Paris-Roubaix 2026: Spectacular images from the cobblestone race

Sandra Schuberth

· 13.04.2026

What a race! The men's race made the heart beat faster just watching it, there was so much excitement. In the velodrome, Wout van Aert had stronger sprinting legs than Pogacar and relegated the Slovenian to second place with ease. The Belgian reached the long-awaited finish line after seven attempts. Reason for tears!

The women's race was also full of excitement. Last year's winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot did everything she could to support her team-mate Marianne Vos in the best possible way. The breakaway trio with the German Franziska Koch made it to the velodrome. The decisive sprint went to Franziska Koch from Team FDJ United - SUEZ

There is a gracious hard shoulder at this pavé sector. In other sectors, hard shoulders are made impassable with barricades

If you can't believe the bumps, look at the front wheel of Bastien Tronchon from Team Groupama - FDJ United in the legendary Arenberg forest

In the same segment: Mathieu van der Poel had a defect and team-mate Jasper Philipsen sacrificed his bike. A different pedalling system made it impossible for MVDP to finish the segment. Tibor del Grosso, also a team-mate, acted quickly: he stopped, removed his front wheel and gave it to Van der Poel. He then began the seemingly impossible chase to catch up - two minutes behind. He eventually finished fourth.

16 Images

Photo: Getty Images / Etienne Garnier

Paris-Roubaix delivered again in 2026. For the first time, the women's and men's races took place on the same day. Both races were full of excitement and surprises.

Add bookmark

The women's race was only broadcast after the men's race. As a result, spectators missed a long solo ride by gravel specialist Rosa Klöser, whose breakaway attempt at kilometre 10 was not followed by anyone. She was only collected by the peloton around 70 kilometres later.

In the men's race, the three strongest riders of the day collected defects. Tadej Pogacar got on the bike in the meantime. Wheel from the neutral material trolleyJasper Philipsen wanted to hand over his bike to team-mate Mathieu van der Poel in the Arenberg forest. But, surprise surprise, both were riding different pedalling systems; Philipsen was probably riding a prototype; and MVDP couldn't clip in. He had to go back to his own bike, where another team-mate had the presence of mind to remove his own front wheel and mount it on his colleague's bike. Van der Poel was then around two minutes behind. Who would have believed that he would be able to make it up and cross the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome in fourth place?

Tour de France: Rennräder vom neutralen Materialwagen und ihre Besonderheiten

TOUR ist bei der Tour de France hinter den Kulissen unterwegs. Dabei haben wir uns die Rennräder des neutralen Materialwagens genauer angesehen.

www.tour-magazin.de

Franziska Koch: Erste deutsche Roubaix-Siegerin

Franziska Koch hat als erste Deutsche den härtesten Frühjahrsklassiker Paris-Roubaix gewonnen. Das muss man über die 25-jährige Radsportlerin aus Mettmann wissen

www.tour-magazin.de

Sandra Schuberth

Editor

Sandra Schuberth, sometimes an after-work ride, sometimes a training ride, sometimes an unsupported bikepacking challenge. The main thing is her and her gravel bike - away from the traffic. Seven Serpents, Badlands or Bright Midnight: she has finished challenging bikepacking races. Gravel and bikepacking are her favourite subjects, and her demands on equipment are high. What she rides, uses and recommends has to stand the test of time: not in marketing, but in real life.

Home

Paris-Roubaix 2026: Spectacular images from the cobblestone race

Sandra Schuberth

Most read in category Professional - Cycling