Mathieu van der Poel claimed a third consecutive Paris-Roubaix title with a 39km solo effort that was as much about survival as it was about dominance. The Dutchman’s latest triumph at the Hell of the North came after an intense duel with Tadej Pogačar was abruptly ended when the world champion slid out and crashed on a cobbled corner, handing Van der Poel the decisive gap.
The win, built on relentless pressure and a cool head in a race full of drama, places Van der Poel in rare company. Only Octave Lapize (1909–1911) and Francesco Moser (1978–1980) had previously achieved three-in-a-row in Roubaix. But this was no cruise. The Dutchman battled a bidon thrown from the crowd, a late puncture and long solo kilometres into a headwind to etch his name into the record books once more.
How the 2025 Paris-Roubaix unfolded
The 2025 edition of Paris-Roubaix began in chaotic fashion, with tension and crashes surfacing even before the riders hit the first cobbled sector. As the peloton rolled out of Compiègne, the pace was aggressive, and the fight for the early breakaway proved intense. After around 20 kilometres of racing, a group of eight managed to get clear: Oier Lazkano, Kim Heiduk, Jasper De Buyst, Markus Hoelgaard, Jonas Rutsch, Abram Stockman, Rory Townsend and Max Walker.
This move was not given much leeway initially, as teams like Alpecin-Deceuninck and UAE Team Emirates kept the tempo high in the bunch, but eventually, their advantage was allowed to stretch out to around three and a half minutes before the peloton backed off slightly.
The situation began to shift as the race approached the first of the 30 pavé sectors at Troisvilles. As has become common in recent editions, the approach to the cobbles triggered a wave of nervousness, and the peloton suffered a spate of crashes and mechanicals. One of the biggest early incidents involved Wout van Aert and Matej Mohorič, both of whom went down before hitting the cobbles. Jasper Stuyven also crashed at Troisvilles itself, and moments later, Jasper Philipsen lost control on a slick left-hander. Filippo Ganna was one of the first to suffer a puncture.
The first selection began to form between sectors 25 and 20. Ganna and Philipsen found themselves chasing for 35 kilometres following their early setbacks, and a large number of favourites started moving forward aggressively ahead of the critical Haveluy to Wallers section. On the four-star Haveluy sector, Mads Pedersen opened the first meaningful acceleration among the favourites. Tadej Pogačar countered soon after with a sharper surge that shattered the already-reduced group. Van der Poel responded, and suddenly, a new elite group had formed.
Photo Credit: GettyAs they exited Haveluy, Pogačar continued to apply pressure and led the group into the Trouée d’Arenberg. Here, the selection became brutal. The breakaway was finally caught just before the sector. Mathieu van der Poel then surged, taking command of the front on the fabled 2.3km five-star cobbled trench. His effort drew out a quintet consisting of Pogačar, Pedersen, Philipsen and Stefan Bissegger. Britain’s 19-year-old Matthew Brennan, riding his first Monument, also briefly made the group, showcasing maturity beyond his years.
Once clear of Arenberg, Van der Poel didn’t ease up. He launched another attack exiting sector 16, with 87km to go. The relentless pace thinned the group even further. Pedersen suffered a front-wheel puncture just after the four-star Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières sector, costing him contact with the leaders. Bissegger also punctured. The result was a leading trio: Van der Poel, Pogačar and Philipsen.
By now, the trio had over a minute’s advantage. Tension between the three was evident. Van der Poel refused to work fully with Pogačar, wanting to wait for Philipsen to contribute. But the cohesion was short-lived. At the back end of the Mons-en-Pévèle sector (sector 11), Van der Poel lifted the pace once more. Pogačar responded. Philipsen couldn’t.
This left just two riders at the head of the race: the rainbow jersey and the world champion. For nearly 10 kilometres, the pair rode side by side, testing each other with flicks of pace and repeated digs. Then came sector 9: Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin. As the pair approached a right-hand corner, Pogačar went in hot and misjudged the entry. He clipped the edge of the cobbles, skidded, and slammed into the barriers. Van der Poel narrowly avoided the crash, skipping inside and pushing on.
Photo Credit: Bernard PaponPogačar quickly remounted but had lost nearly 20 seconds. Worse still, his chain had dropped in the crash, and he was forced to change bikes. This gave Van der Poel a more stable gap. Pogačar’s chase briefly stabilised the deficit, but another mechanical on the Bourghelles to Wannehain sector, just 15km later, required a second bike change and saw the gap stretch towards a minute.
Meanwhile, Van der Poel was not without misfortune himself. Just under 18 kilometres from the finish, while hammering across the Carrefour de l’Arbre, he punctured his rear tyre. Fortunately, with his team car right behind him, he was able to switch bikes and lose only a few seconds.
With all chasers out of sight, Van der Poel rode through the final two sectors solo and hit the tarmac with the velodrome in sight. He entered Roubaix alone, head down, then raised three fingers in celebration on the finishing straight. Behind, Pogačar, who had spent the final 20km locked in his own private time trial, entered the velodrome alone as well—1 minute and 18 seconds down.
The battle for third had settled earlier. After regrouping in the wake of the frontrunners’ duel, Pedersen, Van Aert, and Vermeersch found themselves contesting the final podium spot. Pedersen led into the velodrome and powered clear with a long sprint to secure third.
Further back, Fred Wright emerged from a second chase group to finish ninth after a mechanical scare in Arenberg and a clever late attack before the final sectors. Riders like Ganna and Philipsen drifted home minutes down. Way off the back, Matthew Brennan fought solo to 44th in his Monument debut. Joey Pidcock, making his senior debut at Paris-Roubaix for Q36.5, was the last man to arrive, 53 minutes down and outside the time limit, but he received an ovation just for finishing.
Photo Credit: Jeff PachoudQuotes and reactions from those on the podium
Mathieu van der Poel’s third Paris-Roubaix win looked commanding on paper, but it came with a string of complications that threatened to derail his solo charge. The most pressing of those was a complete lack of information in the closing kilometres. Without power data and without race radio, Van der Poel had to ride by feel.
“It was difficult because I also had no power, and I didn’t know the time gap,” he said post-race. “It was a blind effort. I just had to go for it.”
The turning point had come on sector 9 when Pogačar, who had matched him punch for punch until that point, crashed on a sweeping right-hand corner. The Slovenian slid out and into the barriers, and although Van der Poel avoided him, he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened behind.
“The speed was super high and I think he misjudged the turn a bit,” he reflected. “I was just quick enough to save it, and I don’t know what happened afterwards. That’s part of racing.”
Even in the lead, Van der Poel’s ride wasn’t without further threat. On sector 8, with 33km to go and already fully committed to the solo, he was struck in the face by a full bidon hurled from the crowd — a potentially dangerous act that left the Dutchman visibly angry after the finish.
“It hurt a lot. It was like a stone hitting me,” he said. “That’s not acceptable. Hopefully, the police can identify the man. This has to go to court.”
Despite that incident and a rear puncture on Carrefour de l’Arbre, Van der Poel was able to keep calm, switch bikes smoothly, and stay clear of the chasers to claim a record-equalling third straight Roubaix.
Pogačar unbowed despite crash: “Maybe next time it won’t be so hard”
Tadej Pogačar’s debut at Paris-Roubaix ended in second place – and although the crash at sector 9 ended his chance of victory, the Slovenian took it in stride. He became the first reigning Tour de France champion to make the podium at Roubaix since Eddy Merckx in 1975 and joined Philippe Gilbert as the only recent riders to finish on the podium at all five Monuments.
The crash itself, he explained with a grin, was entirely down to rider error.
“There is a right turn at 38 kilometres,” he said. “I had the wind in my back and was going flat out. I misjudged the turn.”
Even with the crash, a chain drop, a bike change, and a late puncture, Pogačar stayed committed to the chase, eventually riding solo to the line in second.
“It was one of the hardest races I’ve ever done in my life,” he admitted. “The cobbles, the stress on the body… I think I gained some experience that maybe next time it will not be so hard as it was today.”
Photo Credit: Cor VosPedersen and Van Aert honest after the podium battle
Mads Pedersen took his second consecutive third place in Roubaix after outsprinting Wout van Aert and Florian Vermeersch in the velodrome. A front-wheel puncture on the Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières sector had cost him contact with the leaders at a critical moment, but he refused to dwell on what could have been.
“I had a puncture in a bad moment,” he said. “I don’t want to say ‘if this, if that’. I just fought back and made it count at the finish.”
Wout van Aert, still recovering from his early crash and visibly fatigued, was quick to acknowledge the strength of the podium trio ahead of him.
“Today, Mathieu, Tadej and Mads were stronger than I was,” he said plainly. “Fourth place was the maximum I could do.”
Further down the road
Behind the headline riders, there were stories everywhere. Fred Wright overcame a mechanical in Arenberg and launched a well-timed solo move before the final sectors to claim ninth. “My bike went into crash mode in Arenberg,” he revealed. “I was just stuck in the biggest gear. I thought my race was over.”
Debutant Matthew Brennan showed maturity beyond his years to mix it with the best deep into the race. “I think to be in the position I was, when you’re left with 20 guys and they’re the best guys in the peloton, maybe you’ve done something right,” he said. “Eventually the parachutes came out, but that’s part of the game.”
Joey Pidcock of Q36.5 was the last rider across the line—outside the time limit but to huge applause. He insisted he never thought of quitting:
“I didn’t come with the best shape, but I had to finish. I might not get to ride it again. So many people don’t get the opportunity to race this.”
Even as the sun set over the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux and the final advertising boards were packed away, the stories from the 2025 edition were still unfolding—none more impressive than Van der Poel’s. A third Roubaix, eight Monuments, and still riding like he has something to prove.
2025 Paris Roubaix result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty-Dario Belingheri
