Sunday April 12th: Paris-Roubaix  Hauts-de-France - Compiègne - Roubaix (258.3 km) 

Paris-Roubaix 2026, the 123rd edition of the iconic cycling monument, will be raced on Sunday 12 April over a punishing 258.3-kilometre route with thirty cobbled sectors, the first of which comes after 100 kilometres. As usual, the riders start in Compiègne and head through the northern French countryside toward Roubaix, where the famous velodrome finish awaits. With 54.8 kilometres of brutally hard cobbles, the Hell of the North is here.

As in previous years, the route remains largely unchanged, although the organisers have made a few subtle adjustments. The riders leave Compiègne and first cover almost 100 kilometres through northern France before the cobbled section truly begins. The first of the thirty sectors is Troisvilles à Inchy, 2.200 metres long and rated three stars.

Within 15 kilometres, four sectors follow in quick succession. That is nothing new, because the organisers tweak the opening of the course every year. To get the race going early, another sector has been added right after that: Briastre to Solesmes. This sector is 800 metres long, rises slightly, and was last used in 2017.

Even so, Paris-Roubaix really only begins in the approach to the Forest of Wallers, the Trouée d’Arenberg. The 2.400-metre, dead-straight sector with a slight descent is notorious for crashes and punctures. Anyone who is out of position there often has to chase back. Positioning at the entrance to the Forest is therefore crucial, as it is every year.

After Arenberg, there are still about 95 kilometres to go, including eighteen cobbled sectors. That means roughly one obstacle every six kilometres. Mechanical problems or poor positioning can quickly prove decisive. The tension rises further on the road to Mons-en-Pévèle. About 50 kilometres from the finish, the riders hit this 3.000-metre sector, which ranks among the hardest passages of the race because of its length and the poor condition of the cobbles.

After Mons-en-Pévèle, there are still eleven sectors to go. Over the final 30 kilometres, the race passes Mérignies à Avelin, Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin, Templeuve – L’Epinette, Templeuve-Moulin-de-Vertain, Cysoing à Bourghelles, Bourghelles à Wannehain and Camphin-en-Pévèle in succession.

Just 1 kilometre later comes the Carrefour de l’Arbre. The 2.085-kilometre sector is notorious for its bends and its poor surface. For the specialists, this is often the last place to make a difference. After the Auberge de l’Arbre café, only Gruson, Willems à Hem and the Roubaix sector remain, three relatively minor sectors in the finale.

The only Monument that Pogačar has not yet won, Van der Poel who could become the record holder and the first rider to win four in a row — who can follow these two heavyweights?

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