Paris-Roubaix Men: Wout van Aert edges out Tadej Pogačar to claim his first cobbled Monument victory in thrilling finale after both riders deal with punctures and bike changes

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Paris-Roubaix Men: Wout van Aert edges out Tadej Pogačar to claim his first cobbled Monument victory in thrilling finale after both riders deal with punctures and bike changes

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) recorded an emotional and unforgettable victory at one of the most pulsating, unpredictable and gripping editions of Paris-Roubaix in recent memory. The Belgian survived a dramatic Sunday in Hell to beat Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a two-up sprint, after an eventful race that saw punctures for all of the pre-race favourites.

Van Aert attacked in sector 12 and moved clear with Pogačar, and the pair were never reeled back, heading into the Roubaix Velodrome with nothing to separate them. Pogačar had bounced back from two punctures and was aiming to accomplish an historic series of five consecutive Monument victories, but Van Aert proved his equal, coming back from a puncture of his own to launch the race-defining attack, and never allowing the World Champion to distance him.

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Luck was not with the race favourites, three-time winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) puncturing on the Trouée d’Arenberg, and the ensuing drama as he tried to change bikes made for a compelling viewing experience, with a monumental chase from the Dutch superstar keeping the race outcome hanging in the balance all the way to the finish. Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-QuickStep) won the race for the podium from the chasing group, finishing in third.

Speaking immediately after his stunning victory, an emotional Van Aert said, “It means everything to me. It’s been a goal since 2018, when I first did this race, and it’s now eight years ago, and in that race I lost a teammate, Michael Goolaerts, and ever since then it’s been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This victory is for Michael, but especially for his family, for all my friends and teammates in my previous team. It was a really tough day, and ever since then, in some kind of way, I was so many times unlucky in this race, but it brought me also experience, so even today, when luck was not on my side, I kept believing in it, and finally the reward is there.”

Of his experience facing for the victory against Pogačar, Van Aert added, “I did stop believing a lot of times, but the next day I always woke up and fought for it again, and honestly there’s no more beautiful way than going to the line with the World Champion, the World [Champion] says itself but he’s a true champion and he gave me such a hard time, beating him in a sprint mano-a-mano is something really special for me.

“It’s such a chaotic race, I think everybody coming to the line has their own story, and that’s why it’s so beautiful. It can be hard, but on a day like this, it’s the best race there is.”

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) leads Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) through the Carrefour de l’Arbre (Image credit: Getty Images)

How it unfolded

The 123rd edition of the Hell of the North began in bright, cool conditions, with a dry race expected and tailwinds forecast that foreshadowed a potentially record-breaking race in terms of speed.

There were multiple attempts to form an early breakaway, but after 100 kilometres, no lead group had been established, and heading into the first cobbled sector of the day, the peloton was complete, with Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) the first rider to hit the hallowed pave at Troisvilles à Inchy. From there, the difficulties began, with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) one of a number of riders to suffer an early mechanical.

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The cobbled sectors came thick and fast, and UAE Team Emirates took control of the pace-setting, raising the tempo and forcing a significant split in the bunch. Despite positioning himself at the head of the race throughout the day, Pogačar suffered a puncture and was forced to stop and take a neutral service bike with 120 kilometres remaining.

Five kilometres later, he was able to exchange for a replacement bike, and with a minute to make up on the lead group, and Visma-Lease a Bike and Alpecin-Premier Tech pacing at the front of the race, UAE had to throw their considerable power into the chase. They burned through three riders before the World Champion was left to sew up the gap himself ahead of the first five-star sector of the race, the Trouée d’Arenberg.

Van der Poel was the first to launch a speculative attack on sector 20, and the group stretched and thinned out, with Van Aert also present and driving the pace ahead of the entry to the Arenberg Forest.

Pogačar arrived back in the group just in time for the daunting sector that would ultimately shape the race.

Van Aert led the charge into the Arenberg trench, and disaster struck for Van der Poel, who was forced to stop following a puncture. Initially, he tried to take his teammate Jasper Philipsen’s bike, but following an issue clipping in, he had to dismount yet again, and Tibor Del Grosso changed his front wheel and sent him on his way.

Mathieu van der Poel gets assistance from Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate after puncture (Image credit: Getty Images)

At the front of the race, a group containing Pogačar, Van Aert, Pedersen and four other riders looked to be the selection of the day – they were briefly joined by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jordi Meeus, but Ganna himself punctured shortly afterwards and dropped away.

There were further issues for Pogačar with another puncture following sector 16, but with Van Aert suffering a similar fate shortly afterwards, the progress of the lead group stalled. Pedersen pushed the pace at the front, but Pogačar was able to rejoin the group, and later, Van Aert also rode back on with the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe duo of Laurence Pithie and Jordi Meeus.

Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-QuickStep). Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon-CMA CGM) rounded up the lead group, which numbered eight riders heading into the final 60 kilometres of the race, with a chase group headed by Van der Poel and Ganna gradually closing the gap behind.

Heading onto sector 12, Van Aert was the first rider to launch a move, and Pogačar traded blows with the Belgian, the two of them moving clear, with Pedersen losing the battle to stay with them.

Ganna had another issue with a flat tyre, fell from his bike, and lost touch with the front of the race. While Van der Poel caught the remains of the lead group but was still half a minute adrift of Pogačar and Van Aert.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-{Premier Tech) in chase after mechanical drama (Image credit: Getty Images)

Pogačar tried to attack on Mons-en-Pévèle, but Van Aert held firm, and the pair remained perfectly matched as the sectors passed and the finish line grew ever closer. Though the van der Poel group did their best to close down the leaders, they were unable to make an impression on the rock-solid lead duo, who arrived at the Roubaix velodrome with nothing to separate them. Van Aert played it smart, forcing the Slovenian to take the front position in the sprint, and opened his sprint with just under a lap remaining, his power proving too much for Pogačar in the end.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) was emotional following his victory (Image credit: Getty Images)

Results

Swipe to scroll horizontallyTop 10

Pos

Rider

Time

Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike

5:16:52

Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep

Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Premier Tech

Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike

Tim van Dijke (Ned) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek

Stefan Bissegger (Swi) Decathlon CMA CGM

Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates-XRG