There’s good reason Paris-Roubaix is referred to as ‘hell’. A day out on the cobbles, no matter the weather, will leave the body and the mind in disarray, broken, reduced to shells of their former selves. The emptiness is the most joyous feeling you’ll ever have at the end of any bike ride.

The faces of the former Blanco team riders in the 2013 edition illustrates a transformation of the spirit after 6+ hours of riding, 50+km of cobbles and hundreds of emotions seemingly aging them by years. Sep Vanmarcke’s expression is particularly poignant, denied the biggest win of his career by inches and a Swiss beast.