Paris-Roubaix 2024

The road

At the start

Van der Poel, six days after the Ronde

Compiègne, 259 kilometres and twenty-nine sectors of pavé, and Mathieu van der Poel arrives six days after winning the Tour of Flanders — empty, by his own account, at the line in Oudenaarde. He defends last year's cobblestone with Jasper Philipsen, second here in 2023, beside him. Van Aert is still absent, Mads Pedersen is chasing the first Monument of his career, and Tom Pidcock makes a late, bruised debut.

How it was won

1. 1153 km to go

   The Hell explodes early

   On the four-star cobbles at Quiévy, Wellens and then Riesebeek crank the pace beyond breaking point, a crosswind bites, and with 150km still to run the race is already down to sixty men — six of them from Alpecin-Deceuninck.

2. 292 km to go

   A warning in the Arenberg

   Through the Trouée d'Arenberg Van der Poel suddenly surges to the front, and out the far side of the forest only Pedersen, Philipsen and Van Dijke can cling on. Ninety kilometres out it is too soon to commit, but the writing is on the wall.

3. 370 km to go

   Pedersen tests the grip

   Pedersen drives in person across the Tilloy sector and Wellens and Pithie throw their digs, but every single move is calmly shut down by the omnipresent Alpecin machine.

4. 460 km to go

   Van der Poel goes at 60km

   With 60 kilometres left Van der Poel launches from fourth wheel and is simply gone, blasting out of every cobbled sector at a speed no one can hold. By 40km to go his lead is 1:46 and the rest are racing for second — a repeat solo raid, and if anything even more imperious than the last.

5. 515 km to go

   Alone at the Carrefour d'Arbre

   Across the fearsome Carrefour d'Arbre, cobbles that have decided so many editions, Van der Poel powers on almost without trying, his advantage drifting out towards three minutes.

6. 6At the line

   Van der Poel doubles up

   Van der Poel sweeps into the Roubaix velodrome to a second straight cobblestone and the first Flanders-Roubaix double in eleven years, the fastest edition ever run. Philipsen out-kicks Pedersen for the minor placings far behind.

The result