Paris-Roubaix: Van der Poel Claims a Historic Threepeat As Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Claims Femmes

The Hell of the North is a race of dirt, blood, cobbles and heartache. Tyres explode, chains snap, bones break and dreams are shattered. It is a race where the pavé doesn’t forgive and the strongest legs must be matched by the sharpest minds. To win once is a dream, to win it three times in a row … that is so rare and the domain of the greatest riders of all time.

On Sunday Mathieu Van der Poel entered that elite group, the 30-year-old Dutchman claiming his third consecutive Roubaix victory and becoming the third man in history to do so after Frenchman Octave Lapize (1909–1911) and Italian Francesco Moser (1978–1980).

Van der Poel’s victory followed those in 2023 and 2024, cementing his dominance over the cobbles and place in cycling folklore.

“It means a lot. I was really suffering,” he said after the historic victory that came after a brutal duel with first time Paris-Roubaix combatant Tadej Pogačar.

“I’m just happy I found my good legs again,” Van der Poel continued. “We know what an incredible champion Tadej is. The speed was super-high and he missed the turn a bit. It was the two of us going into the velodrome if he didn’t make the mistake. I think it would have been very difficult to drop him.”

Mathieu Van der Poel on his way to a historic third consecutive Paris-Roubaix victory. Image: Alpecin–Deceuninck

How It Unfolded

The decisive moment came with 38 kilometres to go, on a treacherous right-hand bend in sector 9. Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar – locked in a fierce duel for nearly 100 kilometres – had blown the race apart with relentless accelerations, isolating themselves from the rest of the favourites.

The pair looked inseparable until Pogačar overshot a corner while following a motorbike off the cobbled sector. His bike tumbled into the grass. He fell, his chain came off off, and panic set in.

Would Van der Poel wait? Roubaix is merciless, and so was the Dutchman’s instinct to seize the moment. He powered on alone, leaving Pogačar scrambling for a replacement bike and chasing all the way to the legendary Roubaix velodrome.

“He’s a great champion and one of the best riders in the world,” Pogačar said later.“To race against him is a big honour. If I were a kid racing now, he’d be my idol.”

Despite the crash, Pogačar powered to second place, finishing 1 minute and 18 seconds behind Van der Poel.

“What I learned? That there’s a right turn at 38 kilometres,” he said. “I think it’s the hardest race I’ve done in my life,” Pogačar added. “You think it’s flat, but in terms of power, stress, and sheer brutality, there’s nothing like it.”

Still, the Slovenian’s ride was historic. He joined Philippe Gilbert as one of the few riders to podium at all five Monuments, and matched Eddy Merckx’s feat of finishing second at Paris-Roubaix as a reigning Tour de France champion – exactly 50 years after Merckx finished behind Roger De Vlaeminck in 1975.

Tadej Pogačar during his first appearance at Paris-Roubaix, the Queen of the Classics. Image: Team UAE Emirates XRG.

Pogačar isn’t done with the Queen of the classics. “Can I win? I think so,” he said. “I came second in my first participation, so I can also fight for the victory. Next year? Maybe.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Van der Poel either. At the 33km mark, a spectator hurled a full bidon at him, a shocking act that could have ended in injury. “It hurt a lot. If it had hit my nose, it would’ve been broken,” Van der Poel said. “This is attempted manslaughter. If the UCI doesn’t take action, we will pursue it with the team. There has to be a trial for this.”

Van der Poel, now with eight Monument wins to match Pogačar’s tally, has won Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix this spring. Pogačar, for his part, has won Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders. Their rivalry is one of the major narratives of the era. “Don’t be greedy,” Pogačar said with a smile when asked about more showdowns. “We’ll find other races.”

Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2025 — Ferrand-Prévot Returns to Glory

The fifth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes brought chaos, courage, and a crowning moment for French cycling.

On Saturday, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot conquered the pavé to become the first Frenchwoman to win the women’s edition of the race – and did so on her very first attempt.

A multi-discipline world and Olympic champion, Ferrand-Prévot was not the expected leader in her Team Visma–Lease a Bike squad.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins Paris-Roubaix on Saturday. Image: Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift.

“The plan was to ride for Marianne Vos,” she admitted. “I hadn’t been feeling great over the last few days.” But when she surged clear of the lead group with 25 kilometres to go, she quickly realised the race was hers to lose.

Dancing across the stones with characteristic poise and power, she rode solo into the historic Roubaix velodrome, arms raised high to a crowd roaring for a home victory.

“It turned out amazing,” she said, her face beaming after a performance that added another layer of prestige to her glittering palmarès.

Behind her, Letizia Borghesi (EF Education–Oatly) delivered a courageous ride to take second, surprising many with her resilience over the rough final sectors. European champion Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx–Protime) edged Marianne Vos for third in a photo finish, while defending champion Lotte Kopecky ran out of legs after early aggression and sat up with three kilometres remaining.

The 148.5-kilometre race once again proved itself as cycling’s wildest one-day test. Crashes, punctures, and the infamous pavé shaped the outcome. But it was Ferrand-Prévot – France’s most versatile cycling champion—who rose above it all.

Her return to the road from mountain biking had already been impressive, but this victory confirmed it: Ferrand-Prévot is back, and back in a big way.