Hat trick by Mathieu van der Poel in the Paris-Roubaix 2025

Bad luck in the form of an error by Tadej Pocacar robs us of a memorable battle in a new record-breaking high-speed Paris-Roubaix. A festival of attacks and counterattacks with a Pogacar who seemed to have been running on cobblestones all his life and who promised an epic outcome until a mistake on a not overly complicated section left the Slovenian out of the game and handed Mathieu van der Poel his third consecutive victory on a silver platter.

Mathieu van der Poel takes revenge on Flanders in Paris-Roubaix

We never tire of saying that we are living in a cycling era. A real gift for fans to enjoy the daring and courage of cyclists like Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar who, once again, did not let themselves be intimidated by their status as clear favorites, offering us an incredible spectacle from very early on.

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The 2025 Paris-Roubaix began on a gray day with uncertain weather, although the rain did not end up making an appearance, but the strong wind that had been prevailing all week did. The race started at a very fast pace, but that did not prevent the usual breakaway from forming, with Oier Lazkano sneaking into it on the first day of this 2025 season, after a spring that did not go as he would have liked.

While the breakaway was consolidating, behind them the high speed and nerves increased as they approached the cobblestone sections, leading to numerous crashes. And as is usual in this race, some of the favorites were affected, specifically Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen, although fortunately without consequences.

The pace continued to increase in the early cobblestone sections, slowly building up to the mythical Arenberg Forest sector. And when no one expected it, in the previous Haveluy to Wallers section, Mads Pedersen took action, setting the pace in person. Tadej Pogacar liked the move and immediately took over from the Dane, with Mathieu van der Poel waiting attentively behind both.

This move, rather than seeking to cause damage, probably aimed to reduce the main group to a minimum in order to face Arenberg more comfortably. Meanwhile, the breakaway was within reach and they would not manage to break away at the head of the mythical sections. And they wouldn't, as at the beginning of the same section, Pogacar himself was the one to increase the pace, now with the intention of causing damage. Pedersen held up well and Mathieu van der Poel, like a fish in water, ended up taking the lead to intensify the pace even more, a move that dropped Wout van Aert.

At the exit of the section, instead of the usual regrouping, the attacks continued with Van der Poel trying to cause damage and Pogacar visibly suffering, having to close all the gaps. In fact, he was even seen grabbing his legs with clear signs of suffering from cramps.

In the next section, the mythical Pont Gibus, it was Pedersen who continued the offensive, which served to distance the chasing group led by Wout van Aert, who was just 5 seconds away from catching up with the leaders. The situation repeated itself at the exit of the section, with Mathieu van der Poel seeing Pogacar's moment of crisis and trying to push him hard, although the Slovenian responded with visible signs of suffering but managing to close the gap on every occasion.

Eventually, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG car managed to pass to reach Pogacar's level, with a rally-like driving style that almost caused his own cyclist to crash. However, the emergency situation required it, and it was essential to be able to give Pogacar a bottle of No Cramp, the vinegar-based preparation that had already saved Tadej from dreaded cramps on other occasions.

Placebo or not, it seems to have an effect, and gradually the signs of agony from Tadej Pogacar disappeared until, with 71 kilometers to go, in the Tilloy a Sars et Rosieres sector, the Slovenian launched a strong attack to which Mads Pedersen quickly responded. However, bad luck struck the Lidl-Trek rider as he suffered a puncture just as he caught up, causing the group to split. Nevertheless, with total composure, Mathieu van der Poel, without getting nervous, gradually accelerated until reaching Pogacar's wheel. Jasper Philipsen joined them at the exit of the section, leaving the race wide open for Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Tadej Pogacar's FALL

The Slovenian falls in a curve on a cobblestone section and Van der Poel goes solo towards his third consecutive #ParisRoubaix victory.

https://t.co/VlYuicyAxg pic.twitter.com/8u0x4LNZ4K

— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) April 13, 2025

While Pedersen was caught by the group led by Wout van Aert, the leading trio made their way with good understanding, although as the sectors passed, Tadej Pogacar always tried to push the race and keep the pace high. This led to the second of the three 5-star sectors, the Mons en Pévèle, where once again Tadej Pogacar got involved. Mathieu took over, but midway through the sector, the UAE rider tried to cause damage again. However, in the tough final part of the sector, Van der Poel made a strong move that dropped his companion, a move that Pogacar followed up on, resulting in an equal race and the desired one-on-one situation.

From then on, we were all rubbing our hands, thinking about all the possible scenarios for the outcome of the mother of all battles on the cobblestones until, in the Pont Thibault to Ennevelin sector, with 36 kilometers to go, a section without special difficulty, Tadej Pogacar launched a new offensive to wear down Van der Poel for the decisive part. However, in one of the curves of this cobblestone sector, some parked motorcycles on the outside of the curve distracted the Slovenian's line, causing him to crash into the barriers. It took too many seconds for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG car to arrive with the spare bike, so Pogacar resumed with a 20-second loss.

Although he fought hard to catch up and even got within 12 seconds, as is often the case in classics, it was nothing more than a mirage, and gradually the gap widened to over a minute. Not even an untimely puncture for the Dutchman at the Carrefour de l'Arbre worried his path towards a third consecutive victory at the Roubaix velodrome, a feat that no cyclist had achieved since Francesco Mosser did it between 1978 and 1980.

Crossing the line, with a mix of satisfaction and disappointment on his face, Tadej Pogacar finished 1 minute 18 seconds behind Van der Poel. Behind them, the Carrefour de l'Arbre had left a trio formed by Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, and Florian Vermeersch ready to fight for third place. Van Aert tried to distance himself from his rivals on a small climb at the entrance to Roubaix, knowing that he had little chance in the velodrome against Mads Pedersen, who won this three-way sprint to secure a place that sweetened his unfortunate day.

Another epic race, and as happened after Tadej Pogacar's debut in the Tour of Flanders, where he had to settle for 4th place, we are sure that the Slovenian will not let this stand and will return to this race to win it. For now, he has shown that he has what it takes for a cyclist of his caliber.

Paris-Roubaix 2025 Classification

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 5h31'27''
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +1'18''
3. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) +2'11''
4. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) +2'11''
5. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +2'11''
6. Jonas Rutsch (Intermarché-Wanty) +3'46''
7. Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +3'46''
8. Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X Mobility) +3'46''
9. Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) +4'35''
10. Laurenz Rez (Intermarché-Wanty) +4'36''