Paris-Roubaix 2026, one day monument, April 12

[Cookster15]

Congrats to Wout van Aert - great to see.

What can we say but an amazing edition and a very deserved champion in my opinion. Fastest P-R in history despite the crashes. All the contenders had bad luck. Wout had his bad luck but was so strong to fight back into a position where he could win. Once he was with Pogi he was always going to win the sprint in the velodrome.

Tadej did everything he could to win the race, another bridesmaid for him but no shame. After watching his skill on those cobbles it would be a brave person who bets he won't win this race one day - perhaps 2027?

 

[Red Rick]

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.

In all my years of wasting time on the cycling internet, I'm not sure I've ever read a comment as wrong as this one. It is wrong on every single level apart from the fact that it does appear to be English.

 

[HashRouge]

I'm still buzzing from that race. I feel like we've had a really good set of Spring races so far - the cobbled classics as a whole have been highly entertaining, MSR was an absolute riot, and now we've finally had a really fun Roubaix again, after a couple of years of impressive but uncompetitive van der Poel solos. I'm fairly optimistic for the Ardennes too, especially with del Toro out of Amstel and Flèche, and Remco and Seixas in great form, so hopefully a more competitive LBL than the last two years.

 

[noob]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043392003883274729

View: https://x.com/AnthonyBa5/status/2043392003883274729


Gotta spam some cheering images for Wout as they're quite incredible!

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043391698642903475

View: https://x.com/RuitemDias/status/2043391698642903475

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043337087198388674

View: https://x.com/AceroCaballito/status/2043337087198388674

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043369516436976008

View: https://x.com/parisroubaix/status/2043369516436976008

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043344003702177950

View: https://x.com/JDenaeghel/status/2043344003702177950

 

[aphronesis]

In all my years of wasting time on the cycling internet, I'm not sure I've ever read a comment as wrong as this one. It is wrong on every single level apart from the fact that it does appear to be English.

You might brace for much worse english in coming years.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

@ 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

I'ma pack this post into my electrolyte bottle. It's plenty salty.

 

[noob]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043439066469851302

View: https://x.com/VelonCC/status/2043439066469851302


This might be interesting to see as well

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043392003883274729

View: https://x.com/AnthonyBa5/status/2043392003883274729


Gotta spam some cheering images for Wout as they're quite incredible!

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043391698642903475

View: https://x.com/RuitemDias/status/2043391698642903475

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043337087198388674

View: https://x.com/AceroCaballito/status/2043337087198388674

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043369516436976008

View: https://x.com/parisroubaix/status/2043369516436976008

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043344003702177950

View: https://x.com/JDenaeghel/status/2043344003702177950

What a beautiful post!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I just watched the last 2 and a half hours, again.

Unsung hero was Matthew Brennan. He delivered Wout to the front at Arenberg, which gave him the ability to pick his path through. Mathieu was on his wheel, having little to no time to react to the cobbles, and that made all the difference in the world.

 

[Unchained]

@ 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

We obviously disagree on racing,
Pogacar and Van Aert played zero games, each guy knew that a bunch of monkey business for position would give hope to the chase.
Each rider traded decent pulls, and I would have bet even money that in a drag race after 258k would be one thing but the Tadej chase obviously burned some matches,
Pogacar instead of taking even a momentary rest after chasing really, really hard, he jumped again and caused further chaos. Brilliant bike racing, Van Aert did everything that has been criticized from other races this year, he put some serious responsibility on Laporte who raced as good as anyone including the winner.
To lose by less than a bike against Wout is a no shame event. Please keep in mind what Van Aert accomplished, he didn't just beat World Champion Pogacar he kept him from a classics sweep. I get the idea of trying to downplay the win, I don't agree or understand it,
but just poopooing because you can is a thing I get it.
If you think the race blew and guys were holding something back, chases after crashes, bike problems, bike changes were all fake.. Cool..
This all could have been AI generated ,
my beer brothers from Sint -Niklaas were there in person and enjoyed it, I think it was a great day for the race, for the World Champion, for Belgium, for bike racing, and for Wout and his family, friends, teammates, fans..no wet blankets will ruin how good all this made me feel.. Incredible race.

 

[Sciatic]

It was a great race in the end even though I wasn't a fan of all the randomness. Having that opinion definitely isn't the reason I have a problem with half the forum, it's quite easy to see what is if you're willing.

That is the case sometimes, which is when I just switch to just watching rather than reading/ commenting.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

As it was said Pogacar looked gassed with 50 km to go.
If MVDP didn't have a flat he would have destroyed him by minutes.

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.

@ 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

Some surprising takes on here. A guy wins the fastest P-R in history, has multiple mechanicals, looks strong AF, never falters, launches multiple attacks, plays it perfectly, and wins without any indication that he was at his limit, and this is what some have to say? Wout has had some monstrous performances, from C-E to Mont Ventoux to Montmartre to today. When he is at his best, he is as good as anyone. That’s it. He is better than Pogacar at this type of race, at least today. And I see no evidence that MVDP would have done anything other than ridden with them had he not made some dumb decisions after a mechanical.

 

[dercuforever]

I'm a big fan of Pogacar, and wanted him to win Roubaix this year, to achieve 5 monuments in one year. He was strong today, but not as strong as VDP.
Not strong enough to be WVA (3rd strongest today).

For once WVA played it correctly (at least from Arenberg ).
After all those failures, he is the most beautifull winner here.
I have not forget that heavy crash just before the holy week, after missing precious time with his young kid(s) in winter, preparing for nothing.
I have not forget that it took 3 falls to remove him from a Vuelta where he was leading KOM and Points.
I have not forget that punctures in Carrefour de l'arbre, the one year he looked stronger than VDP.
I do have forget the countless falls, punctures, injuries, bringing back VDP on your wheel, that made most people think Wout was washed up.
Last year he won in Paris. Today in Roubaix. He won against the greatest rider of all time, again.

Pogacar may win in the future, and I hope he will once, but today, we got perhaps the most deservefull winner. One can say cycling won.

 

[RedheadDane]

According to Decathlon, there will be 513497 impacts on the cobbles.
That's oddly specific... did they count?

They hope someone counts and corrects them if they're wrong for future development.
All eyes on you tomorrow, RhD.

Prove them wrong

Uhm... I regret to inform you, I forgot to count...
We're just gonna have to take Decathlon's words for it.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Not only did Wout look really strong. He outskilled Pogacar on almost every corner. Quite expected from a cyclocross World Champion yet the pressure he was applying made Pog almost loose it. Same thing last year with Van der Poel. They’re going so fast that anyone without their skills will overshoot and make a mistake.

I also think MVDP was genuinely happy that it was Wout who won. They have competed against each other for several decades and MVDP has probably won 8 out of 10. Finally Wout got it right so a very deserved win!

 

[RedheadDane]

I also think MVDP was genuinely happy that it was Wout who won. They have competed against each other for several decades and MVDP has probably won 8 out of 10. Finally Wout got it right so a very deserved win!

Several decades?
Did they start competing against each other when they were 10?