Van Aert wins Paris‑Roubaix

Wout van Aert won Paris-Roubaix on April 12, beating Tadej Pogačar in a two-man sprint on the Roubaix velodrome for his first title in the race. (paris-roubaix.fr) The official race center listed Van Aert and Pogačar with the same finishing time of 5 hours, 16 minutes, 52 seconds after 258.3 kilometers from Compiègne to Roubaix. Jasper Stuyven finished third, 13 seconds back. (racecenter.paris-roubaix.fr) Van Aert and Pogačar went clear with 53 kilometers left, on sector 12 from Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée, after a race shaped by punctures and bike changes. Van Aert had two punctures, and Pogačar lost about a minute after taking a neutral-service bike before getting back to the front. (paris-roubaix.fr) Paris-Roubaix is one of cycling’s five Monument one-day races, and the men’s 2026 edition was the 123rd running. Riders covered 30 cobbled sectors, with about 55 kilometers of pavé, the rough stone roads that give the race its “Hell of the North” reputation. (paris-roubaix.fr) (sports.yahoo.com) The result ended a long wait for Van Aert, 31, who had finished second in 2022 and third in 2023 at Roubaix. Reuters said it was his second Monument victory after Milan-San Remo in 2020. (paris-roubaix.fr) (thestar.com.my) It also stopped two other history bids in the same race. Pogačar was trying to become the first Tour de France champion to win Paris-Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981, while Mathieu van der Poel was chasing a fourth straight Roubaix title before repeated mechanical problems dropped him to fourth. (thestar.com.my) (racecenter.paris-roubaix.fr) After the finish, Van Aert said the race had been a goal since 2018 and dedicated the win to former teammate Michael Goolaerts, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest during that year’s Paris-Roubaix. He pointed to the sky as he crossed the line. (thestar.com.my) (sports.yahoo.com) The finish matched the race’s reputation: more than five hours on broken stone roads, a late duel between two of the sport’s biggest names, and a sprint that finally gave Van Aert the cobblestone trophy he had chased for years. (sports.yahoo.com) (paris-roubaix.fr)