Chaos, crashes, bad luck and brilliance — Paris-Roubaix never goes to plan. It’s an absolutely brutal race where control slips quickly, where one mistake can undo everything, and where survival matters as much as strength. There’s just a tiny line between glory and disaster, played out over brutally tough pavé.
And now in the men’s race, all eyes turn to the rematch.
Mathieu van der Poel arrives chasing history after his recent dominance, while Tadej Pogačar lines up with unfinished business following a dramatic debut that fell just short.
The early break had its moment, but once the favourites took control, the race sharpened. Pogačar lit things up first, forcing splits and testing rivals, before Van der Poel responded with the kind of power that defines Roubaix winners. A select group formed, then fractured again as sectors ticked by.
The turning point came not from strength alone, but a rare error on the Slovenian’s part. Although, this was his first go at the Hell of the North. Riders like van der Poel and van Aert have been racing Roubaix for years. And it’s one thing to do a recon, it’s another at race speed.
But, Pogačar misjudged a corner deep in the race, hit trouble, and suddenly the balance tipped. Van der Poel stayed upright, found daylight and never looked back.
He rode alone to the velodrome.
Pogačar chased, but the race was gone. But what would have happened if he had stayed with the Alpecin-Premier Tech. There are no climbs for him to drop him, like we just saw at Tour of Flanders.
And had the UAE Emirates rider stayed with MvdP, could he really stand a chance in a sprint à deux in Roubaix?
Or can Pogi drop van der Poel on the flats this year? The world champion is hungry to take the fifth Monument–but this one seems even more impossible than anything. Sure, Milan-San Remo was “impossible” due to the Poggi and Cipressa not being “hard” enough…but he managed to win, anyway. Even after all that bad luck. Then again, Roubaix is all about how much good luck you have…but how little bad luck. Everyone is going to have a flat, or crash, or caught behind one. The trick is minimizing that. And if it’s not those two, what about Wout van Aert or Mads Pedersen?
Riders continue to say that Pogačar is even better this year–another level up. Will that be enough to make history and add another notch to his incredible palmarès? Paris-Roubaix goes down Sunday, with the men’s and women’s being broadcast on Flobikes.com. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a full report, too. Startlists are still being finalized, so check back here to see which Canadian men and women will be riding L’Enfer du Nord.