Paris-Roubaix 2026 favorites, route, and how the race could be won
Mathieu van der Poel chases a fourth consecutive Paris-Roubaix victory on a route with redesigned early sectors that pack four cobbled strips back to back. Tadej Pogacar returns for the rematch the peloton has been waiting for.
The 123rd Paris-Roubaix covers 258.3km from Compiegne to the Roubaix velodrome with 30 pave sectors totaling 54.8km of cobbles. The biggest route change is in the opening cobbled sequence, where the first four sectors now follow one another with almost no asphalt between them, creating a wall of cobbles that could split the peloton far earlier than usual. The Arenberg forest remains the emotional and tactical centerpiece, followed by the decisive sectors at Mons-en-Pevele and Carrefour de l Arbre. Van der Poel has won the last three editions and looks to join Octave Lapize as the only rider to win four in a row. Pogacar crashed out of the 2024 edition and skipped 2025, so his return adds genuine uncertainty to a race that Van der Poel has otherwise controlled.