Cobbles crash ends Peter Sagan's final Paris-Roubaix

Peter Sagan's likely final appearance on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix has ended prematurely, the former champion abandoning the Hell of the North after a painful crash.

The TotalEnergies team confirmed its rider had abandoned, Sagan — who won the 2018 edition of the race — retiring from road racing at the end of the season, had said at the start in Compiègne that he hopes this would be his final Roubaix.

Peter Sagan's farewell tour isn't going to plan 💔

The legendary Slovak crashes out of #ParisRoubaix 🥺 pic.twitter.com/bFCkYZi3KT

— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 9, 2023

The 33-year-old was brought down in a fall near the front of the bunch as the peloton tackled the three-star Viesly to Quiévy cobbled sector with just over 150km still to race before Mathieu van der Poel added to his Monument collection with another historic one-day win.

Jordi Meeus, Lotto Dstny's Sébastien Grignard and Christophe Noppe were also involved, Sagan seen receiving attention from the race doctor as those unimpeded disappeared off into the distance.

🔊Sound on for @petosagan’s welcome👏👏

La clameur du public pour Peter Sagan 🙌#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/fTvAEHVQtw

— Paris-Roubaix (@parisroubaix) April 9, 2023

A short while later, the news of the abandon was confirmed, likely drawing the curtain on the three-time world champion's spring classics career. France TV reported Sagan had been taken to hospital in Cambrai for concussion checks and treatment to a cut on his face.

As well as winning in 2018, Sagan twice finished in the top 10, today his 10th appearance at the Monument.

Before the start, when asked if this was his last Roubaix, Sagan said he hopes so.

"I hope so, yes," Sagan laughed. "This is the last Paris-Roubaix. That could be nice [to win again], everything is possible because in Paris-Roubaix you never know what is going to happen. A lot of times the favourites haven't won, everything is possible. I'll try my best."

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Sagan announced his retirement at Vuelta a San Juan in January, saying 2023 would be his final season racing on the road before his attention turns to competing on his mountain bike at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I've always said that I wanted to end my career in mountain biking because that's where I started," Sagan said. "Being able to finish like this, it's going to be something nice. It's important for me to spending time with my son Marlon and seeing life from different perspectives and not just as a cyclist.

"I never dreamed of running or being a professional cyclist until I was 40 or 50. I think it's time now."