Paris-Roubaix 2025 Race Preview 🇫🇷 🚴♂️
A preview for the 122nd edition of Paris-Roubaix, as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar face-off in the Hell of the North for the unofficial title of 'King of the Classics'
Hi Subscribers,
We’re just a few days out from Paris-Roubaix, and while I’ve been away for a couple of days, Joseph Lycett has kindly stepped in and written a mega preview for Sunday’s men’s race.
I know Joseph from our GCN days - he was an intern there while I helped build the website. He’s a very talented and hardworking young writer, so if any publications are looking for an extra pair of hands, don’t hesitate to contact him.
I’ll be back later with more content.
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Daniel 🫶
Paris-Roubaix 2025 Race Preview 🇫🇷
Having gone head-to-head at both Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders so far this season, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar have emerged with one Monument victory apiece going into their third and final engagement of the Spring Classics at Paris-Roubaix this weekend.
After much speculation earlier in the season as to whether we would see the World Champion at the start in Compiègne, this Sunday will see Pogačar make his debut at the Hell of the North in somewhat of a decider between himself and his Dutch rival to determine who will be the ‘King of the Classics’ for this season. As always, he will have the full support of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad, including Tim Wellens, António Morgado and 2019 runner-up Nils Politt.
Meanwhile, last year’s winner, Van der Poel, will be hoping to claim the coveted cobblestone for the third consecutive year to go level with the likes of Fabian Cancellara, Johan Museeuw and Eddy Merckx on three victories at the race. He’ll be leading a two-pronged attack for Alpecin-Deceuninck, with two-time runner-up Jasper Philipsen alongside him as a versatile sprint option.
Away from the two main protagonists of this season’s Spring Classics, the runners-up from San Remo and Flanders are also in attendance, with Filippo Ganna and Mads Pedersen both spearheading their Ineos Grenadiers and Lidl-Trek teams, respectively.
Pedersen will line up alongside strong outsiders such as Jonathan Milan and Jasper Stuyven, whilst Ganna’s teammate Josh Tarling will be hoping to improve his record at Roubaix.
Read more: 6 conclusions from the Tour of Flanders 🇧🇪
A resurgent Wout van Aert recovered well from the immense disappointment of Dwars door Vlaanderen by putting in a very respectable performance at the Tour of Flanders last week, making the front selection for the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont and finishing in fourth place behind Pogačar, Pedersen and Van der Poel. He will lead the Visma-Lease a Bike squad for the race, with 2022 winner Dylan van Baarle also on the start list for the team.
With all of these contenders set to animate the race, let’s take a closer look at the course that they will be tackling this Sunday.
The Route 📍
Starting in the town of Compiègne and traversing 259.2km to a concrete velodrome near the border with Belgium, Paris-Roubaix is a journey through pain, with riders often finishing the race with blistered hands and aching bodies, giving it the appropriate title of ‘A Sunday in Hell’.
In the dry, this race leaves riders with lungs and faces full of dust as they cross the cobbled farm roads of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. But in wet conditions, it simply becomes a mud bath, with riders sliding all over the roads in an attempt to stay upright on the pavé.
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