It remains to be seen whether Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek) and Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike) will be able to raise their level to keep up, and what the behavior of Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) will be after skipping the Belgian meeting following his victory in A Travers la Flandre on April 1. Also keep an eye on Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step).
As for the French riders, Christophe Laporte (Visma Lease a Bike), finishing 9th in the Ronde this Sunday, seems to be the only French card to play at the front.
The course
A classic route for the 2026 edition with a start in Compiègne, in the Oise region, and finish at the Roubaix Velodrome after 258 kilometers.
Thirty cobblestone sectors are spread along the route. The first, Troisvilles to Inchy, ranked three stars (out of a maximum of five), will come after 93.6 km of the race, but still 162.5 km from the finish. The iconic Arenberg Trench will challenge the riders 95.3 km from the finish; much earlier than Mons-en-Pévèle (at 48.6 km) and the Carrefour de l’Arbre (at 17.2 km), the other two five-star sectors where the race could be decided.
Relive the great moments of the 2025 edition
How to follow the race?
The race will be broadcast in its entirety on various channels including France Televisions (France 3 and France 4) starting from 10:30 am, as well as on Eurosport 2 and the HBO Max platform.
