“I'll be back, but maybe not next year”

Ashley Davis13/04/2026

0 55 4 minutes read

Article by Mitica Docan – Published on Sunday, 12 April 2026 23:10 / Updated on Monday, 13 April 2026 00:01

Belgium's Wout van Aert, 31, sprinted past Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, 27, to win Paris-Roubaix for the first time, the third classic Monument race of the season. In an edition marked by many unforeseen events, the road rider from Visma–Lease a Bike denied Pogacar, an atypical favorite for classic races in the North, the chance to be the only cyclist in history to simultaneously hold the title in all 5 Monuments in cycling.

Considered one of the best classic racing drivers in the peloton, Van Aert has had several problems with injuries and missed opportunities in recent years. Van Aert first competed at Paris-Roubaix in 2018, an edition overshadowed by the death of his teammate Michael Goolaerts following a crash during the race.

“Ever since then, it's been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This win is for Michael, but especially for his family…for the staff of my former team,” explained Van Aert.

Pogacar makes a wedge, then makes an incredible comeback

This year's edition of Paris-Roubaix, the toughest cobblestone race on the calendar, was 258.5 kilometers long, with 30 “trails” on a sharp cubic stone. All eyes were on Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, 3-time back-to-back winner and reigning champion until the start, and Slovenian Tour de France champion Pogacar, who was trying to become only the fourth man in history to win ALL the classic Monument races.

What are the classics-monument? There are 5 one-day races, considered the most prestigious events in cycling, outside of the Grand Tours. The 5 Monuments are: Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Tour of Lombardy.
Only 3 drivers have at least one victory in each of these 5 races, all of them Belgian: Rik van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck. Of these, only Eddy Merckx also won the Tour de France;
Tadej Pogacar only needs Paris-Roubaix to write his name in the history of every classic-monument. Pogacar has five victories in the Tour of Lombardy, three in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, three in the Tour of Flanders and one in Milan-Sanremo.

The Slovenian from the UAE had technical problems early in the race but recovered more than 30 seconds to finish shoulder to shoulder with his great rivals. Then Mathieu Van der Poel fell behind, also with a technical problem, on the dreaded Arendberg with about 100 kilometers to go, which saw him lose over 2 minutes to Pogacar and the rest, enough time to say goodbye to a record fourth title.

“I punctured twice on the Arenberg. How did it happen? Like for everyone, you hit a cobblestone and that's it,” a van der Poel told Eurosport.

The Dutchman swapped bikes with Jasper Philipsen but had to dismount again almost immediately. “I was riding with different pedals. I tried, but it didn't work. Normally I wouldn't have taken Jasper's bike either, but I guess he wasn't feeling too well. Unfortunately, it didn't help much.”

Finally he managed to continue, but a few meters further everything went wrong again. “Then I did it again at the exit of Arenberg. At that point, my race was over,” said the Dutchman.

Van Aert attacks decisively, Pogacar follows him

Van Aert and Pogacar broke away alone on sector 12 and didn't look back for around 60 kilometers. The two worked together and reached the Roubaix velodrome alone, after which Van Aert proved far too strong in the sprint against a Pogacar exhausted by effort and repeated bike problems. Behind them, Jasper Stuyven secured third place, ahead of van der Poel.

“Wout van Aert deserves this win for the way he bounces back every time after every setback. He never gives up and should be a hero to a lot of kids because of the way he competes.” “Every time I tried to break away from Wout, my legs were not at their best. He always managed to get back into my net. I felt today was not written for me to leave it behind before the sprint. And as for sprinting, well – it was great to see up close how fast he can be after so much effort“, explained Pogacar, quoted by the official website of the race.

Pogacar: “I don't regret anything, I have to come back for the win”

“There were a lot of problems today. When I had the first puncture, I went half-empty for a while and as a result I broke my rear wheel, so I had to get a Shimano bike. Afterwards I had to overtake several groups and the team made a huge effort to bring me back to the front. I had to use a lot of energy because I wanted to be at the front of the race before Arenberg. Otherwise it would have been a lot more difficult to get to the front. A few kilometers later I had another breakdown. Every problem is a waste of energy, but that's how this race goes. I don't regret anything“.

Tadej Pogacar in the famous Roubaix showers, photo: Imago

“I will definitely come back to Roubaix. Maybe not next year, but I still have many years in my sports career to try to win this race. I will come back for this victory.”

“There's always something you could have done differently. Now, so soon after the race, I just feel like I gave it my best shot. Maybe tomorrow, after the dust settles, I'll realize I could have done something better. But at this moment, I feel that I gave it my all and I have no regrets.”

“I think it's really cool how we race together. I really like it when everyone races with an open heart, giving their best without trying to fool others. Sometimes it's better to sit back and take care of your legs, but I love doing the hard race and I have a lot of respect for those who do the same.”