Paris-Roubaix: All the details about the route of the 2026 cobblestone classic

Paris-Roubaix 2026: The most important facts in brief

• Date: 12 April
• Distance: 258.3 km, 30 pavé sectors, 54.8 km of cobblestones
• Key points: Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pevèle, Carrefour de l'Arbre
• Start: Compiegne
• Target: Roubaix, Velodrome André Petrieux

The route planners at organiser ASO are returning to the 2024 design, when an early, dense sequence of cobbled sections tore the peloton apart around 100 kilometres after the start in Compiègne. "The first four sectors follow each other closely. Two years ago, Alpecin-Deceuninck broke up the peloton at this early stage," emphasises race director Thierry Gouvenou. New is sector number 26, which has rarely been used in the past and is 800 metres uphill. With these changes, the organisers obviously want to ensure that a reduced field reaches the first very difficult and five-star section, the Arenberg forest, where the arrival of the large peloton has repeatedly led to serious crashes in the past. In total, the ride through the "Hell of the North" covers 258.3 kilometres, which is almost one kilometre less than last year.

30 sectors with cobblestones, three particularly hard

The 30 paved sectors add up to 54.8 kilometres. The route will be slightly shorter, but more demanding than last time. Like the forest of Arenberg (at kilometre 163, 2,300 metres in length), the Mons-en-Pevèle (km 209.7 / 3,000 metres in length) and Carrefour de l'Arbre (241.2 / 2,100 metres) sections also have the highest level of difficulty with five stars.