What is Paris-Roubaix?
{{Infobox Cycling race | name = Paris-Roubaix | current_event = <!--2008 Paris-Roubaix--> | image = | date = Early-April | region = Northern France | english = Paris-Roubaix | localnames = Paris-Roubaix {{in lang|fr}} | nickname = The Hell of the North<br />Queen of the Classics<br />The Easter race | discipline = Road | competition = UCI ProTour | type = Monument one-day race | organiser = Amaury Sport Organisation | director = | first = 1896 | number = 105 (as of 2007) | last = | firstwinner = {{flag|GER|empire}} Josef Fischer | mostwins = {{flag|BEL}} Roger De Vlaeminck<br />(4 wins) | mostrecent = {{flag|AUS}} Stuart O'Grady }} '''Paris-Roubaix''' is a famous single-day professional [[road bicycle racing|bicycle road race]] held in northern [[France]] starting in [[Compiègne]] and finishing in [[Roubaix]], near the [[Belgium|Belgian]] frontier. It was one of the ten [[UCI Road World Cup]] races and became part of the [[UCI ProTour]]. It is one of the '[[Classic race|Classic cycle races]]' has the nickname ''The Hell of the North'' .<ref>{{cite web | title = I'm talking total cobbles | publisher = www.guardian.co.uk | date = 5 April 2006 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1746888,00.html | accessdate = 1 September 2007}}</ref> == History == Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest professional bicycle races. Théo Vienne and Maurice Perez got the idea to run the race and in 1896, the sports newspaper Le Vélo worked out original route between Paris and Roubaix.<ref>{{cite web | title = The real Hell of the North | publisher = www.cyclingnews.com | date = 16 April 2006 | url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/apr06/roubaix06/?id=/features/2006/woodland_hell_of_the_north | accessdate = 5 September 2007}}</ref> The race has been contested every year since 1896, stopped only by the two World wars. The first edition of the race was held at [[Easter]], [[April 19]] [[1896]], so it got the nickname of ''L