Paving the way to legend

April 8 ^th 2025 - 09:57

> For the first time since 1991, the title-holder of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar, will face the Hell of the North, on Sunday 13 April, in what promises to be a historic 122nd edition of the race.
> While the Slovenian world champion dreams of an unprecedented triumph following his victories in the Tour and the Ronde van Vlaanderen, his great rival Mathieu van der Poel is aiming for a third consecutive victory in the Queen of the Classics, after previous victories in 2023 and 2024.
> Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert are set to be their main rivals, but contenders such as Filippo Ganna and Stefan Küng hope to turn the tables in a race famed for its unpredictable scenarios.

The Hell of the North and the glory of the Queen of the Classics await the stars of the spring on the roads of Paris-Roubaix, ready to host a cobbled grand finale. On Sunday, champions of the Monuments will battle it out en route to the André-Pétrieux velodrome, not only for a place in the history of Paris-Roubaix, but also for the opportunity to write their names in cycling legend, magnified in recent years by a cohort of extraordinary champions who have pulled off epic feats. At the start in Compiègne, the public will meet up with some stellar regulars, led by defending winner Mathieu van der Poel, and a new guest, Tadej Pogacar, a beginner in the Hell of the North but already a favourite with his iridescent panache and the versatility of his talents.

The Slovenian Cannibal is the first outgoing Tour de France winner to line up at the start of Paris-Roubaix since Greg LeMond in 1991. But Pogacar wants to do more than just take part: can he turn his first attempt into a masterpiece? After his show of strength on the cobbles at the Tour of Flanders, he dreams of following in the footsteps of the flahutes who have won the two cobbled Monuments back-to-back. There are eleven such double winners, Van der Poel being the latest... And none of them had won the Tour (only Louison Bobet and Eddy Merckx have won all three events in their careers, but not consecutively).

Defeated in Flanders, Van der Poel is still the reference on the cobbles of Roubaix, where he triumphed in 2023 and 2024. He is also racing for history: a third consecutive victory would put him on a par with Octave Lapize (1909, 1910, 1911) and Francesco Moser (1978, 1979, 1980), the only riders to have achieved such a feat. The Dutchman can count on his past record and on the support of Jasper Philipsen, absent from the Ronde and 2nd in the last two editions of Paris-Roubaix.

Can the Belgian sprinter upset the balance seen in recent weeks? With its pitfalls and hazards, the Hell of the North lends itself to all kinds of scenarios. Battling it out with Pogacar and Van der Poel on Sunday, Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert are looking for the plan that will crown them in Roubaix, perhaps thanks to the collective strength of their teams. Jasper Stuyven, who is used to delivering in major events, was the only rider who could accompany the infernal quartet on Sunday in Flanders. And Jonathan Milan brings his power and speed to give Lidl-Trek another tactical option.

Even in the opposing ranks, these contenders should find allies in the shape of Filippo Ganna and Stefan Küng to try and upset the Pogacar - Van der Poel duo, winners of the last six Monuments, but faced with an army of contenders determined to tame the Hell of the North, also welcoming another prestigious debutant: Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). Like Pogacar, the king of sprints in the last Tour de France has already shown his panache in the classics. But the challenges of Paris-Roubaix are unique.

25 teams, the main participants

Australia
Jayco-AlUla : Walscheid (Ger)

Bahrain
Bahrain Victorious : Mohoric (Slo), Wright (Gbr)

Belgium
Alpecin-Deceuninck: Van der Poel (Ned), Philipsen (Bel)
Intermarché-Wanty: Girmay (Eri), Petit (Fra), Rex (Bel)
Lotto: De Lie (Bel), Segaert (Bel)
Soudal Quick-Step: Merlier (Bel), Lampaert (Bel)

France
Arkea-B&B Hotels: Démare (Fra), Mozzato (Ita)
Cofidis: De Gendt (Bel), Renard (Fra)
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale: Naesen (Bel), Bissegger (Sui), Gautherat (Fra)
Groupama-FDJ: Küng (Sui), Askey (Gbr)
Total Energies: Turgis (Fra), Brunel (Fra)
Unibet Tietema Rockets: Kubis (Svk), Huens (Fra)

Germany
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe: Meeus (Bel), Pithie (Nzl)

Great Britain
Ineos Grenadiers: Ganna (Ita), Tarling (Gbr), Turner (Gbr)

Israel
Israel-Premier Tech: Hofstetter (Fra), Louvel (Fra)

Kazakhstan
XDS-Astana: Ballerini (Ita), Fedorov (Kaz), Teunissen (Ned)

Norway
Uno-X Mobility: Kristoff (Nor), Waerenskjold (Nor), Hoelgaard (Nor)

Netherlands
Picnic PostNL: Eekhoff (Ned), Bittner (Cze)
Visma-Lease a Bike: Van Aert (Bel), Van Baarle (Ned), Brennan (Gbr)

Spain
Movistar: Garcia Cortina (Esp)

Switzerland
Q36.5: Moschetti (Ita), Steimle (Ger)
Tudor: Trentin (Ita), Haller (Aut)

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates-XRG: Pogacar (Slo), Vermeersch (Bel), Wellens (Bel), Politt (Ger), Morgado (Por)

United States
EF Education-Easypost: Mikhels (Est), Van den Berg (Ned)
Lidl-Trek: Pedersen (Den), Stuyven (Bel), Milan (Ita)