After Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, the third Monument of the cycling season, Paris-Roubaix, will challenge the best on its famous cobbled roads this Sunday. Here is all the information to follow the race.
The route Paris-Roubaix 2026 will cover 258.3 km between Compiègne and Roubaix. Unlike last year, the first difficulties will come quite quickly and the first cobbled sections will appear after about a hundred kilometers.
In total, the riders will tackle 30 cobbled sectors totaling 54.8 kilometers, which is over 21% of the route.
Among all the cobbled sectors, the most famous ones include the “Trouée d’Arenberg”, Mons-en-Pévèle, and the “Carrefour de l’Arbre”.
The schedule The men’s race will start at 10:50 am with an expected finish around 4:35 pm.
The women’s race will begin at 2:40 pm and finish around 6 pm.
The participants 25 teams are participating in this edition.
After his first participation last year, Tadej Pogacar is facing his “greatest challenge” in the hopes of winning all five Monuments this season. He will have to contend with Mathieu van der Poel, the three-time defending champion, who is determined to keep his crown on the French cobbles.
On the French side, it has been 29 years since a French cyclist has won Paris-Roubaix on home soil. Following his 9th place finish at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, Christophe Laporte could be a contender this year.
Marianne Vos, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s teammate, could seize the opportunity in the absence of the leader of Visma Lease a Bike to claim a spot on the podium. “Winning such a major race, one of the most important ones, would mean a lot to me,” said the 38-year-old Dutch rider to the organizers.
How to watch the race? Paris-Roubaix will be broadcast on France 3 and Eurosport, and you can also follow the race on your newspaper’s website with a live commentary by our teams.
