Video: Slow-motion footage shows how much of a pounding the pros get from the Paris-Roubaix pavé

Paris-Roubaix, the race nicknamed the Hell of the North, is held by many pros to be the hardest one-day race on the calendar – and this slow-motion video from organisers ASO shows the pounding their bodies take as they pedal over the pavé.

Given your average professional cyclist doesn’t have a spare ounce of fat on them – at least, once any excesses of the off-season have been ridden off – it’s quite a sight to see the way their flesh ripples as they take on the cobbles.

That also helps explain why manufacturers develop specific bikes and components to try and soak up the vibrations – although as we reported yesterday, that didn’t turn out too well for Quick Step Floors rider Niki Terpstra.

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The 29 cobbled sectors covering 55 kilometres out of a total distance of 257 kilometres are what give a unique character to the race, won this year by BMC Racing’s Greg van Avermaet at a record average speed of 45.2 kilometres an hour.

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