"You go wherever you can to avoid crashing": Degenkolb analyzes the increased amount of mechanical problems at Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix 2026 once again lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest and most unpredictable races on the calendar, and few voices are better placed to dissect it than John Degenkolb. The German, now with Team Picnic PostNL, lined up for his 13th "Hell of the North", a race he knows as well as anyone and even won in 2015. His ties to the race are closer than anyone's... after all one of the cobbled sectors is named after Degenkolb himself.

At 37, Degenkolb finished 31st, but his aggression for much of the day gave him a front‑row view of an especially demanding edition. Beyond the result, his analysis zeroes in on a key theme: a spike in mechanical issues.

"I had the impression there were far more mechanicals than usual in the peloton this year, especially among the strongest riders," explained the German rider.

In his view, virtually everyone suffered some kind of issue on a day when all the prep in the world could not ward off mishaps: "We all spend a lot of time finding the right setup, reconning the route and testing equipment, but then a race like Sunday comes along and you realise anything can happen."

For Degenkolb, the root cause is clear: the ever‑increasing pace of the race. The 2026 edition became the fastest in history by average speed, a factor that, he says, completely reshapes how you ride the cobbles.

"We were incredibly fast, always on the limit, and everyone around you was too. So you can’t even think about switching lines, not even about choosing one," he noted. This lack of room to manoeuvre on the pavé forces riders to accept higher‑than‑usual risk.

The result of that extreme pace is an even more chaotic and dangerous race. "Basically, you go wherever you can to avoid crashing," Degenkolb summed up. Yet reacting instead of anticipating has direct consequences: "By doing that, you increase the risk of a mechanical or a puncture, because in practice it’s impossible to avoid the most treacherous rocks."

The German’s reflection shows how modern cycling’s rising speeds are reshaping even historic races like Paris–Roubaix. On terrain where technique and positioning have always been vital, the margin of control seems to shrink, turning the race into something even more unpredictable.