On Monday, changes were announced in 2026 for the toughest one-day race in the world. Next year will see both the men’s and women’s Paris-Roubaix races on the same day: Sunday, April 12. According to race organizers, the ASO, there are several reasons for the change. But are they good or bad for women’s cycling?

Thierry Gouvenou, race director, explained the new format to DirectVelo. “Bringing everything together on the same day makes it easier to organize security. Setting up the course once for both races is far less demanding for law enforcement. There are also budgetary considerations,” the former pro said.

Previously, the women’s race had taken place on Saturday, which, according to the former French pro, “complicated arrangements across the Lille metropolitan area.”

Blocking roads for two consecutive days created challenges for local communities. Gouvenou acknowledged that combining the events will make the logistics more complex:

“It will require more vehicles and additional staff,” he said.

“On Saturday, it [the women’s race] already had decent attention, but now people will watch the men’s race first and then follow the women’s event,” Gouvenou said. He says the later start should boost the women’s race by keeping fans in place after the men finish — and maybe winning over spectators who wouldn’t normally tune in. It follows the model used at several other WorldTour events.

However, this sentiment is not shared by Alison Jackson, the 2023 winner from Vermilion, Alta.

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She has already mentioned how Canadians — notably women — winning the big races has changed things for all the riders in the peloton, whether present or future. She pointed to her longtime teammate and friend Magdalène Vallières Mill taking a historic rainbow jersey as being such a milestone in the sport.

“I am so proud of her. I could not be more proud. Megs is a gem of a person. I have always been a teammate, teammate, teammate, but when she came she said I am going all in for this world champs, with preparation, altitude, the training just so focused,” she said to Velo.

Jackson said that, “I know when I won Roubaix, I remember seeing the Canadian riders afterwards. Canadians never win these big races. I was seeing that in their eyes something changed, like ‘I can do it too.’”

Which comes back to the question of exposure for female pros — whether Canadian, Belgian or French. Is the ASO trying to make things easier on themselves for logistics — surely having two races on the same day may be a bit smoother. Some argue that having the women’s race the same day as the men’s may create new fans. Some old French or Belgian guy who is used to watching men’s races may suddenly discover, “oh wow, there are female pros? Who is this Pauline Ferrand-Prévot? Holy, this stuff is also worth watching?”

The question is, is it the organizers making it easier on themselves or are they trying to expand the fanbase?

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Jackson minces no words about the new change. “I liked it better as a standalone day. We got our own day to sell our own product and be the heroes of the day. I am really disappointed it will be shared on the same day as the men. I liked it better as a standalone day.”

There may be other logistics that the ASO (surely) has thought about vis-à-vis the women finishing after the men. As former Olympian Carl Sundquist pointed out, “This year, the men’s race started at 11:10 a.m. MvdP finished in 5 hours, 31 minutes. The calculation for hors delai was 8 per cent, or 26 minutes. Depending on when they start the women, I wonder how the ASO will handle the off-the-back men?”

For example, Joe Pidcock (brother of Tom) finished a full 53 minutes behind — but he still finished. Surely the men’s stragglers would respect the leading women and move out of the way, but still.

Anyway, it’s all lively discussion in the dead of winter, but hopefully things work themselves out. It’s great to watch two Paris-Roubaixs, for us fans.