Wout van Aert Defeats Tadej Pogacar to Win 123rd Paris-Roubaix

Wout van Aert won the 123rd edition of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, April 12, defeating Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish at the Roubaix velodrome to claim the second Monument of his career. The Belgian cyclist, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, launched his sprint approximately 100 meters from the finish line, leaving the Slovenian world champion no chance to respond. Van Aert and Pogacar had broken away together roughly 54 kilometers from the finish, riding the final stretch as a two-man duel that neither could resolve on the cobblestones. Jasper Stuyven, riding for Soudal Quick-Step, finished third, 13 seconds behind the leading pair. Mathieu van der Poel, the three-time defending champion, finished fourth after a race plagued by mechanical misfortune.

Pogacar's historic five-Monument sweep denied at final hurdle Pogacar entered the race needing only a Paris-Roubaix victory to become the first rider in history to win all five Monuments within a 12-month span, having won Lombardy and Liège in 2025 and Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders in 2026. A victory would also have made him only the fourth rider in history to win all five Monuments, joining Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, and Rik Van Looy. Instead, the Slovenian crossed the line second for the second consecutive year at Roubaix, having also finished runner-up in 2025. The race took a heavy toll on Pogacar, who was forced to change his bike three times after a series of mechanical failures, including a puncture 115 kilometers from the finish. „When I was riding together with Wout, there wasn't much freshness left in the legs. Dropping him on the cobblestones would have been a mission impossible. I still had hope for the sprint, but my legs were like spaghetti. He has won on the Champs-Élysées. It is hard to beat him.” — Tadej Pogacar via Der Tagesspiegel

Paris-Roubaix, known as the "Hell of the North" and the "Queen of the Classics," covers 258.3 kilometers between Compiègne and Roubaix, with riders navigating notorious cobblestone sectors including the Trouée d'Arenberg forest. The race has been held since 1896 and is considered one of the most physically demanding one-day events in professional cycling. Van Aert's first Monument victory came at Milan-San Remo in 2020. The 2018 edition was marked by tragedy when Michael Goolaerts suffered a cardiac arrest during the race.

Van der Poel's four-in-a-row bid undone by Arenberg punctures Mathieu van der Poel arrived in northern France seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive Paris-Roubaix title, but the Trouée d'Arenberg ended his ambitions before the race reached its decisive phase. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech suffered a puncture in the forest and compounded his misfortune when the replacement bike belonging to teammate Jasper Philipsen had pedals incompatible with his shoes, costing him further time. A second puncture at 92 kilometers from the finish left him more than two minutes behind the leaders at the end of the cobblestone sections. Van der Poel fought back tenaciously and closed the gap to approximately 30 seconds with 40 kilometers remaining, but could not bridge across to the leading duo. He ultimately finished fourth, 15 seconds behind van Aert, arriving with the first chasing group alongside Stefan Bissegger, who placed eighth.

54 (kilometers) — distance van Aert and Pogacar rode alone to the finish

Van Aert dedicates win to teammate who died in 2018 Van Aert's victory carried deep personal significance, as he dedicated the win to Michael Goolaerts, his former teammate who died of cardiac arrest during the 2018 edition of the race. The Belgian, now 31, described Paris-Roubaix as a goal he had carried since his first appearance in the race eight years ago. His victory is his second Monument title, following his Milan-San Remo win in 2020, and was described by multiple outlets as the greatest success of his career. Van Aert had himself suffered a mechanical failure approximately 70 kilometers from the finish, spending over 10 kilometers chasing back to the leaders before launching the decisive attack that only Pogacar could follow. „This means everything to me. This has been a goal since 2018, when I rode here for the first time. Eight years ago, I lost my teammate Michael Goolaerts in this race. Since then, it has been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This victory is for Michael, especially for his family as well.” — Wout van Aert via Der Tagesspiegel

Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates, Soudal Quick-Step, Alpecin-Premier Tech