After years of trying and heartbreak, Wout van Aert finally won Paris-Roubaix, outsprinting Tadej Pogačar in the mythical velodrome after a brutal, epic race.
In what was the fastest ever edition of a Sunday in Hell, Visma-Lease a Bike's Van Aert and UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Pogačar distanced themselves from the other favourites with just over 50km to go.
Pogačar tried to get rid of Van Aert a few times knowing that the Belgian would have the upper hand in a finish-line sprint, but he was unable to shake his rival off his wheel.
In the first of two laps in the velodrome, Pogačar led the duo but Van Aert came around the world champion to secure the biggest victory of his career. It also marks his second Monument title, six years after his first – the 2020 Milan-San Remo.
For Pogačar – who, like the other favourites Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen, suffered mechanical problems – it was a second successive second-place finish at the Hell of the North, and means he still needs to win Roubaix to complete the set of five Monuments.
Jasper Stuyven of Soudal Quick-Step crossed the line in third, his team's best result of the Classics campaign.
Reigning champion Van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech effectively had his hopes ended with 100km remaining when he punctured in the Forest of Arenberg, but the Dutchman did impressively well to ride back towards the front to finish fourth.
How it happened
Usually in Paris-Roubaix an early break is formed consisting of mostly second division riders and the odd WorldTour rider, perhaps there as a satellite rider for their protected teammates. This year, however, no such break eventuated. The peloton remained as one for the first 100+km, riding a furious pace at an average of 54kmh.
When the first of 30 cobbled sectors began with Troisvilles a Inchy, UAE Team Emirates-XRG were at the front, and when they arrived at the slightly uphill 26th sector, the expectation was that Pogačar was going to attack to try to whittle the peloton down. Yet no such thing materialised. Suspense was the overriding mood, with plenty of riders, including Lidl-Trek’s Pedersen, suffering a puncture.
Just before sector 22, Pogačar suffered a puncture of his own, requiring a bike change and putting the Slovenian in more than a spot of bother, with he and his UAE team having to chase the peloton that contained all of the other big favourites. They had a 20 second gap to close.
In the meantime, Van der Poel was keen to take advantage of the situation, hitting the front to try to distance Pogačar for good, but with 96km remaining the world champion was back at the front, just before the feared and mythical Trouée d'Arenberg
On the horrid Arenberg Van der Poel suffered a mechanical himself – in the worst possible place and with no support cars around him. He was forced to take Jasper Philipsen’s bike, but he was unable to ride his teammate's steed.
Philipsen slotted his wheel into Van der Poel’s bike, and the reigning champion was able to ride again, but he had ceded more than 90 seconds to the front group of Pogačar and Van Aert. Before he exited the most difficult sector, Van der Poel punctured yet again. A new bike awaited him, but he had a two minute deficit to Pogačar and co.
With Van der Poel presumably out of the game, the front group with 90km to race consisted of: Pogačar, Pedersen, Van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Stefan Bisseger, Jasper Stuyven and Laurence Pithie, with a larger group headed by Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna 30 seconds in arrears.
With 72km remaining, both Pogačar and Van Aert had further punctures, and the duo had to chase back onto the front group. Behind, Van der Poel was spectacularly reducing his mammoth gap.
Twenty kilometres on, and with Van der Poel within 30 seconds of the lead group, Van Aert took to the front and only Pogačar could keep with him; Pedersen was hanging back just behind. On the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, another five-star stretch of cobbles, Pogačar attempted to distance Van Aert, but the Belgian stuck to the world champion’s wheel.
The pair consolidated their lead at the front as the cobbles ticked by, with the second group of Van der Poel, Pedersen, Laporte, Bisseger, Stuyven and Tim van Dijke 40 seconds behind with 36km until the finish. It was clear at this point that the winner would be one of the leading duo.
With just 20km remaining, on the four-star Champin-en-Pévèle sector, Pogačar knew this was one of his last moments to distance Van Aert before a sprint in the velodrome, but the UAE rider struggled to ride the Belgian off his wheel. At the entrance of the five-star Carrefour de l’Arbre, Van Aert momentarily lost control of his bike as he veered off the cobbles and into the grass verge, but he regained his composure and once again refused to be dropped.
The Van der Poel group cut their lead to just over 20 seconds, holding out some hope of prompting an eight-man sprint in the velodrome, but Pogačar and Van Aert maintained their lead in the final three sectors to enter the mythical velodrome together.
Pogačar led for most of the 700m in the velodrome, but in the final 200m Van Aert came around the four-time Tour de France champion to cross the line by several bike lengths.
Behind, Stuyven rode himself free of the six-strong chasing group to take third place, with Van der Poel winning the sprint for fourth.
Results: Paris-Roubaix 2026
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike in 5:15.52
2: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, at same time
3: Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, at 13s
4. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Premier Tech, at 15s
5. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
6. Mick van Dijke (Ned) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
7. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, all at same time
8. Stefan Bisseger (Sui) Decathlon CMA CGM Tea, at 20s
9. Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, at 2:36
10. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana Team, at 2:36
