Paris-Roubaix overview
Category | UCI WorldTour |
|---|---|
Date | April 12, 2026 |
Start | Compiègne |
Finish | Roubaix velodrome |
Distance | 259.2km |
Previous edition | |
Previous winner | Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) |
Often described as the Queen of the Classics or the Hell of the North, Paris-Roubaix is the third Monument of the cycling season and arguably the most recognisable event in the sport after the Tour de France. The race dates back to 1896 and has taken place 120 times since then.
Compiègne – around 80km outside of Paris – has hosted the race start since 1977, while Paris played host from the very start up to 1967.
Belgians have dominated the cobbled Classic, with 57 winners over the years.
Paris-Roubaix history
Two Belgians share the accolade of taking the most wins at the race, with Roger De Vlaeminck winning four times in the 1970s and Tom Boonen completing his quadruple between 2005 and 2012. As you'd expect, the honour roll is replete with huge names from cycling history, from Eddy Merckx and Sean Kelly to Johan Museeuw and Fausto Coppi.
In 2025 Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) powered to a third win in a row in the Hell of the North.
Race debutant Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stayed on terms with him into the finale but then faded to second after misjudging a turn and having an ungraceful get-off with 40 kilometres to go. This year he has been out on recon trips to the course and not that Pogačar won Milan-San Remo in March, Paris-Roubaix perhaps looms even larger as a missing piece in the puzzle for the World Champion.
See the full list of Paris-Roubaix past winners
Paris-Roubaix 2026 route
There have been a few changes to the 2026 Paris-Roubaix route but it has the familiar finale.
Paris-Roubaix 2026 teams
Data powered by FirstCycling
Latest Content on the Race
Replacement stones and holes filled with gravel and coal spoil – The state of the Arenberg Forest amid cobblestone thievery ahead of Paris-Roubaix
News Repair work has been carried out after reports of Roubax souvenir hunters removing cobblestones
Don't call it an inner tube: Lidl-Trek to debut innovative 'double-bubble' safety system at Paris-Roubaix
News The 'Odyssey Optis' system uses an inflatable tyre liner, which sits inside a tubeless tyre
Could the addition of a rarely-used uphill cobble sector ignite early attacks at Paris-Roubaix?
News The 26th sector at Briastre was last used in 2017
'Big guys' Van der Poel and Pogačar 'determine where Paris-Roubaix is made hard and how selective it will be', says Jasper Philipsen
News Belgian fighting to get fit for Hell of the North but says pressure is off for him after In Flanders Fields victory
Ineos Grenadiers trialling hybrid wireless MTB groupset for Paris-Roubaix, but not for the reason you might expect
Tech British squad also appear to be using Scope’s second-tier wheels in favour of 'fish-scale' Artech models
Tadej Pogačar's $350k Richard Mille watch placement is the ultimate Paris-Roubaix marginal gain
News Will this be enough to stop another blood-soaked wrist on Sunday?
'A few so-called experts had an opinion' – Mathieu van der Poel defends Flanders power numbers and working with Tadej Pogačar ahead of Paris-Roubaix rematch
News Dutchman aiming for a fourth consecutive title in Roubaix this Sunday, but isn't overly concerned by records
'The few races I’ve done so far have gone perfectly' – Tadej Pogačar chases Monument set at 'his ultimate test' Paris-Roubaix
News UAE Team Emirates-XRG announce support squad for World Champion, with Gianni Vermeersch and Nils Politt as alternate options
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Ineos Grenadiers trialling hybrid wireless MTB groupset for Paris-Roubaix, but not for the reason you might expect
British squad also appear to be using Scope’s second-tier wheels in favour of 'fish-scale' Artech models -
Tadej Pogačar's $350k Richard Mille watch placement is the ultimate Paris-Roubaix marginal gain
Will this be enough to stop another blood-soaked wrist on Sunday? -
'A few so-called experts had an opinion' – Mathieu van der Poel defends Flanders power numbers and working with Tadej Pogačar ahead of Paris-Roubaix rematch
Dutchman aiming for a fourth consecutive title in Roubaix this Sunday, but isn't overly concerned by records
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'The few races I’ve done so far have gone perfectly' – Tadej Pogačar chases Monument set at 'his ultimate test' Paris-Roubaix
UAE Team Emirates-XRG announce support squad for World Champion, with Gianni Vermeersch and Nils Politt as alternate options -
'If it rains, Van der Poel has a small advantage on Pogačar' - Paris-Roubaix technical director says wet conditions would favour defending champion next Sunday in Hell of the North
Thierry Gouvenou expecting major duel for victory in 123rd edition of French Monument -
What is the widest tyre we'll see at Paris-Roubaix?
32mm, 35, 40? What are the rules, the restrictions, and teams' considerations when choosing to go wider?
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'The pressure is low, like the tyres will be' – Liberated from Milan-San Remo and after latest Flanders exhibition, is the most ruthless Tadej Pogačar yet heading for Paris-Roubaix?
World Champion has real chance at becoming first rider to win all five Monuments in one season, but his toughest test comes next Sunday -
'I'm missing something' – Mads Pedersen feels impact of injury break at Tour of Flanders but encouraged by still powerful performance
Lidl-Trek rider takes fifth as build continues toward Paris-Roubaix -
A dark horse for the podium at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix? – Cycling's new late attacker is making his presence impossible to ignore
Bahrain Victorious say Alec Segaert is 'more confident, and he knows that now, these attacks have become his style'
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A mud-bath, an over-inflated spare tyre, and a domestique holding the cobblestone trophy – Servais Knaven relives his iconic Paris-Roubaix victory 25 years on
Dutchman tells Cyclingnews how Domo-Farm Frites-Latexco completed a historic podium sweep, plus the one big change which has allowed Tadej Pogačar to thrive on the pavé -
Everything the Tour of Flanders can tell us about Paris-Roubaix – The Monument quintuple, no Remco Evenepoel, and Lotte Kopecky's chances
Cyclingnews' key takeaways from Sunday's race, amid the build-up to a Sunday in Hell -
'I hope I don't stop writing this book' - Analysing Tadej Pogačar's continued drive to tear up conventional script with impressively ambitious 2026 calendar
Combination of cobbled Classics and Tour de France targets maintains Slovenian in class of his own -
Tadej Pogačar's final challenges: Paris-Roubaix – Mission impossible?
Can the 'new Cannibal' ever add the cobbled Classic to his palmarès, and how would he go about beating Mathieu van der Poel?
