Just like most of nowadays races, also Paris-Roubaix is becoming faster and faster thanks to many new innovations. This year's edition was in fact so fast that the winner from just six years ago wouldn't even make the time limit cut today.
This is once again evident from the findings of so-called cyclingspy on Instagram. The time limit for Paris-Roubaix is set at eight percent of the winning time. Mathieu van der Poel won this year after a race of 5:31:27, which brought the time limit to 5:57:58. On his road to victory in 2019, Philippe Gilbert took longer than that to reach the finish line. His winning time was 5:58:02. Outside the time limit.
Due to the many factors that determine the end time, it is difficult to compare the times with each other. Not only has the nutrition and equipment walked a long way since Gilbert's victory, the wind. and in general weather conditions, also play a huge part. However, it is a trend that it is going faster and faster in professional cycling. We also see this in the speed records that are being broken more and more often.
This year's Paris-Roubaix is not the fastest ever. Van der Poel reached the finish with an average speed of 46.921 kilometers per hour. Last year, the Dutchman, in the rainbow jersey, was even a bit faster. Then, he covered the distance in 5:25:58, which made his ride an extra kilometer per hour faster.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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