Toughest Paris-Roubaix Femmes route yet unveiled featuring more cobbles and three new sectors for 2026

The route for the sixth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes was unveiled on February 12, with the race getting a new look for its opening kilometres as well as three extra cobbled sectors.

The 2026 race will start in Denain and run for 148.5km to the famous velodrome in Roubaix, but the race will wave goodbye to the opening laps around Denain for 2026.

Instead, the race heads south before looping north again on the road to Roubaix. Early cobbled sectors at Haussy and Saulzoir are new additions to the race, while sector 18 at Haveluy à Wallers is a major new challenge.

"We have removed the loops around Denain to take the peloton a little further south and add more cobbles, and Haveluy is one of the sectors that could prove decisive," said race director Thierry Gouvenou.

The sector at Haveluy à Wallers, with a right-angle corner in the middle, marks the lead-in to the Arenberg in the men's race, measuring in at 2.5km and a four-star rating.

The women's race turns left rather than taking on the feared forest, but still, sector 18 will be one to watch this April.

From there, the remaining 17 sectors are the same as they were last spring, with four four-star sectors (Hornaing à Wandignies, Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières, Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée, and the Camphin-en-Pévèle) coming alongside two further five-star sectors at Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre.

All in all, the race will feature 33.7km of cobbles, up from 29.2km in 2025. Paris-Roubaix Femmes will be held on a new date, too, moving to Sunday, April 12, and finishing after the men's race.