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More mechanicals and punctures very early on.
Stafan Bissegger (Decathlon-CMA CGM) rolled off the front but, as they leave the cobbles, he sits up with an XDS-Astana rider going over the top.
Several punctures on this first sector of cobbles with Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar) being one of them.
Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matthias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) moving to the front too on the early cobbles.
Tarling flicking his elbow, he doesn’t want to lead for too long.
Sector 30, first cobbles
Onto the sector 30, Troisvilles à Inchy. The pace is extremely high and, leading onto it, is Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Josh tarling (Ineos Grenadiers).
Bike change for Niklas Märkl (Pinic-PostNL). A nightmare time to get a mechanical with about 3km to the cobbles.
Visma-Lease a Bike, Uno-X Mobility, Decathlon-CMA CGM, Ineos Grenadiers, Alpecin-Premier Tech and UAE Team Emirates-XRG all on the front of the peloton with 165km to go.
So, no breakaway today. The peloton will hit the cobbles all together.
Ineos Grenadiers now appears on the front of the peloton for Ganna.
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The pace rockets in the peloton with just over 10km to the first sector of the day. Sector 30, Troisvilles à Inchy.
A few riders having to unclip right at the back of the peloton. But no-one goes down.
20km to go until the first cobbled sector, the Troisvilles à Inchy.
Cofidis tried a new move and, for a moment, it looked like he’d be allowed to go. A few more saw this as a chance and the fight gets going all over again.
Pogačar and Ganna still out the back with the world champion now in the wind. A small moment where the cars weren’t with them. But now they get back in.
🏁 184km🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🚗All back together and riders who had stopped, like Tadej Pogačar, are returning to the bunch.Le peloton s’est reformé et des coureurs qui s’étaient arrêtés, comme Tadej Pogacar, retrouvent leur place. #ParisRoubaix 😈 pic.twitter.com/3mb9v0QVY2April 12, 2026
A brief hiatus in attacks comes and goes as another move starts, led by Groupama-FDJ United.
Dillier closes things down with Van der Poel in his wheel and the peloton is back together again.
Pogačar coming back to the peloton after a nature break with Mick van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). He has a lot of teammates in the front group. Very interesting situation.
There’s a lot of panic in the peloton with Visma-Lease a Bike frantically riding on the front. More riders trying to bridge the gap between the peloton and the break. Another Visma rider now kick clear and it is down to Alpecin-Premier Tech and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leading the chase.
The peloton is stretched right out in a massive line and some splits re starting to appear. Van der Poel and Pogačar not in it but lots of UAE riders as well as Oliver Naesen (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). Previous winner, John Degenkolb (Picnic-PostNL) and former podium sitter Yves Lampaert (Soudal-QuickStep) also in this huge group.
🖖 The peloton is split in 2 ! Cassure dans le peloton ! ⛓️💥#ParisRoubaix 😈 pic.twitter.com/K3kXNttSwRApril 12, 2026
Fedorov tries to go, yet again. Flying at about 70kph!
The moves are just utterly ridiculous. So many moves as Visma-Lease a Bike, Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are trying to get into the break for the first time.
Lotto-Intermarche get a solo rider clear but he has a long long line leading the peloton. 54kph average speed so far after just over an hour.
Groupama-FDJ United now getting involved in the latest moves. Bahrain Victorious and several Modern Adventure riders also at the front. No gap formed yet, though.
So many attacks but nothing is getting away. With this strong tailwind, there is a very big chance that there will be no breakaway at all today.
25 years since Servais Knaven won this race. Today, his daughter, Mirre of EF Education-Oatly, races the same cobbles…
Pogačar sits up and more moves go yet again.
A new move goes and Tadej Pogačar himself is right in the mix for the breakaway with 50km to the first cobbled sector.
Visma-Lease a Bike try to get a man in the break and this may spell the end for this latest move.
A large group have a decent gap including Kamil Małecki and Zukowsky from Pinarello-Q36.5.
Flanders-Baloise launches a new move with Zukowsky and a Tudor rider following but some of the big teams are now getting involved with UAE Team Emirates-XRG starting to control things.
Emīls Liepiņš (Pinarello-Q36.5) is one of the riders who launches a new move but, again, nothing doing.
Van Aert, Laporte and Ganna, among others, coming back into the peloton after several riders stop for a nature break.
Tomáš Kopecký and Matyáš Kopecký both riding for Unibet Rose Rockets. The two brothers also have their sister, Julia Kopecký racing for SD Worx-Protime. An amazing day for the Kopecký family.
NSN lead a new move and is caught by a few others including Asian and Kazakhstani champion, Yevgeniy Fedorov (XDS-Astana). But, again, nothing doing.
A huge attack comes from the peloton and that spells an end to the breakaway yet again.
Modern Adventure get a rider across to Dewulf and Borgo.
Slovakian champion, Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) are two standout names right at the very back of the peloton. Brennan finished 44th on debut last year after showing very good legs in support of Van Aert.
It is just wave after wave of attacks in the peloton. Dewulf and Borgo are still clear by about 5″, though.
Flanders-Baloise and XDS-Astana try to get involved, but they are quickly brought back.
Modern Adventure leading a new move but too many follow and that gets nowhere.
The two clear are Alessandro Borgo (Bahrain Victorious) and the very talented Stan Dewulf (Decathlon-CMA CGM).
New attacks go straight away, though. Led by Bahrain Victorious and Decathlon-CMA CGM. Yves Lampaert (Soudal-Quickstep) trying to be stealthy and get into the break.
Breakaway caught!
Cees Bol (Decathlon-CMA CGM) is the man who joins the leaders.
New attacks leaving the front of the peloton.
The leaders have been joined by a rider from Decathlon-CMA CGM. But the gap has dropped to just 5″.
The break is Matevž Govekar (Bahrain Victorious), Riley Sheehan (NSN) and Martijn Rasenberg (Unibet Rose Rockets). They still have 15″ gap. Several riders in the gap.
Rear puncture for Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
The leading trio have 15″ on the peloton.
10km of racing done and the average speed is a staggering 57kph!
Three riders get away from Unibet Rose Rockets, Bahrain Victorious and NSN. They have a pretty decent gap on the chasing group and then the peloton.
Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and a few other big names just slipping into the early move. That sees it dragged back, though. The former Swiss champion was second in this race behind the great Peter Sagan.
Van der Poel and three of his teammates are right at the back of the peloton.
Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello-Q36.5) is one of the first riders to attack.
Fabian Lienhard (Tudor) makes it back into the peloton.
There will be a delayed start as there are some mechanicals.
Just 1km to the official start.
As we wait for the start, why not have a go at our little quiz we put together! Can you name every podium from the last decade? I’ll give you a clue, Van der Poel is in a few of them!
Just over 5km to the official start.
🚩The peloton leaves Compiègne, Paris-Roubaix 2026 is underway!🚩Le peloton s’élance de Compiègne. C’est parti pour #ParisRoubaix 2026 ! pic.twitter.com/DSVVG5d0IhApril 12, 2026
Just under 15 minutes to the official start. The riders have just started the neutral zone in Compiègne,
Patrick Lefevere looked at the likely outcome of today but also a look back at the late Franco Ballerini…
Pogačar believes that he may not need to get away solo to take the Hell of the North…
Sign on is well underway for the riders after the team presentation last night. There is just over half an hour until the riders get racing.
Bonjour, and welcome to Cyclingnews’ live report of the 123rd running of the men’s Paris-Roubaix. Otherwise known as the ‘Hell of the North’.
The media has, understandably, been focused on defending three time champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and world champion, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) before the start of this race.
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