Riders to Watch at Paris-Roubaix

It takes a special kind of rider to be able to raise his arms up at the end of Paris-Roubaix. Here's a few that can do it tomorrow.

3 Favorites

Why not go with last year's podium?

Fabian Cancellara- He has to be the hands down favorite yet again. He put a super-human effort in at Flanders only to come up short, and the feeling I am getting is that he will ride even harder to make up for it tomorrow. His form is fine, and there are plenty of places for him to go off solo like he plans.

Thor Hushovd- The world champion isn't off to the greatest start this year, but Paris-Roubaix may be just what the doctor ordered to turn it around. Hushovd has proved himself more than capable on cobbles, taking 2nd at last year's P-R as well as the victory at the cobbled stage of last year's Tour. He and his Garmin team should have a chip on their shoulder as well, considering last week's bad luck.

Juan Antonio Flecha- He is just downright powerful. He certainly doesn't have the sprinting ability of Hushovd or Boonen, nor can he solo like Cancellara, but he does have a pair of the strongest legs in the sport. He just has a knack for the Classics.

Quick-Stepping Up

It may not be my greatest pun, but I really couldn't find a place to fit these guys.

Tom Boonen- Conventional wisdom says that he should be the leader of the team. He has obviously proven himself as a fantastic Paris-Roubaix rider (won it three times) and his form is decent as of now. If he is still around and it goes to a sprint, he automatically becomes the favorite to win.

Sylvain Chavanel- Boonen's teammate Chavanel stole the show last week, and had several chances to win the race for himself. His form at the moment is better than Boonen's, and he could potentially become the leader of QuickStep if Boonen falls into difficulty. It must be noted that Boonen had a rough race at Scheldeprijs, and looked a bit sore after crashing.

Regardless of who leads the team, these guys have to feel like they let one get away last week in Flanders.

3 Others

Here are three more guys to keep an eye on.

Alessandro Ballan- The former world champ looked pretty good last week in Flanders, but perhaps the most impressive thing is the work done behind him. His BMC team may not be the overall most skilled team, but he has guys like Hincapie and Burghardt that can absolutely bury themselves in support. Ballan also has a history of success at P-R as well, and he can be a major player tomorrow.

Filippo Pozzato- He is probably more of a MSR/Grand Tour stage hunter type of rider, but he is still one of the most talented men in the field and should be reckoned with at all times.

Peter Sagan- He has nowhere near the experience of the others, but makes up for it with an amazing set of skills. The cobbles may cause him a problem, but he is a shoe in for the sprint at the velodrome if he can hang with the lead.

Dark Horses

Here are three guys you probably didn't think of.

Bjorne Leukemans- Leukemans, like Flecha, is a powerful rider who specializes in long one day races. He is fantastic on cobbles and has come quite close to success in previous editions of Paris-Roubaix. Can this be the year he breaks through?

Geraint Thomas- Here's a guy who you don't automatically think of when you think of Paris-Roubaix (although he did win the Junior edition). His form looked great in Flanders, and he will be given shared leadership of the team with Flecha. He and Flecha, along with riders like Wiggins and Hayman, could make quite a splash. Oh, and he is pretty good at those finishing velodromes too...

Stuart O'Grady- Here's a hypothetical question for you. What if Cancellara does find himself in trouble tomorrow? Well why not just turn to 2007 winner Stuart O'Grady. He has shown solid form all year, and may just be the best "backup plan" in the field.