Wout van Aert triumphed in the Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, breaking a long-standing curse to defeat reigning world champion Tadej Pogacar in a challenging race characterized by its cobblestone sections. In the women’s event, Franziska Koch secured victory over cycling legend Marianne Vos.
The 31-year-old van Aert faced a punctured tire, a situation also encountered by Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, who suffered two mechanical failures and was unable to participate in the concluding sprint. This victory marks van Aert’s second title in the prestigious Monument classics, following his success at Milan-Sanremo in 2020.
Having previously experienced a string of misfortunes in this iconic race, van Aert successfully countered Pogacar’s attempts to gain an advantage on the cobbles and finished with a powerful surge on the final stretch of the Roubaix Velodrome. Jasper Stuyven, another Belgian cyclist, claimed third place, finishing 13 seconds behind van Aert.
Van der Poel, who aimed for his fourth consecutive Paris-Roubaix title, ended up in fourth place after losing over two minutes due to a mechanical issue on a tricky section of the course.
The cyclist, representing Visma-Lease a Bike, dedicated his win to his late teammate Michael Goolaerts, who tragically passed away in 2018 after experiencing a cardiac arrest during the same race. “Competing in a final sprint against the world champion and winning is incredibly special,” van Aert remarked.
Pogacar, who had won the season’s first two Monument classics—Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders—was aiming to become the first Tour de France winner to conquer the Paris-Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981.
In the women’s race, Germany’s Koch achieved a career-defining victory by outsmarting Vos and last year’s champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, in a thrilling sprint finish. “It feels surreal. I have always dreamed of this moment, but Roubaix is unpredictable, so it’s like a fantasy come true,” Koch stated. “Competing against two teammates poses a challenge, yet it also offers an advantage, as not all the responsibility falls on me. I aimed to shake them off, but in the end, I had to take a risk in the sprint.”
Ferrand-Prévot attempted to position Vos for the win, but Koch initiated her sprint first and narrowly edged out Vos by half a wheel, delivering a heartbreaking defeat to the seasoned champion, who had recently lost her father.
As the race progressed, four riders broke away with 45 kilometers remaining in the demanding 143-kilometer cobbled classic. Hungarian cyclist Blanka Vas was dropped after Vos accelerated, briefly distancing Ferrand-Prévot, who managed to catch up and reach the historic Roubaix velodrome alongside Vos and Koch. Although she attempted to set up Vos for a victory, Koch proved to be too formidable in the final moments.
