Wout Van Aert beats Tadej Pogacar in dramatic finish to win Paris-Roubaix classic

It was a dramatic day at the Hell of the North. 

Wout van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma in Roubaix. Pic: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images

Belgian rider Wout van Aert beat cycling great Tadej Pogačar in a dramatic sprint to the line to win the prestigious Paris-Roubaix one-day classic for the first time on Sunday.

They were neck and neck entering the finish at the vélodrome in Roubaix after more than five hours of gruelling racing. Van Aert had the better sprint credentials and timed his attack perfectly to surge past Pogačar on the right and hold him off.

“Beating him mano a mano in a sprint is really special to me,” Van Aert said.

Van Aert raised his right finger and pointed to the sky as he crossed the line and then got off his bike and lay on his back, thoroughly exhausted.

He dedicated the victory to his former teammate Michael Goolaerts, who died at the age of 23 after collapsing during the 2018 race.

“It means everything to me. It’s been a goal since 2018, when I first did this race, and in that race I lost a teammate, Michael Goolaerts,” Van Aert said. “Ever since then, it has been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This victory is for Michael.”

It was a rare defeat for four-time Tour de France champion Pogačar, looking to become the first Tour champion to win Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in 1981. He was also second last year.

Last month, Pogačar fought back from a crash to win Milan-San Remo for the first time, leaving only Roubaix to complete the set of five monuments in one-day cycling. He had already won the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.

But the 31-year-old Van Aert is one of the world’s most versatile riders.

The 258.3-kilometer (160.1-mile) Paris-Roubaix race is called “The Hell of the North” because of its multiple cobblestone sections — totaling about 55 kilometers — and reputation for crashes and punctures.

So it proved again as Pogačar and Dutch three-time defending champion Mathieu van der Poel both punctured.

Pogačar punctured with about 120 kilometers left and, with his team car behind, he took a neutral service bike from a nearby repairs car. Visibly annoyed, he had to wait several minutes for his team car to give him one of his race bikes.

The energy he spent catching up to the leading group may have cost him at the end.

Van Aert was on Pogačar’s wheel entering one of the notorious cobblestone section called Carrefour de l’Arbre, a 2-kilometer stretch near the end where a number of riders have fallen.

In 1984, Frenchman Alain Bondue crashed when leading and ended up third, and Pogačar almost fell when his front wheel slipped.

It was a straight sprint heading into the André-Pétrieux vélodrome, where a huge crowd awaited a thrilling denouement.

“I was already cooked and there was not much freshness in the legs to really maybe have a chance,” Pogačar said. “I saw quite fast that it would be mission impossible.” Pogačar has not decided whether he will try again next year.

“I can’t say no,” he said. “It is just my second time here so let’s give it time.” 

Belgian rider Jasper Stuyven finished third ahead of Van der Poel, who went over to hug a tearful Van Aert, his former cyclocross archrival.