Wout van Aert claims the victory of a lifetime in the race of the century

April 12 ^th 2026 - 17:02

The 2026 Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France was bound to make history. Either UAE’s Tadej Pogacar completed his Monument set, or Alpecin’s Mathieu van der Poel claimed his fourth victory in a row at the Vélodrome André Pétrieux to become a recordman in this race … or somebody else upset them, so we could speak time and again in the coming years about who and how managed to do it. After overcoming two punctures in key moments of the race and still not falling out of contention, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) went clear with Pogacar in sector 12 from Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée, with 53 kilometers to go. Afterwards, the Belgian powerhouse managed to match all the accelerations unleashed by the world champion, trying to drop him, while keeping at bay a chasing group led by Van der Poel, who had to survive through a nightmare of mechanicals in the Arenberg Forest and fell just short of playing for the win after all. Come the final sprint, Van Aert proved to be much faster than Pogacar in order to claim his first cobblestone trophy following two podium finishes (2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023). This also marked Visma-Lease a Bike’s first triumph in the men's version of the Hell of the North after 42 straight, winning-less participations since 1984. Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-Quick Step) finished third, sealing an astute performance to round out the podium of an unforgettable race that awarded his already decorated winner with the victory of a lifetime.

175 riders took the start on the 123rd edition of Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France at 11:07, off to ride 258,3 kilometres between Compiègne and the Vélodrome André Pétrieux in Roubaix with 30 cobbled sectors to be covered on the way. The opening 90 kilometres of the race played out as an exciting back and forth between the many riders trying to establish a breakaway that never actually came to fruition. A full bunch entered the first sections of cobbles, led and strung out by UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Just 60-odd riders were left at the front after sector 26 in Briastre (km 114,9 - 0,8 km) ***, including all the main favorites despite punctures for Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Mechanicals galore

Mechanical problems are the most diabolical dimension of the Hell of the North, and they took their toll on most of the main riders. Race favorite Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had to get a spare bike from the Shimano neutral service with 121 kilometres to go, midway through sector 22 from Quérénaing to Maing (km 137,5 - 2,5 km) ***. After falling nearly 1’00” behind the head of the race, he was helped by three teammates to regain the front group 98 kilometers from the finish. Shortly after, the peloton went into the Arenberg Forest (km 163 - 2,3 km) ***** and it was Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) who had to endure a nightmare scenario, with a string of mechanical issues that made him stop up to three times and leave this iconical sector more than two minutes behind the head of the race.

Pogacar and Van Aert overcame two punctures each

Seven men came out of the Arenberg Forest in the lead: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike), Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon-CMA CGM), Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-Quick Step) and Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). Two more riders, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), managed to bridge back with 84 kilometers to go, yet ended up falling out of contention later, with the Italian suffering several mechanicals and even a rough crash. Both Pogacar and Van Aert would have a second puncture each later on, during ​​sector 16 from Warlaing to Brillon (km 183,3 - 2,4 km) ***. They both managed their way back into the head of the race - the former at the exit of sector 15, from Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières (km 186,8 - 2,4 km) ****, the latter ahead of sector 13 in Orchies (km 198,2 - 1,7 km) ***.

Van der Poel nearly bridged back after mechanical nightmare

The front group reached sector 12 from Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée (km 204,3 - 2,7 km) **** with a 25” gap on a chasing group led by an impressive Mathieu van der Poel, who nearly succeeded to rejoin the head of the race. At the entrance of the sector, Van Aert and Pogacar accelerated and went clear, with Pedersen falling just short of holding their wheel. The world champion and the Belgian powerhouse managed to build a 42” lead through Mons-en-Pévèle (km 209,7 - 3 km) *****, where Van der Poel and Tim Van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) bridged back with Pedersen, Laporte, Bissegger and Stuyven, while Pithie crashed out of the fight for podium. The leading duo managed to keep the six chasers at bay, even if they were as close as just 25” back after sector 5, Camphin-en-Pévèle (km 238,4 - 1,8 km) ****.

A breathtaking finale in the Vélodrome André Pétrieux

The always-decisive Carrefour de l'Arbre (km 241,2 - 2,1 km) ***** proved fatal for the ambition of the chasers, who lost some terrain and were 40” in arrears at the exit of this iconic sector after Pogacar unleashed some accelerations to try and drop a defensive Van Aert. From then on, the leading duo cooperated their way into the Vélodrome André Pétrieux for a breathtaking final sprint in which the Belgian overpowered the Slovenian, launching his effort with 200 meters to go and winning by a clear margin. Meanwhile, Stuyven deployed a canny attack 3 kilometres from the finish in order to climb onto the podium, with just a few meters on Van der Poel and Laporte.