Edvald Boasson Hagen set to lead Dimension Data at Paris-Roubaix
Apr 07 2018 01:48 am CET
Photo of Edvald Boasson Hagen by Dimension Data/Nick Muzik
Edvald Boasson Hagen will be the leader of Dimension Data in Paris-Roubaix. The Norwegian will target the victory of the race after finishing in fifth position in 2016.
The 'Hell of the North' is one of the most anticipated races of the season with its 257 kilometres and 29 cobbled sectors, all rated in a 5-star system depending on the difficulty, that cover 54.5 kilometres of the total course.
The weather conditions are still uncertain, though the teams have encountered cold and wet roads during reconnoitring. "I’m not a weatherman so I can’t predict what it will be like on race day but as far as our recon was concerned on Thursday, I’ve never seen conditions like that before," said Sports Director Rolf Aldag.
"We can only hope for nice fast conditions on race day but we will deal with whatever is presented to us. Hell of the North is always a battle no matter what and it will be a big fight."
The Director knows the race and thinks the team can make the difference. "History can be made at Roubaix, at Lombardy or Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and you are not going to win if you are not the strongest but here, out of different tactical scenarios, good luck or even bad luck to others, you always have a fair chance and I think that motivates guys to come back year after year to give Roubaix a shot. We are little in that situation, the underdogs on Sunday."
Complete line-up of Dimension Data for Paris-Roubaix (8th of April):
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Julien Vermote
Ryan Gibbons
Nic Dougall
Jaco Venter
Jay Thomson
Johann van Zyl
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