Chosen by Cycling News readers as the best edition of the past 30 years was Matt Heyman's stunning 2016 Paris-Roubaix victory.

Perhaps it was Cycling News' Australian roots that swayed readers, or perhaps it was the fact that Heyman was only six weeks removed from a broken radius when he stopped Tom Boonen's record for most wins in "Hell in the North."

There is no denying that it was an epic tournament. Hayman went into the race as an unknown quantity, having broken his collarbone in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the end of February, and his best result was a top 10 in the 2012 event.

Hayman then escaped with Orica-GreenEdge well before the first pavé section (about 70 km, 180 km to go). It seemed like suicide, but there were strong legs: Hayman's teammate Magnus Court, Jarosolav Popovic and Sivrun Chavanel in the last race, Tim Declercq before becoming Quick Step's star domestique, and Ger Wallace Such as.

Midway through the race, a crash in the breakaway caused favorites Peter Sagan and Fabian Cancellara to fall back from the pack.

With about 60km to go, Boonen's group began to pull away from the day's breakaway group, and by the time they approached the famous Auxiès and Mont-en-Pevere sectors, the large group began to chip away. On the final Carrefour de l'Arbre, Sepp Vanmarcke made his move and was chased by Boonen, Ian Stannard, Edvald Boasson Hagen, and Heymann.

Everyone's attention was on Boonen, Vanmarcke, and Stannard. Vanmarcke attacked twice, but was pulled back by Boasson Hagen, leaving the five of them in the final cobbled section.

Stannard tried to break away, but this time Boonen chased him along with Vanmarcke. Boonen was attacked by Heyman, who closed in on him. Vanmarcke caught up to him, and when the three of them, eventually joined by Stannard, rounded the final bend, Heyman took the lead and Vanmarcke chased down Boonen.

Heyman took the lead and Boonen could not answer!

Hayman, who had only won two races as a professional, had won the most coveted one-day race trophy in cycling. This incredible story won the hearts of Cycling News readers with 58.4% of the vote, surpassing Peter Sagan's victory in 2018.

In the consolation round, Fabian Cancellara's dominating performance in 2010 surpassed Boonen's record solo victory with 53.2% of the vote. To relive Heyman's incredible 2016 victory, watch the video below.