Orica GreenEdge's Matt Hayman has won the Paris-Roubaix race.
This gruelling 257kms with 27 sectors of cobbles from Compiegne to the velodrome in Roubaix is often known as the "Hell Of The North"
Niels Polit (Katusha), Gedeminas Bagdonas (AG2R-La Mondiale), Benoit Jarrier (Fortuneo Vital Concept), Kenneth Van Bilsen (Cofidis), Robin Stenuit (Wanty Group Gobert), Evaldas Siskevicius (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) were the first to break but were brought back and Viviani, Van Poppel and Porsev took over.
With 175kms to go, there was a new break and Marko Kump (Lampre-Merida), Borut Bozic (Cofidis), Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-GreenEdge), Jelle Wallays (Lotto-Soudal), Johan Le Bon (FDJ), Yannick Martinez (Delko Marseille), Yaroslav Popovych (Trek-Segafredo), Tim Declarcq (Topsport Vlaanderen), Matt Hayman (Orica-GreenEdge), Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (Dimension Data), Salvatore Puccio (Team Sky), Frederick Backaert (Want Groupe Gobert) Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Michael Morkov (Tinkoff), Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Energie) and Maxime Daniel (AG2R-La Mondiale) was in it with a 25 second lead.
Fifty kilometres later and they were 2.48 ahead with 21 cobbled sectors left.
Alexander Porsev of Katusha and a Movistar rider went down in a crash with 114.3kms left as a group containing Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellera and Mark Cavendish dropped to 3.34 behind the escapers.
On to the Arenberg Trench and the break had a lead of two minutes but with 61kms left, the escapers were caught and Borut Bozic (Cofidis), Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (Dimension Data), Danny Van Poppel (Team Sky), Mat Hayman (Orica-GreenEdge), Marcus Burghardt (BMC), Alexis Saramotins (IAm Cycling), Robert Wagner (LottoNL-Jumbo), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Luke Rowe (Team Sky), Maxime Daniel (AG2R-La Mondiale), Salvatore Puccio (Team Sky), Tim Declercq (Topsport Vlaanderen), Tom Boonen (Etixx-QuickStep), Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling), Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge), Ian Stannard (Team Sky), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Soudal), Marko Kump (Lampre-Merida), Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Energie), Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-GreenEdge), Gianni Moscon (Team Sky), Sep Vanmarcke and Maarten Wynants (LottoNL-Jumbo) took over on the front, some 35 seconds ahead of the group led by Fabian Cancellera who got to the group but crashed.
Vanmarcke, Hayman, Stannard, Erviti, Boonen, Boasson Hagen and, Saramotins led with 45kms left
Britains Ian Stannard Stannard attacked on the Camphin-en-Pévèl sector and he was followed by Boonen, Hayman, Boasson Hagan and Vanmarcke who put in an attack on the Carrefour de l’Arbre.
With ten ten kilometres to go, this group had a lead of a minute. Ian Stannard led but was not allowed to get too far clear.
Boonen, Stannard and Hayman all put in attacks and with 2.1kms left, Matt Haymen of Orica GreenEdge went with Boonen chasing and Stannard in third place.
Hayman led on the final section of cobbles but it was Boonen who led them into the velodrome for a lap and a half. Boasson-Hagen and Stannard joined them.
The 37 year old Hayman went on left and won in a time of 5.51.53 with four time winner Tom Boonen second and Ian Stannard third, followed by Sep Vanmarcke, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Heinrich Haussler, Marcel Sieberg, Aleksejs Saramotins, Imanol Erviti, and Adrien Petit.
"This is my favourite race and my aim was to win it once. My legs were good and I was in it all day and I am so happy," said Hayman.
Picture copright of CNS Sport. Credit CNS/John Bains