Paris-Roubaix organizers conducted their customary inspection of the 29 cobblestone sections of next weekend's women's and men's race, declaring that the cobblestones in each section are within acceptable limits for a bicycle race.

Race director Thierry Gouvenu, after a cursory check of the cobblestone sectors, gave Sporza an overview of the inspection.

"This morning we found that it was wet everywhere and there was some mud. The forecast for the weekend looks sunny and dry, although there is a chance of showers in the days leading up to the race.

Gouvenoux said that if it rains, organizers will ask local authorities to tidy up the cobblestones before the Women's World Tour Paris-Roubaix Femme on Saturday and the Men's Monument the following day.

"Everything will be fine by Sunday. As is often the case in Paris-Roubaix, good weather is expected. It rarely rains. This weekend will be no different."

The three traditional five-star sections remain the most difficult this year. The first section is the 95.3 km remaining, 2,300 m long Trouet Dalenberg (19 of 29 sections). Then, with 48.6 km to go, the 3 km long Mont-en-Peverel section awaits.

The Allenberg forest section received a manicure by a herd of goats earlier this year as a more environmentally friendly way to get rid of moss and weeds.

The men entered the first of 29 pavé sectors in Trois Ville. The first 10 sectors had a difficulty rating of 3 stars out of 5, while the third sector, the 3.7 km from Quievy to Saint-Piton (sector 27 in the traditional descending order), had a difficulty rating of 4 stars out of 5.

The two courses overlap, starting with the sector from Hornen to Wandigny (sector 17). This 3.4 km long course has received 4 stars in both sectors.

Trouet-Dalenberg will be the first 5-star sector for the men, while Mont-en-Pevere will be the 11th of 17 sectors for the women and the second for the men (also 11 sectors).

The biggest climaxes in both races will be the 7th to 4th sections, especially the famous Camphine-en-Pevere (5th section, 4-star) and the final 5-star section at Carrefour de l'Arbre with 17.2 km to go.

As will likely be the case this year, the cobblestone sectors are dusty and slippery when dry.

The last time Paris-Roubaix was held wet was in 2021, when organizers moved the race to October amid the COVID-19 epidemic. In dangerous conditions, many riders crashed, and Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) made the race-winning move, albeit in self-preservation, before the first cobblestone sector.

The men's race was equally chaotic, with Gianni Moscon looking like a solo winner, but a puncture and crash eliminated him from contention.

Due to the short interval between events in 2022, the farm roads were not covered in mud and the cobblestones were in unusually good condition.

These favorable conditions made it the fastest edition of Paris-Roubaix, and the average speed of 45.8 km/h set by Dylan Van Barre on April 17, 2022, was the record for men.