Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, April 14, 2026

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I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road. - Stephen Hawking

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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• April 14 - 18: O Gran Camiño

Upcoming racing:

• April 15 - 19: Tour of Hainan
• April 17: De Brabantse Pijl
• April 19: Amstel Gold Race
• April 20 - 24: Tour of the Alps
• April 22: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 26: Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Latest completed racing:

• April 19: Tour du Doubs race cancelled
• April 12: Paris-Roubaix
• April 6 - 11: Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Country)
• April 7 - 10: Région Pays de la Loire Tour
• April 8: Scheldeprijs
• April 5: Ronde van Vlaanderen
• April 4: GP Miguel Indurain
• April 4: NXT Classic
• April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
• April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen

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More Paris-Roubaix reports

We posted several Paris-Roubaix reports yesterday.

Here's the Paris-Roubaix report from second-place Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Two participations in Paris-Roubaix and two second-place finishes for Tadej Pogačar.

The credit for breaking the World Champion’s streak of three Monument victories went to Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike), who won a two-man sprint at the end of a race full of twists and turns.

Tadej Pogacar on the Tilloy-à-Sars-et-Rosières cobble sector. Sirotti photo

Pogačar arrived determined to conquer the only Monument missing from his palmarès, and his strong form was evident early on as UAE Team Emirates-XRG set a fierce pace with 150km to go, significantly reducing the peloton.

At 120km from the finish, the Slovenian suffered a front-wheel puncture. After initially taking a neutral service bike, he later received his team bike from the car and began a determined 20km chase back to the front of the race – rejoining just before the crucial Arenberg Forest sector.

The iconic cobbled section proved decisive for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who was delayed by a double puncture. Despite trailing by over two minutes, the Dutch rider launched an impressive comeback, closing to within 30 seconds of the leaders and eventually finishing fourth.

Following further mechanical issues – a bike change for Pogačar and a puncture for Van Aert – the pair launched a decisive attack in the Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée sector with 54km remaining. From there, they rode clear together all the way to the Roubaix velodrome, where Van Aert produced a flawless sprint to take victory, leaving the World Champion in second place.

Tadej Pogačar:
“I’m proud of the whole team. It was a very difficult race — I had to change bikes twice and we spent a lot of energy chasing back, so we couldn’t follow our original plan. Still, I managed to get back to the front of the race.

"When Wout attacked, I was able to follow him, but I didn’t have enough freshness in my legs to really drop him on the cobbles. I tried to counter-attack, but he rode very smart. We worked well together to the finish.

"I knew he is very fast, so the sprint was always going to be difficult for me. I gave my best, but he was stronger today and deserved the win. I’m still proud and happy with the result.”

Here's the Paris-Roubaix report from sixth-place Mick van Dijke's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:

Paris-Roubaix marked a fitting conclusion to the cobbled classics campaign, with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe delivering another impressive performance.

Despite numerous setbacks, the team remained active and united throughout the entire race. After more than five hours of racing through northern France, Mick van Dijke reached the Roubaix velodrome just 15 seconds behind and secured a strong sixth place.

For Mick van Dijke, it is the best Roubaix result of his career. After finishing in the top 20 in the previous two editions, he made a significant step forward this time. No rider from Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe has come this close to the top five since the days of Peter Sagan.

The peloton arrives at the Roubaix velodrome. Sirotti photo

Team strength as the key
This result is a clear reflection of a strong collective performance. From the first cobbled sectors, the team—easily recognisable by their distinctive red helmets—was consistently positioned at the front. With multiple riders, they stayed close to the favourites and were able to react flexibly to the ever-changing dynamics of the race. And there were plenty of challenges: punctures, mechanical issues and crashes once again shaped a race that rightfully carries the nickname “Hell of the North.”

Hardly any top rider was spared, and within the team, riders like Laurence Pithie, Jordi Meeus and Mick van Dijke himself had to overcome difficult moments. It was precisely in these situations that the team’s strength became evident. Time and again, they managed to fight their way back to the front, conserve valuable energy and remain present in the decisive phases of the race.

Zak Dempster: "We spoke all winter about starting the cobbled classics as a team and finishing them as a team, and that’s exactly what we’ve done in every race, even when things didn’t go smoothly. The results were strong, but what stood out most to me was the way the group responded to adversity and how quickly we got aligned again when things weren’t quite right."

Zak continues: "Of course you always want a bit more, but the main goal was to rebuild momentum after last year, and in that sense everyone—riders, staff on the ground and at home—can be proud of how we approached it. The riders do the hard work out on the road, but they’re supported by one of the best performance teams in the WorldTour, and the key has been how well they’ve embraced and used those resources while staying consistent in areas like health and nutrition."

Here's the Paris-Roubaix report from eighth-place Stefan Bissegger's Team Decathlon CMA CGM:

Stefan Bissegger
“We had a great race as a team, positioning ourselves at the front during the key moments. After the Arenberg Gap, everyone was at their limit, and the chase was intense behind Pogačar and Van Aert. I knew I couldn’t keep up with Van der Poel because he was faster and stronger, so I had to play it a bit tactically within the group, but we worked well together. I think I gave it my all; I can be proud because it’s still a good result. I took a chance in the final stretch; I went all out to try to surprise them.”

A group of riders in the Arenberg cobbled sector.

Luke Rowe:
“It was a crazy race—when you look at the stats, an average of 49 km/h is a new record. The team did a great job of dictating the pace; we expected breaks to form as early as the first five sectors, and that’s exactly what happened. They really put themselves in a position to win, and then it became purely a test of physical strength. The best riders broke away, and from there, the message for Stefan was clear: risk everything for the podium. He made a move in the final stretch, but it didn’t pay off.”

And here's the Paris-Roubaix report from Team Groupama-FDJ United:

Paris–Roubaix once again lived up to its reputation. From Compiègne to the famous velodrome, the riders’ route this Sunday was strewn with numerous obstacles. In addition to the thirty sectors and fifty-five kilometres of cobblestones, mechanical issues also played a major role, and the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team was among those affected. Slowed by various incidents, Axel Huens and Thibaud Gruel were unable to fully demonstrate their abilities, and in the end Clément Russo was the first to finish “The Hell of the North,” in 23rd position.

The golden period of the cobbled Classics therefore came to an end this Sunday with the “Queen” of them all. The highlight, perhaps the pinnacle, of the early season for the specialists, the 123rd edition of Paris–Roubaix once again offered an extremely demanding course to the riders: more than 258 kilometres, including fifty-five over the dreadful northern cobbles, all located in the second half of the race.

Team Groupama-FDJ United the day before the race at the rider presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo

At the start in Compiègne, most teams had the same idea in mind: anticipate the major battle expected between the favorites. That is precisely why no group managed to break away during the first two hours of racing, which were covered at an average speed of over 52 km/h. The peloton therefore entered the first cobbled sections together, and they quickly began to take their toll. In particular, the fourth sector allowed a group of around fifty riders to go clear, including Axel Huens, Clément Russo, Johan Jacobs, and Bastien Tronchon. The situation then stabilized, with a second group thirty seconds behind, including Thibaud Gruel and Cyril Barthe.

Unfortunately, shortly before heading toward the Haveluy sector, Axel Huens suffered a puncture and resumed nearly a minute behind his group, alongside Tadej Pogačar, who had also punctured. “I knew it was a very bad time to puncture,” said the Frenchman. “It’s the first key point of the day, because the pace always increases before Haveluy to thin things out ahead of the Trouée d’Arenberg.”

The world champion soon accelerated to join the front group, while the Groupama-FDJ United rider understandably struggled. “Getting back into contention after a puncture, only five or six champions can do that,” Axel added. “For the others, it’s almost over.” “Axel struggled to recover from the effort he made to get back into the race,” confirmed Frédéric. Well positioned, Thibaud Gruel managed to dig deep to follow the Slovenian and came back on the front group just before the Trouée d’Arenberg. However, his hopes also faded quickly in the race’s most iconic sector. The young rider from Tours suffered a puncture and then broke a wheel, leaving him more than a minute behind the leading favorites.

In a chasing group of around twenty riders, Clément Russo and Johan Jacobs then held on for about twenty kilometres. However, when the pursuit shattered under repeated attacks from Mathieu van der Poel, the Franco-Swiss duo could not maintain the pace. This was followed by a final hour and a half of battling, often against oneself.

At the front, Wout van Aert got the better of Tadej Pogačar to take victory, while Clément Russo crossed the line seven minutes later in 23rd place. “It was a very tough race,” he said. “I held on as much as I could, and above all I tried to take care of my equipment to avoid problems. I was lucky not to have any issues, but it wasn’t enough for a top result. Unfortunately, Thibaud and Axel, who were our protected riders, had problems. We’re a bit disappointed because we hoped for better, but we fought until the end.” Axel Huens crossed the line in a group sprinting for 27th place. “I wanted a good result this year, so of course I’m disappointed,” he said. “I didn’t want it to happen like this, but I’m not the only one. There were a lot of punctures today, and I was among those affected.”

This Sunday, Johan Jacobs, Bastien Tronchon, Cyril Barthe, and Thibaud Gruel also managed to reach the velodrome. “It was a proper Paris–Roubaix,” concluded Frédéric. “We weren’t spared from incidents, and naturally we hoped for a better result. That said, we can’t have any regrets. The guys fought hard and gave everything they had. On the other hand, our leaders had too many issues to express themselves and achieve a better result. Overall, this cobbled Classics period has been frustrating, but we rode almost all these races with a young, relatively inexperienced group, and we still showed we were in the mix. Only the finishing touch was missing. There were positives, of course some negatives since results remain the priority, but the group was far from being outclassed. We have to stay positive and tell ourselves we’ll come back even stronger next year.”