Wout Van Aert beats Tadej Pogacar in dramatic finish to win Paris-Roubaix classic
ROUBAIX, France (AP) — Belgian rider Wout van Aert beat cycling great Tadej Pogačar in a dramatic sprint to the line to win the prestigious Paris-Roubaix one-day classic for the first time on Sunday. They were neck and neck entering the finish at the vélodrome in Roubaix after more than five hours of grueling racing. Van Aert had the better sprint credentials and timed his attack perfectly to surge past Pogačar on the right and hold him off.
“Beating him mano a mano in a sprint is really special to me,” Van Aert said. Van Aert raised his right finger and pointed to the sky as he crossed the line and then got off his bike and lay on his back, thoroughly exhausted. It was a rare defeat for four-time Tour de France champion Pogačar, looking to become the first Tour champion to win Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981.
Last month, Pogačar fought back from a crash to win Milan-San Remo for the first time, leaving only Roubaix to complete the set of five monuments in one-day cycling. He had already won the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Lombardy. But the 31-year-old Van Aert is one of the world’s most versatile riders.
A three-time cyclocross world champion, he won Milan San-Remo in 2020, the Tour de France best sprinters’ green jersey in 2022, finished third at Roubaix in 2023 and third again at Milan-San Remo last month. The 258. 3-kilometer (160.
1-mile) Paris-Roubaix race is called “The Hell of the North” because of its multiple cobblestone sections — totaling about 55 kilometers — and reputation for crashes and punctures. So it proved again as Pogačar punctured once and Dutch three-time defending champion Mathieu van der Poel punctured twice. Pogačar punctured with about 120 kilometers left and, with his team car behind, he took a neutral service bike from a nearby repairs car.