Terpstra soloes to victory in the 'Hell of the North'

Terpstra attacked from a select group of 11 riders just six kilometres from the finish of the 102nd edition of the 'Hell of the North' to secure the biggest win of his career.

Degenkolb pipped Cancellara, the Swiss defending champion, in the sprint for second place, the German leading the chasing group over the line 20 seconds after the 29-year-old Terpstra.

On a dry but windy day in northern France, Belgian Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) was fourth ahead of the Czech Republic's Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Slovakia's Peter Sagan (Cannondale).

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas was one of two British riders to finish in the top ten, the Welshman finishing in seventh place with team-mate Bradley Wiggins crossing the line for ninth.

Dutchman Sebastian Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp) was eighth and a third Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider, the four-time winner Tom Boonen, was tenth after a typically aggressive race.

"It's the best day of my career," said Terpstra, winner of the Tour of Qatar and the Dwars door Vlaanderen already this season.

"I've had some nice results - especially this year - but to take the win in the biggest classic of the year is a dream comes true."

Terpstra's victory delivered his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team's first Monument of the season after disappointment in both Milan-San Remo and last weekend's Tour of Flanders.

The seeds were sown by Boonen with a pulverising attack in the 13th of 28 cobbled sections in the 257km race, the Beuvry-la-Forêt - Orchies sector. In the hunt for a record-breaking fifth Roubaix title, Boonen formed a select group alongside Thomas and Norwegian national champion Thor Hushovd of BMC that reeled in the remnants of the day's main break before carving out a maximum lead of 40 seconds over the main pack.

By this point in an action-packed race Cancellara has been held up in a crash involving his Trek team-mate Hayden Roulston, while Milan-San Remo winner Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) had been knocked out of the reckoning by a puncture in the famous Arenberg Forest cobbled section followed by a fall.

With 38km remaining, Vanmarcke attacked from the pack and was joined by Cancellara. Sagan used the aftermath of the move as a springboard for his own assault, taking with him Belkin's Maarten Wynants.

Sagan and Wynants joined the leaders with 24km remaining but the gap was a mere eight seconds back to the main pack. As the race came back together, the Slovak - still in the hunt of his maiden win in one of cycling's Monuments - threw the dice with a solo attack on an slight uphill ahead of the four-star Camphin-en-Pévèle cobbled section.

As Sagan rode with a 15 second advantage over the main pack, Vanmarcke and Cancellara accelerated to force a selection among the favourites. They were joined by Degenkolb and Stybar as a cooked Sagan was reeled in with 15km remaining.

The first Tour de France winner to take part in Paris-Roubaix since the American Greg LeMond in 1995, Wiggins looked extremely solid as he rallied the Boonen chasing group to make the junction with the leaders just 9km from the finish.

Degenkolb's Giant-Shimano team-mate Bert De Backer drove a fierce pace after the penultimate cobbled section. But just as the Belgian pulled off the front, Terpstra made his decisive move.

With team-mates Boonen and Stybar not willing to cooperate in the chase, Terpstra soon built up a lead of 15 seconds as the race edged towards the famous velodrome at Roubaix.

Shattered by a brutal race of attacks and counter attacks, caked in dust from the dry roads and buffeted by strong crosswinds, the chasing group could not muster the strength to eat into Terpstra's advantage, the Dutchman's face a picture of pain as he pulled even further clear.

An emotional Teprstra burst into tears as he crossed the line, while Degenkolb punched the air after securing a hard-fought second place 20 seconds later.

"It's the first time for me on the podium of a Monument and I'm really proud of my team," Degenkolb said. "I had problems with my bike but my team-mates helped me back. It's a great moment to get second place in Paris-Roubaix at 25 years old."

Isolated and heavily marked, Cancellara's third place saw the Swiss rider's run of consecutive podium finishes in completed Monuments stretch out to a staggering 12. Had he won a week after his victory in the Tour of Flanders, 'Spartacus' would have become the first rider in history to secure three Flanders-Roubaix doubles.

But Terpstra's bravery and brilliance won the day - and saved Omega Pharma-Quick Step's spring classics season with a ride of pure class.