It was a dream come true for Belgium’s Wout van Aert after he outsprinted world champion Tadej Pogačar to take his first Paris-Roubaix victory on Sunday.
Dubbed the ‘Hell of the North’ for its gnarly combination of cobbled sectors and rough terrain, Paris-Roubaix was the last stop for many riders gunning for a positive turnaround in their Springs Classics campaign dominated by Pogačar.
Many had at least expected a showdown among cycling’s biggest one-day specialists, but Team Visma – Lease a Bike’s van Aert turned the tides in his favour to win a race that meant more to him than any of his past victories.
World’s best vs Underdog
The 258,3-kilometre race proved it was nothing short of chaotic, during which mechanical issues plagued most of the main riders.
Van Aert, Pogačar, and even 2025 Paris-Roubaix winner Mathieu van der Poel had to deal with punctures, bike changes and near crashes throughout the race.
The nightmarish frenzy meant all contenders had to chase back time, leaving the battle wide open.
By the time the peloton came out of the Arenberg Forest, only seven riders were in the lead.
Van Aert then launched an attack soon after, and only Pogačar managed to respond.
The two took turns to lead the two-man breakaway, with a chasing group, which included van der Poel, right on their tail with a gap that stretched to just less than a minute.
They kept the chasers at bay until the Vélodrome André Pétrieux, where they sized each other up until van Aert launched an attack 200 metres before the finish line to seal his victory.
Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates – XRG came in second and Jasper Stuyven of Soudal-Quick Step was third.
A ‘lifetime’s work’
Van Aert’s win came at an emphatic time for him, following his many setbacks since the start of the year.
He left the Exact Cross in Mol injured, which not only led to the premature end of his cyclo-cross reunion with van der Poel but also affected his preparations for his Springs Classics campaign.
His recent performance in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders, where victories eluded him despite his strong form, only added to his heartbreak.
“This victory means everything to me,” an emotional van Aert said in a post-race interview.
“There were moments when I thought it might never happen for me, but giving up was never an option.
“My family, the team and I have been through so much. But we kept going, and I always felt everyone’s support.
“To me, this victory is the culmination of a lifetime’s work.”
However, his victory meant much more than personal dreams.
Van Aert also won for late Belgian cyclist Michael Goolaerts, who was his teammate during his stint in Vérandas Willems-Crelan.
Goolaerts passed away during the 2018 Paris-Roubaix due to cardiac arrest.
“This one is for Michael Goolaerts, my former teammate. Since his passing, I think about him every time Paris-Roubaix comes around.
“Losing Michael caused so much pain for everyone, and to be able to win here for him means so much.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Cycling news: Tadej Pogacar beats Mathieu van der Poel to win third Tour of Flanders
Pogačar to come back stronger
Meanwhile, Pogačar will have to wait longer before he can complete his collection of Monument victories.
Paris-Roubaix remains the only race he has yet to conquer.
Despite losing by a clear margin, Pogačar heaped praise for van Aert in an interview after the race, saying he “deserves this victory for how he always comes back from every setback”.
“Every time I tried to drop Wout, my legs were not the greatest anymore. He always could ride back to my wheel,” he said.
“I could feel it was not meant for me today to drop him before the sprint.”
Pogačar made it clear he was not giving up, promising to come back in the next few years to try again.
“There is always something you could have done differently. Right now, so close after the race, I just feel I did my best.”
Rivalry at its finest
Alpecin-Premier Tech’s van der Poel, who won last year’s edition, admitted he wasn’t fully convinced he could defend his title after suffering from punctures twice in the Arenberg Forest.
“I didn’t fully believe in it anymore, because I’d already had to burn so much energy just to get back. It’s actually incredible that I’m still sprinting for the podium,” he told Eurosport.
“I definitely had the legs to compete, but you also need luck in Roubaix.”
While van Aert’s outstanding performance moved hearts among the crowd, his win also triggered a wave of support from riders themselves, including van der Poel, his greatest and longtime rival.
After the Dutch crossed the finish line in fourth, he pushed through the crowd to get to van Aert, who was in disbelief on the ground, to congratulate him first.
Van der Poel was nearly speechless when asked about his moment with van Aert in an immediate interview, but later clarified he was happy for his rival’s win.
“I think everyone is happy for Wout, including me. It’s really nice for him.”
Paris-Roubaix is usually a spectacle of the strongest, but van Aert showed a different kind of narrative in this year’s edition – one rooted in resilience, hope, and the notion that sometimes, even underdogs can win against all odds.
READ NEXT: WWE news: CM Punk unleashes scathing promo, blasts Roman Reigns, Pat McAfee
Anna Ferraz 
Lucia Caporalini 
Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez