On Sunday 12 April the bunch sets off for the 123rd edition of Paris-Roubaix. It’s the third of five Monuments on the cycling calendar. Also known as the ‘Hell of the North’, Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest and one of the most difficult one-day races with riders having to endure a daunting gauntlet of cobbled sectors before the finish in the Roubaix Velodrome. The route usually adds up to roughly 260 kilometres and the riders are to endure one fourth of that distance on bone-jarring farm roads.
A perfect blend of positioning, power and tactical nous are required if a rider is to lift the famous cobble-stone trophy awarded to the victor, not too mention a large slice of luck. Given the conditions, mechanical issues are unavoidable in Roubaix, the timing of which can be the difference between winning and losing.
Mathieu van der Poel won last year’s Hell of the North for the third time in a row. Tadej Pogacar and Mads Pedersen finished second and third. One more victory and Van der Poel will equal record-holders Roger De Vlaeminck and Tom Boonen.
Another interesting read: records & winners Paris-Roubaix.
Paris – Roubaix 2026: videos, cobbles & more
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