After Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, the third Monument of the cycling season, Paris-Roubaix, will test the best on its famous cobblestones this Sunday. Here is all the information to follow the race.
The Route
Paris-Roubaix 2026 will cover 258.3 km from Compiègne to Roubaix. Unlike last year, the first difficulties will come quickly and the first cobblestones will appear after about a hundred kilometers.
In total, the riders will tackle 30 cobblestone sectors totaling 54.8 kilometers, which is over 21% of the route.
Amongst all the cobblestone sectors, the most famous ones include the “Trouée d’Arenberg”, Mons-en-Pévèle, and the “Carrefour de l’Arbre”.
Schedule
The men’s race will start at 10:50am with an expected finish around 4:35pm.
The women’s race will begin at 2:40pm and finish around 6pm.
Participants
25 teams are participating in this edition.
After his first participation last year, Tadej Pogacar is facing his “greatest challenge” to achieve the Grand Slam and win all five Monuments this season. He will particularly need to outdo Mathieu van der Poel, the triple defending champion, who is focused on retaining his crown on the French cobbles.
On the French side, it has been 29 years since a French cyclist won Paris-Roubaix on home soil. After finishing 9th in the Tour of Flanders last Sunday, Christophe Laporte could have a strong performance this year.
Marianne Vos, teammate of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, could take advantage of the absence of the leader of the Visma Lease a Bike team to shine on the podium. “Winning such a big race, one of the most important, would mean a lot to me,” said the 38-year-old Dutchwoman to the organizers.
How to Follow the Race?
Paris-Roubaix will be broadcasted on France 3 and Eurosport, and you can also follow the race on your newspaper’s website with a live commentary by our teams.
