders (and two Belgians) who won the “queen of the classics” four-time.
Late in the race, Boonen sent his teammate Zdenek Stybar up on the road to force Peter Sagan and other to chase, but Sagan punctured twice, and no other rider were strong enough to to chase the leading trio which include Van Avermaet, Stybar and Cannondale’s Sebastian Langeveld. Avermaet won the sprint and won the fastest ever Paris-Roubaix to date.
Related: The fastest Paris-Roubaix editions
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