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Belgium’s Wout van Aert crosses the finish line ahead of Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, left, to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jean-Francois Badias\/AP<\/p>\n
Belgium’s Wout van Aert crosses the finish line ahead of Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, left, to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 12, 2026. Van Aert pointed his finger skywards to commemorate Belgian cyclist Michael Goolaerts who died after crashing in the race in 2018.<\/p>\n
Jean-Francois Badias\/AP<\/p>\n
Belgium’s Wout van Aert crosses the finish line to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jean-Francois Badias\/AP<\/p>\n
ROUBAIX, France (AP) \u2014 Belgian rider Wout van Aert beat cycling great Tadej Poga\u010dar in a dramatic sprint to the line to win the prestigious Paris-Roubaix one-day classic for the first time on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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They were neck and neck entering the finish at the v\u00e9lodrome in Roubaix after more than five hours of grueling racing. Van Aert had the better sprint credentials and timed his attack perfectly to surge past Poga\u010dar on the right and hold him off.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBeating him mano a mano in a sprint is really special to me,\u201d Van Aert said.<\/p>\n
Van Aert raised his right finger and pointed to the sky as he crossed the line and then got off his bike and lay on his back, thoroughly exhausted.<\/p>\n
He dedicated the victory to his former teammate Michael Goolaerts, who died at the age of 23 after collapsing during the 2018 race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means everything to me. It\u2019s been a goal since 2018, when I first did this race, and in that race I lost a teammate, Michael Goolaerts,\u201d Van Aert said. \u201cEver since then, it has been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This victory is for Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It was a rare defeat for four-time Tour de France champion Poga\u010dar, looking to become the first Tour champion to win Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981. He was also second last year.<\/p>\n Last month, Poga\u010dar fought back from a crash to win Milan-San Remo for the first time, leaving only Roubaix to complete the set of five monuments in one-day cycling. He had already won the Tour of Flanders, Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge and the Tour of Lombardy.<\/p>\n But the 31-year-old Van Aert is one of the world\u2019s most versatile riders.<\/p>\n A three-time cyclocross world champion, he won Milan San-Remo in 2020, the Tour de France best sprinters\u2019 green jersey in 2022, finished third at Roubaix in 2023 and third again at Milan-San Remo last month.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The 258.3-kilometer (160.1-mile) Paris-Roubaix race is called \u201cThe Hell of the North\u201d because of its multiple cobblestone sections \u2014 totaling about 55 kilometers \u2014 and reputation for crashes and punctures.<\/p>\n So it proved again as Poga\u010dar and Dutch three-time defending champion Mathieu van der Poel both punctured.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar punctured with about 120 kilometers left and, with his team car behind, he took a neutral service bike from a nearby repairs car. Visibly annoyed, he had to wait several minutes for his team car to give him one of his race bikes.<\/p>\n The energy he spent catching up to the leading group may have cost him at the end.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Van Aert was on Poga\u010dar\u2019s wheel entering one of the notorious cobblestone section called Carrefour de l\u2019Arbre, a 2-kilometer stretch near the end where a number of riders have fallen.<\/p>\n In 1984, Frenchman Alain Bondue crashed when leading and ended up third, and Poga\u010dar almost fell when his front wheel slipped.<\/p>\n It was a straight sprint heading into the Andr\u00e9-P\u00e9trieux v\u00e9lodrome, where a huge crowd awaited a thrilling denouement.<\/p>\n \u201cI was already cooked and there was not much freshness in the legs to really maybe have a chance,\u201d Poga\u010dar said. \u201cI saw quite fast that it would be mission impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar has not decided whether he will try again next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say no,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is just my second time here so let\u2019s give it time.”<\/p>\n Belgian rider Jasper Stuyven finished third ahead of Van der Poel, who went over to hug a tearful Van Aert, his former cyclocross archrival.<\/p>\n Women’s race<\/p>\n The women’s race followed later Sunday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The 143.1-kilometer (88.7 mile) race was on the same day as the men’s for the first time, albeit with a different starting point and a slightly shorter route than last year, featuring about 40 kilometers of cobbles.<\/p>\n Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot of France overcame sickness and a crash to win last year.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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