Lifting the famous cobble-stone trophy awarded to the victor is a childhood dream for most riders in the peloton, but few are able to do so. Extra special that Mathieu van der Poel won the last two editions in a row.
With his two consecutive wins, Van der Poel followed in the footsteps of Tom Boonen, who managed the same feat in 2008-2009. Together with Roger De Vlaeminck, Boonen is the only rider to have won the Hell of the North four times. At the same time, Francesco Moser is the only rider who won Roubaix three times in a row. So, Van der Poel has the chance to match that feat.
However, he faces stiff competition from an extraordinary Paris-Roubaix debutant, Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian beat Van der Poel last week in the Tour of Flanders, after the Dutchman had bested him in Milan-San Remo. In Italy, a third phenomenon joined the two in the finale, Filippo Ganna, and he’ll also be there in the Hell of the North.
With Mads Pedersen in excellent form this season and Wout van Aert beginning to find his rhythm, it’s clear that this year’s Paris-Roubaix is a race not to be missed.
The Hell of the North is one of the toughest one-day races on the calendar and it takes a tough individual to win. After having endured a daunting gauntlet of cobbles, the riders arrive in the Roubaix Velodrome. A perfect blend of positioning, bike-handling, power, and tactical nous are essential to win the Hell of the North. But let’s not forget a large slice of luck either. Given the conditions, mechanical issues are unavoidable in Roubaix, and the timing of such issues can be the difference between winning and losing.
In this season’s classics, Søren Wærenskjold (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad), Jasper Philipsen (Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne), Tadej Pogacar (Strade Bianche), Nils Eekhoff (Nokere Koerse), Sebastián Molano (Brugge-De Panne), Mathieu van der Poel (E3 Saxo Classic), Mads Pedersen (Gent-Wevelgem), Neilson Powless (Dwars door Vlaanderen), and Tadej Pogacar (Tour of Flanders) have all been celebrating.
Favourites 2025 Paris-Roubaix
***** Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar
**** Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, Filippo Ganna
*** Jasper Stuyven, Jasper Philipsen, Stefan Küng
** Iván García, Jonathan Milan, Tim Wellens, Dylan van Baarle
* Joshua Tarling, Florian Vermeersch, Kasper Asgreen, Nils Politt