The day has finally arrived. The riders have finalized their preparations, the material has been tested and the build-up of form has been timed to perfection. It is time for almost 7 hours on gruelling cobbles in the Hell of the North. It is time for the biggest one-day race of the year. It is time for the Paris-Roubaix.

With its 52,6km on the roughest surface any professional cyclist will ever tackle, the Paris-Roubaix is a unique event. In Hell, the selection is not made by the geography or the climbs, but only on the constant stress of handling the 27 sectors of pave. There is no reward for explosiveness or powerful accelerations on steep slopes. Only pure strength, power and endurance count on the long run from Compiegne to the velodrome in Roubaix.

Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack) is the major favourite but no one expects to be able to follow the powerful Swiss when he opens up the throttle on the paves. Instead, most teams plan to anticipate the Tour of Flanders winner by replicating the performance of Jurgen Roelandts in last Sunday's Flemish classic, and we should face a very aggressive and entertaining edition of the biggest classic. The question is whether the combined strength of the 24 rival teams will be enough to prevent Cancellara from taking home his third cobblestone trophy later this afternoon. Only time will tell.

Starting at 12.45, you can follow the drama on CyclingQuotes.com/live. Until then, you can prepare by reading our preview here.