PREVIEW | Paris-Roubaix 2025 - Will Pogacar win Roubaix in his debut? Van der Poel defend his title? Van Aert finally conquer Roubaix? Pedersen win his monument?

Paris-Roubaix takes place on the 13th of April this year and it is the grand climax of the cobbled classics. This will be the final and ultimate one, the third monument of the season features 55 kilometers of cobbled roads and every single year it is a highlight of the season. We preview the race ahead.

One of the most difficult races in the calendar. Paris-Roubaix is an unique event, having a massive distance for the riders to go through in the north of France, including 29 different cobbled sectors which total to 55 kilometers away from tarmac. It's a race for the classics specialists, the powerhouse riders and the endurance monsters, who can fly over famous sectors such as the Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre.

Like it’s been for several years, the route will go through a massive 259 kilometers, starting in Compiègne heading north, where the first cobbled sectors will be encountered with just under 100 kilometers of racing, which will make for around 2 hours of racing to settle and establish a breakaway. Also, as it’s been the case for some years, the breakaway should be highly contested, which can make for a furiously fast start. The teams controlling should keep a tight leash on who can go free from the pack or not. And most teams will try to have riders in front for strategical purposes later, specially with the weather conditions that will be taking place.

And this should be a sight most riders recognize very well. Some will be relieved pleased to go through it, some won’t be very happy with it. The Troisville sector, the first of 30 comes with a little over 95 kilometers of racing, it’s 2.2Km long, but the initial combination of sectors last year caused some damage in the peloton quite early on. This is the place where the true race starts, some may say.

Haveluy to Wallers (2500 meters, 102Km to go), this one will come right before the most iconic sector of the race. Everyone who loves cycling knows it, the Trouée d’Arenberg is “only” 2300 meters but is famed with one of the most traditional view in modern cycling. The full sector is in a straight line but is one that demands technical expertise.

Line choice is crucial as the cobblestones in it are of an immense brutality. Adding the huge speed the riders will enter the sector it’ll make for maybe the most tense moment of the race, the lead-out to Arenberg sees truly remarkable fights, it starts slightly downhill and turns into slightly uphill, making for a really hard sector to make any acceleration, it’s a case of keeping the power up for the entire run. It comes with 93Km to go.

Hornaing to Wandignies is 3700 meters long and is the next 4-star sector with 78Km to go, then there’s Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières which is 2400 meters long and comes with 68.5Km to go. And with 50.5Km to go there’s the Auchy to Bersée sector and it’s 2700 meters in length, which set the riders up for the following sector. Obviously, the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, it’s 3Km long and finishes with 41Km to go, it will be the second 5-star sector of the race and comes in a crucial time where the decisive attacks are to come.

The final combination of sectors where it’s likely to see differences being made is the Camphin-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Abre. They are 4 and 5-star sectors respectively, feature 1800 and 2100 meters in distance and come with 18Km and 15Km to go.

They aren’t the final sectors, but with such a brutal race to that point and a very short distance to the finale, it’s the ideal place to make a move for everyone who has the legs, the Carrefour de l’Abre sector is one of great technical demand, and need of several accelerations, which is something not all riders will be capable of at that point of the race.

There’s still the Willems to Hem sector with 6.5Km to go, a 3-star sector that’s been recently introduced into the race, but it’s not usual to see gaps being made there, but who knows, with a group it can happen. The final kilometers will be well known, the entrance in Roubaix in flat roads, in case of a group coming into town it’s likely to see some attempts of surprising in it, which will lead to the velodrome, the race’s symbol almost, where a deserving winner will emerge from a brutal race.

The big question is whether it will rain or not. The forecast is inconclusive... There are small chances that it will actually rain during the race, but good chances that the night before a little bit of water will fall. This may not be enough to create total chaos but should make some cobbled sectors more slippery, treacherous and difficult. It will make it a more tense race, with crashes also being more likely.

Furthermore, the riders will have to tackle the wind, which will blow strongly and from the southwest throughout most of the day. What this means is that there will largely be a tailwind all the way into the cobbled sectors, and mostly cross-tailwinds throughout the rest of the day. We can expect a speed record on this edition without a doubt, and the attacks at the start to be even more ambitious because it will be hard to bring back groups at such high speeds.

Tadej Pogacar - He will be the headliner of the race, regardless of what happens. Let's look at some facts: He has ridden the Roubaix cobbles very well back in the 2022 Tour de Franc; he likes the rainy conditions if they come; he is a very good bike handler; he has great endurance... It is correct that Pogacar will not have the climbs to make the difference here, but we can expect a similar tactic to Flanders where he will attack on many occasions to try and fatigue his rivals. Whether he will by the end manage to make the difference or not is a very big question, but one where only in the race we will know.

UAE however have a deceptively strong team, which if they avoid the Flanders scenario (in which they burned the whole team to chase down other attacks) they can legitimately put serious pressure on their rivals. Overall a strong team, but specially Florian Vermeersch and Nils Politt have finished second here in the past, are in great form and are very well adapted for this kind of terrain. It will be interesting to see if UAE will opt for a co-leader strategy or if it will really be all-in for Pogacar.

Mathieu van der Poel & Jasper Philipsen - The defending champion and runner-up. Van der Poel, technically, is the best there is out of the favourites, and in a race like Roubaix it helps him save crucial energy and also avoid crashes/punctures. This can always happen, but the Dutchman is extremely good in this key factor for the Hell of the North - besides, he's got the endurance and the pure power to make the difference here, it's not by chance he's won twice. Jasper Philipsen is a question mark, but a rider that always shows up incredibly good here, and with van der Poel next to him he can once again tactically benefit from it (or be a card to attack himself and put pressure on rivals).

Wout van Aert - Visma don't have much of a strong team as they had in Flanders I would say, it will make a tactical race more difficult for them (although Dylan van Baarle and Edoardo Affini can be extremely dangerous if they do find a strong level). Van Aert will have the pressure, but at the same time not the responsibility if this makes sense. Pogacar is always inclined to work, and van der Poel is the other main favourite... Combine it with a Mads Pedersen that is always generous with attacking and working, and van Aert can actually afford to follow wheels a lot. In 2023 he could've won the race, but was struck by bad luck. If he manages to avoid it, with his current form, he could be a deadly threat for the win in any scenario.

Mads Pedersen - Lidl-Trek have an incredibly strong team here, as strong as UAE at the top I would say. Everyone in the team is well suited to the race; Jonathan Milan is an absolute engine, not just a sprinter; Jasper Stuyven is in peak form and is a perfect fit for a race he says he could do "with his eyes closed" and Mads Pedersen... The Dane is in the form of his life, does not have climbs where Pogacar can drop him, and is the kind of rider that just goes on and on without breaking. In a sprint after 6 hours of racing Pedersen is deadly and he showed it in Flanders. No-one can afford to take him to the line.

Filippo Ganna - Ganna struggled in Flanders because of the ultra-steep climbs but that was to be expected. Now in Roubaix, the absolute heavyweight is in his terrain, and he's also performed strongly here in the past. Ganna can take on the cobbles like very few, and his raw power makes him a threat for both a solo attack but even in a sprint with such competition. Add in a massive Joshua Tarling that can also be incredibly dangerous if alone in front, and INEOS have got the cards.

There are a few great riders like Stefan Küng, Max Walscheid and Matej Mohoric who have the experience and physique that is ideal for such as race and can without a doubt be in the Top10 if they have a perfect race. Now, this is Roubaix and the truth is it's the kind of race where big surprises do occur every year. This can be riders that are in the breakaway of the day, or just have the perfect day. And it can benefit dozens... But there are a few we can point out as more likely to be within the fight for a top result.

When it comes to those who can sprint you can definitely consider men like Soren Waerenskjold, Alexander Kristoff, Biniam Girmay, Jordi Meeus, Davide Ballerini, Tim Merlier and Ivan García Cortina.

When it comes to big rouleurs who can withstand such terrain: Stefan Bissegger, Jonas Abrahamsen, Kasper Asgreen, Marco Haller, Alec Segaert... But there are other classics specialists to consider such as Dries de Bondt, Rasmus Tiller and Anthony Turgis who wouldn't be big surprises at the front.

*** Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogacar
** Jasper Philipsen, Filippo Ganna, Jasper Stuyven
* Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt, Gianni Vermeersch, Jonathan Milan, Joshua Tarling, Jordi Meeus, Marco Haller, Jonas Abrahamsen, Soren Waerenskjold, Biniam Girmay, Davide Ballerini, Tim Merlier, Stefan Küng, Alec Segaert, Anthony Turgis

Pick: Mathieu van der Poel

How: I think it will be an epic race, and how it will be decided is a very good question. I think ultimately van der Poel's experience and bike handling skills will mean he will avoid all mishaps, whilst others may not. Like in 2023, he may win based on his rivals suffering from bad luck, combined with his pure power and endurance.