BELGIUM'S king of the classics Johan Museeuw won the centenary Paris Roubaix event on Sunday in a race which finished in a procession for his Mapei team as they swept the first three places.

Museeuw broke away with Italian team mates Gianluca Bortolami and Andrea Tafi about 75 kms from the end of the 263.5 km course. But the friendly pact between the three looked set to erupt when they started arguing among themselves fear the end and it took hasty discussions with team director Patrick Lefevre to arrange a suitable finish.

In the end the three rode into the Roubaix velodrome together and made no effort at a sprint with Museeuw allowed to lead over the finish line followed by Bortolami and Tafi.

Museeuw's victory, the seventh World Cup triumph of his career, filled the one big gap in his record and put himself on top of this season's standings and in with a good chance of retaining his World Cup title.