Paris-Roubaix 2026, one day monument, April 12

[KZD]

Very good race, while I have always being more of a Ronde kind of guy I have to admit that the punctures that happen in Roubaix add a level of unpredictability that we are lacking in other races nowadays.

Great win for Van Aert, he really deserves this win after the bad luck that he suffered here on previous occasions. Not only he was extremely strong but also rode a tactically astute race. Classy of him to remember Michael Goolaerts too. First monument win for Visma since 2020, they were really needing this win.

While the dream of Pogačar winning all 5 monuments has been postponed for at least one year he still rode a good race but the two punctures and lack of help were too much for him to overcome. Really hope that he returns though becase he makes Roubaix better.

Strong performance from Stuyven to finish on the podium of a monument again. Van der Poel was also super strong but he had bad luck in the worse possible moment which ended up ruining his race.

Really strong results for Mick van Dijke and Bissegger confirming his top10 from last year's edition.

 

[pmcg76]

Well done WVA, great to see him win after all his troubles the past few seasons. He needed and deserved to add another big win to his palmares, just a pity it wasn't a three way dust-up with MDVP, he rode brilliantly today despite the poor luck. Props to Pogacar as well for animating things as always. Will be difficult for him to win this race if WVA/MDaVP are there in shape, though maybe the chase today dented his strength. As for posters trying to claim WVA was not a worthy winner, what are ye smoking!!

 

[pastronef]

watched almost all the race. WOUT VAN AERT, wow. he did the win of his life. this is his redemption. this is huge. I wasn't a fan, I became a fan the day of the Finestre with Yates.
grande Wout, you deserve it so much

 

[pmcg76]

watched almost all the race. WOUT VAN AERT, wow. he did the win of his life. this is his redemption. this is huge. I wasn't a fan, I became a fan the day of the Finestre with Yates.
grande Wout, you deserve it so much

Yeah, I was probably more of a MDVP fan, but after WVA won a mountain stage, TT and sprint stage in the same Tour, I have always had huge respect for his abilities. I did feel his palmares were light in terms of big wins, so today was a great win.

 

[Didinho]

Roodhooft said there was a crash of a SNS rider at the start of Trouee and their team car and the doctor car blocked the whole road. And also last year everyone could have a soigneur with a spare wheel halfway the secteur but this year not anymore.
Normally Philipsen doesn’t give a bike to Mathieu, was just a reaction in the moment. And Del Grosso was with Mathieu in front and very early dropped, with a broken back wheel apparently so he gave him his still working front wheel.

Some little inconvenient things at the worst time.

 

[dobrien]

Wout is a coiled spring right now, he looks so good. I think it’s his to win.

Just sayin.....

 

[search]

In the German interview, Degenkolb said that he thinks van der Poel made a mistake to stop after the mechanical. He had a puncture himself in Arenberg as well, but continued to the end of it, and despite losing a lot of time, still got going far ahead of Mathieu.

Honestly not sure if he had a front wheel puncture as well, though, or even noticed van der Poel had.

Roodhooftwas interviewed by Sporza as well, and he said it was all a bit unlucky. As Boivin crashed ahead of them, the doctor's car stopped in Arenberg and blocked all cars behind for a minute or so.

 

[search]

But a lot of that time was due to panic. If Jasper didn't stop and Del Grosso gives him his bike, he would lose way less

del Grosso had a flat rear tire, according to that same interview. So the front wheel was all he had left to give.

 

[entre nous]

A bit of study, history of bike racing, it is a sport of losers by the numbers, majority of riders never win or go years in between results. That is the biggest mental crush of the competition. You win, win can't stop winning as a talented junior or elite amateur and you become pro, the best go to World Tour level and you never win again, all the praise and adulation comes to a sudden stop. People who do even a cursory investigation, see guys like Wout have 52 pro wins, rest of Visma with some exceptions have 0-4 wins over their career.
A looser would be more a descriptor of a good break dancer or drunk person at a night club.

That was not my point. Sport as a competition makes sense if a better sportsman wins. If the logic that rewards a lesser sportsman prevails, sport looses and mediocracy (and show) takes over.

Without Pog WvA never wins today (and this I could not say for VdP's win last year). He should recognise that. Since he hasn't, I assume he believes he deserved it. If this logic prevails, the sport is dead.

 

[pastronef]

48,9 kmh average. if Pog hadn't punctured, UAE would have driven even faster

 

[tobydawq]

I thought Pogi was the popular one in Italy, yet the Italian Eurosport commentator went completely ballistic and even shed tears over Wout's win. Incredible scenes!

Een juichende Vingegaard, tranen bij commentator en feest in voetbalstadion: zege Van Aert maakt veel los

Lees hoe Wout van Aert's overwinning in Parijs-Roubaix fans en wielerploegen, waaronder KV Mechelen en Jonas Vingegaard op Tenerife, in extase brengt. Ontdek meer!

www.wielerflits.nl

 

[RedheadDane]

Really strong results for Mick van *** and Bissegger confirming his top10 from last year's edition.

Eh, what?
"Dijke" doesn't usually get hit by the sensor.

 

[tobydawq]

Eh, what?
"Dijke" doesn't usually get hit by the sensor.

Not even if his name was *** van Mijke would it be hit by the censor...

Oh actually it would. That's discriminatory towards all Richards!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Eh, what?
"Dijke" doesn't usually get hit by the sensor.

Rhymes with Mick, I‘d guess

 

[Unchained]

But a lot of that time was due to panic. If Jasper didn't stop and Del Grosso gives him his bike, he would lose way less

Nobody panicked, opposite, teammate dismounted like a well trained machine, MvdP cool under pressure put his head end in jersey pocket, replaced it after he got rolling on correct bike. Guy doesn't get nervous about anything, he has laser focus, saw a bunch of other chasers like Ganna jittery on the ground or off the road. Riding someone else's bike is a last resort for these guys,

That was not my point. Sport as a competition makes sense if a better sportsman wins. If the logic that rewards a lesser sportsman prevails, sport looses and mediocracy (and show) takes over.

Without Pog WvA never wins today (and this I could not say for VdP's win last year). He should recognise that. Since he hasn't, I assume he believes he deserved it. If this logic prevails, the sport is dead.

Wow.. Is that a point anyone who finished in the top @20, made the final selection are all.. Great sportsmen. The losing riders all went out of their way to shake hands, occasional hug, but all felt good, maybe not with the result but the battle for sure. The women's race coverage had some slightly different camera coverage and angles. Trek rider crashed, motorcycle hit her fallen bike, unavoidable because of the road surface and width of the road. Bicycles in all races took a beating, the rapid response by teams, side road support, feed people, Shimano neutral support couldn't have been better, riders had minimal wait times for bikes or wheels..
If you are on planet earth, if you can't chase down a peak performing Wout Van Aert and rainbow wearing flying gazelle like Pogacar and you feel disappointed by coming close, get counseling. All the best riders raced excellent, the differences, the mistakes made by top ten were in the fraction of a second measurement scale, A bad line, bad braking, left the road because they tried to cheat cobbles and rode narrow dirt strip, made a move that works on the road, crashes you on cobbles.. And pursuit times went way up, A gap on roads made of rocks is harder to close than standard pavement.. @30 seconds is more like 2 minutes on cobbles. I feel for what I saw before, during and after the race all the best sportsmen were represented with dignity, honor, self respect and respect for others, the institution of the race..let his dedication rip at your heartstrings..
@3 minute interview and this guy absolutely hits every touchstone of being a worthy sportsman.. This is in his heart, in his mind, he is saying this immediately after racing, total sincerity.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj23IP1j-A&pp=ygUNd291dCB2YW4gYWVydA%3D%3D


I was, am blown away

 

[HashRouge]

Nobody panicked, opposite, teammate dismounted like a well trained machine, MvdP cool under pressure put his head end in jersey pocket, replaced it after he got rolling on correct bike. Guy doesn't get nervous about anything, he has laser focus, saw a bunch of other chasers like Ganna jittery on the ground or off the road. Riding someone else's bike is a last resort for these guys,

Wow.. Is that a point anyone who finished in the top @20, made the final selection are all.. Great sportsmen. The losing riders all went out of their way to shake hands, occasional hug, but all felt good, maybe not with the result but the battle for sure. The women's race coverage had some slightly different camera coverage and angles. Trek rider crashed, motorcycle hit her fallen bike, unavoidable because of the road surface and width of the road. Bicycles in all races took a beating, the rapid response by teams, side road support, feed people, Shimano neutral support couldn't have been better, riders had minimal wait times for bikes or wheels..
If you are on planet earth, if you can't chase down a peak performing Wout Van Aert and rainbow wearing flying gazelle like Pogacar and you feel disappointed by coming close, get counseling. All the best riders raced excellent, the differences, the mistakes made by top ten were in the fraction of a second measurement scale, A bad line, bad braking, left the road because they tried to cheat cobbles and rode narrow dirt strip, made a move that works on the road, crashes you on cobbles.. And pursuit times went way up, A gap on roads made of rocks is harder to close than standard pavement.. @30 seconds is more like 2 minutes on cobbles. I feel for what I saw before, during and after the race all the best sportsmen were represented with dignity, honor, self respect and respect for others, the institution of the race..let his dedication rip at your heartstrings..
@3 minute interview and this guy absolutely hits every touchstone of being a worthy sportsman.. This is in his heart, in his mind, he is saying this immediately after racing, total sincerity.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj23IP1j-A&pp=ygUNd291dCB2YW4gYWVydA%3D%3D


I was, am blown away

He's a brilliant ambassador for the sport. I'm glad he finally has his Roubaix!

 

[red_flanders]

Just watched, amazing! So so so happy for Wout! No one needed a win like this more than him! Just incredible. 🙌 🥂 🍻

 

[RobertCrawley]

Nobody panicked, opposite, teammate dismounted like a well trained machine, MvdP cool under pressure put his head end in jersey pocket, replaced it after he got rolling on correct bike. Guy doesn't get nervous about anything, he has laser focus, saw a bunch of other chasers like Ganna jittery on the ground or off the road. Riding someone else's bike is a last resort for these guys,

Wow.. Is that a point anyone who finished in the top @20, made the final selection are all.. Great sportsmen. The losing riders all went out of their way to shake hands, occasional hug, but all felt good, maybe not with the result but the battle for sure. The women's race coverage had some slightly different camera coverage and angles. Trek rider crashed, motorcycle hit her fallen bike, unavoidable because of the road surface and width of the road. Bicycles in all races took a beating, the rapid response by teams, side road support, feed people, Shimano neutral support couldn't have been better, riders had minimal wait times for bikes or wheels..
If you are on planet earth, if you can't chase down a peak performing Wout Van Aert and rainbow wearing flying gazelle like Pogacar and you feel disappointed by coming close, get counseling. All the best riders raced excellent, the differences, the mistakes made by top ten were in the fraction of a second measurement scale, A bad line, bad braking, left the road because they tried to cheat cobbles and rode narrow dirt strip, made a move that works on the road, crashes you on cobbles.. And pursuit times went way up, A gap on roads made of rocks is harder to close than standard pavement.. @30 seconds is more like 2 minutes on cobbles. I feel for what I saw before, during and after the race all the best sportsmen were represented with dignity, honor, self respect and respect for others, the institution of the race..let his dedication rip at your heartstrings..
@3 minute interview and this guy absolutely hits every touchstone of being a worthy sportsman.. This is in his heart, in his mind, he is saying this immediately after racing, total sincerity.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj23IP1j-A&pp=ygUNd291dCB2YW4gYWVydA%3D%3D


I was, am blown away

"Everybody coming to the line has his own story, and that's why it's beautiful."

 

[Leinster]

I did not picture Wout winning before the race. Absolutely delighted for him. It’s hard to believe it’s only his 2nd Monument, but he’s absolutely a rider who deserves to be in the multiple club.

 

[Unchained]

I am really trying to wrap my head around that what people saw this morning was something less than miraculous. So many great rides hard to think of a better finishes in both men's and women's race, 2 up on the velodrome for the men, close call and 3 up for the women with the singled out rider, leading it out and beating Visma great effort. Awesome racing!

 

[Oldman]

Well done WVA, great to see him win after all his troubles the past few seasons. He needed and deserved to add another big win to his palmares, just a pity it wasn't a three way dust-up with MDVP, he rode brilliantly today despite the poor luck. Props to Pogacar as well for animating things as always. Will be difficult for him to win this race if WVA/MDaVP are there in shape, though maybe the chase today dented his strength. As for posters trying to claim WVA was not a worthy winner, what are ye smoking!!

Lots of opinions about who is strongest, who suffered the most time-losing situations, etc. It still takes an unusually strong and focused rider to win. And a sh*tload of luck. That goes for MvP who was just on the backside of that perfect day, again. Kudos to Wout and his team.

 

[entre nous]

@ unchained

seriously?

I find it pathetic - not the dedication bit but self-contentment that it was a win OVER a world champion. He literally carried him over the finish line

 

[jmdirt]

We're not seeing many cases of a leading group being caught in the last 10-15 kilometers (at least in the big races). A shame. It used to be one of the characteristics of cycling, and as a viewer, you knew that the suspense would increase towards the end.

Now, the motorbikes keep the speed up and reduce factors like the wind and the drag. It's not that costly to be sitting out in front.

I know some say the motorbikes have always been there, sure - but the races are also different these years. The top 5 riders are much stronger than the second best. They don't need help to be dominating.

It would be great if there was more focus on removing the mentioned external factors. We have great ways of filming the riders nowadays, with drones supplementing the helicopters well. The front view shots from motorbikes are no longer as important to the understanding of the races. I also doubt that the world really needs dozens of still photographers on the road in a race.

In any case, fairness should be prioritised above media access. My suggestion is introducing a 3 second rule as the default minimum distance between motorbikes and riders.

(And yes, I was happy to see Van Aert take the win today instead of the usual suspect, but it doesn't change my view on the tendency.)

A lot to unpack there. The leading group in most races used to be out there so that their team didn't have to work and/or to help later in the race. Now the leading group is frequently the favorites who expect to win.*

I would argue that safety should be the priority followed by 'fairness' (hard to define I suppose), and then media access. They are usually more than three seconds away so IMO you are bringing them closer with a three second rule.

*In one day races. Obviously stage racing is a different beast most of the time.

You can read my thoughts about using drones in both of the related threads.

 

[proffate]

That was not my point. Sport as a competition makes sense if a better sportsman wins. If the logic that rewards a lesser sportsman prevails, sport looses and mediocracy (and show) takes over.

Without Pog WvA never wins today (and this I could not say for VdP's win last year). He should recognise that. Since he hasn't, I assume he believes he deserved it. If this logic prevails, the sport is dead.

That's absolutely not ciclismo

Sport would be very boring were it not for underdogs winning sometimes.

 

[jmdirt]

Who even decides to put riders on different pedals in a monument.

"Hey JP, for this one race we want you to change your setup, don't worry you'll be fine."