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Race information

• Date: 07 April 2024
• Start time: 11:25
• Avg. speed winner: 47.802 km/h
• Classification: 1.UWT
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 259.7 km
• Points scale: 1.WT.A
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.Monument
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 6
• Vertical meters: 1414
• Departure: Compiègne
• Arrival: Roubaix
• Race ranking: 29
• Startlist quality score: 661
• Won how: 59.6 km solo
• Avg. temperature: 18 °C

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Results ands Highlights from Paris-Roubaix 2024

Kopecky is the first woman to win the Hell of the North in the World Champion’s jersey, Van der Poel dominates the peloton with a savage long-range attack.

How Paris-Roubaix unfolded

How paris-roubaix femmes unfolded, 2024 paris-roubaix top 10, 2024 paris-roubaix femmes top 10.

The grueling battle on the cobbles saw double rainbows this Saturday and Sunday as World Champions dominated the infamous Spring Classic.

Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Deceuninck crossed the line unchallenged following a 59-kilometer attack the day after Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime won Paris-Roubaix Femmes from a six-up sprint.

This is the second time Van der Poel claims victory in the prestigious Roubaix Velodrome on a day filled with intense action and drama. Second place was Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was third.

This is the third Spring Classics race won by Alpecin-Deceuninck this season. It was the fastest-ever edition of Paris-Roubaix with Van der Poel averaging 47.85 kilometers per hour for 260 km—1 kilometer per hour faster than his previous record, which was set last year.

“It is hard to believe. The team was stronger than last year. I’m super proud of the boys and happy to finish it off,” said Van der Poel in the post-race interview.

When asked if his 59-kilometer attack was planned, he said. “No, not really. I wanted to make the race hard from there on because I knew that was my strength, and I felt super good today. I knew it was a tailwind to the finish line for the most part. I had a really good day.”

“I never could have dreamt of this as a child. I was super motivated for this year. I wanted to show the jersey in a nice way. It goes beyond expectations. I’m a bit loss for words,” the World Champion added.

Saturday’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes was an entirely different race from the 2023 edition, with a lead group featuring multiple World Champions and six racers who all could handily win a race like Paris-Roubaix. But it was reigning World Champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) who played the race flawlessly from the early moments, including an on-bike handlebar adjustment to a picture-perfect sprint finish. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) finished second, and Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) third.

“This was the goal of the season,” said Kopecky in the post-race interview. “The confidence the team has given me the whole season, but especially this week—they made me laugh as much as possible, and they made me feel like I could win this race.”

“It’s always nervous. You are here with two very fast sprinters, Vos and Balsamo, so you’re never sure. One moment, I thought, ‘Now I’m boxed in,’ and I had to start the sprint pretty early, but I could keep sprinting,” the Belgian added.

Kopecky is the first woman to win Paris-Roubaix Femmes in the World Champion colors.

As the peloton rolled out from Compiègne, anticipation was heavy. Riders knew they would face a true test of grit and endurance across 29 punishing cobblestone sectors spanning nearly 260 kilometers. Among the favorites were Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), alongside stars like Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), and Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers).

Numerous attempts at breakaways were made throughout the early kilometers, but it wasn’t until Kasper Asgreen (Lidl-Trek) made his move that a serious threat to the peloton formed. Asgreen, along with a select group of ten riders, including Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Marco Haller (Bora-hansgrohe), and Rasmus Tiller (Uno X-Mobility), managed to carve out a 1:30 gap, signaling the beginning of a strategic battle.

Behind them, the peloton, led by Alpecin-Deceuninck, remained vigilant, unwilling to let the breakaway gain too much ground as they entered the first cobblestone sector. The dynamic changed continuously as attacks and counterattacks peppered the race, with each rider jockeying for position on the unforgiving roads.

Van der Poel positioned himself strategically throughout the race. His Alpecin-Deceuninck team worked efficiently to control the pace and keep him in contention. Despite challenges like punctures and crashes that plagued some riders, Van der Poel remained focused on staying near the front of the race.

With still 150 kilometers left to go, just 60 riders were left on the front, six of them from Alpecin-Deceuninck. Crosswinds kicked in as the race entered its decisive phases, and Van der Poel led a chase group that gradually reeled in the leaders.

Ineos-Grenadiers rider disqualified

Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) was disqualified from the race after taking an illegal tow from his team car following a puncture. Tarling was part of the select 30-rider front group, which formed after Alpecin-Deceuninck forced the pace for Van der Poel with 150km to go.

After an impressive performance from the young Brit at Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders, his race ended early with 130km to go when he was officially disqualified by race commissaries and visibly disappointed.

60 kilometers to go

With 59 km to go, Van der Poel unleashed a savage attack on the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, leaving his rivals struggling to respond. Behind him, the chase group fractured, unable to match Van der Poel’s relentless pace. Riders like Pedersen and Pidcock fought bravely but couldn’t close the gap. Philipsen, meanwhile, was happy to sit in the group while his teammate Van der Poel stormed away from the group.

With his lead approaching almost a minute, Van der Poel’s victory seemed increasingly inevitable. As he navigated sector 10, his lead grew to over one minute and thirty seconds. His lead extended to 2 minutes and 46 seconds as he finished sector 9 unscathed. Despite attempts by the chase group to close the gap, Van der Poel’s lead remained substantial.

10 kilometers to go

With just 10 kilometers to go, Van der Poel’s lead continued at over 2 minutes. And despite the efforts of the chasers, including Pedersen, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), and Politt, Philipsen maintained a strong position for the podium.

Van der Poel navigated Carrefour de l’Arbre with ease, extending his lead to 2 minutes and 46 seconds. However, a crash for Laurence Pithien (Groupama-FDJ) interrupts the chase behind them as he loses control on a corner.

Philipsen makes a decisive attack on sector 3, putting pressure on the chasers. Despite no attacks from the chase group, Pithie and Vermeersch struggle to bridge the gap, trailing by almost 30 seconds.

With a lead holding steady at about 2 minutes and 50 seconds, Van der Poel’s advantage was remarkable, reminiscent of his Tour of Flanders win. As the race entered the final kilometers, Van der Poel faced only two more sectors, both relatively tame.

As the tension mounted in the chase group behind, it was evident that only two podium spots remained, leaving one rider disappointed. Van der Poel smoothly navigated Sector 2, inching closer to a worry-free finish.

Van der Poel’s dominance continued as he began to relax and celebrate, even sharing a fist bump with his team car. Meanwhile, Küng fell further behind after being distanced by Philipsen’s earlier attack.

At the velodrome

Once at the Roubaix Velodrome, Van der Poel crossed the finish line with exactly a three-minute margin—the biggest the race has seen in 22 years. This is also his sixth monument victory, putting him inside the top sixteen riders to ever do so, joining the likes of Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, and Johan Museeuw. Van der Poel is the first rider since Cancellara in 2013 to win both the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix in the same season.

Behind him, the group of three, consisting of Philipsen, Pedersen, and Politt, entered the velodrome for the sprint. Küng trailed seconds behind. Following the ring of the bell, Politt attacked first, but Philipsen came around the German for a 1-2 win, and Pedersen finished in third place.

For Jasper Philipsen, this is another great result in an exceptional spring. He’s now won Milano-Sanremo and Brugge-De Panne and made the podium at Paris-Roubaix.

One-hundred thirty-nine riders took to the start in Denain on a warm, almost sunny day—definitely not your usual cobbled classic weather! The crosswinds were brutal, though, and riders spread across the cobbles, buffeted by 18 mph wind gusts.

Early in the race, there were some minor crashes, including Coryn Labecki (EF Education–Cannondale) and last year’s winner Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale). Still, there were no major catastrophes, and all the riders made it back onto their bikes, though Jackson required a bike change and was forced to chase. Small breaks attempted to ride away early, but the peloton quickly swallowed them up.

At 15 kilometers, Victoire Joncheray of Komugi-Grand Est launched a solo attack, growing her gap to an impressive 1:50. She held her solo lead for over 20 kilometers before getting caught by the peloton as Jackson caught up from behind.

At kilometer 66, the first cobbled section of the race, from Hornaing to Wandignies. The peloton entered the 3.7km stretch of cobbles together, jockeying for position. SD Worx-Protime’s Lotte Kopecky—one of the top contenders for the win—controlled the pace at the front. Team dsm-firmenich also wanted to control the race, with Rachele Barbieri attacking at the front. Visma-Lease-a-Bike’s Marianne Vos also moved towards the front, using her cyclocross skills to fly over the cobbles.

Live coverage thankfully began with 80 kilometers of racing to go. As riders hit the road between the cobbled sectors, the peloton swarmed and bunched, jockeying for position. The pace seemed higher than you would typically see with 80 kilometers to go, with key riders clearly trying to stay close to the front after the early crashes in the day.

Strategic moves and on-the-fly adjustments

As they hit the fourth cobbled section, Kopecky attacked, spreading the peloton out across the cobbles, stringing out riders behind her. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) stayed close as Vos accelerated to jump from the peloton into the newly formed lead group. While no serious breakaway had formed once the riders hit the pavement again, the peloton had certainly broken up quite a bit, with a group of 15 in the front and a large chase group close behind.

Jackson attacked out of the front group, with Lidl-Trek’s Ellen Van Dijk covering the move instantly. In the short sector 14 (Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies), the chase group worked to make that connection to the lead group as Van Dijk took control of the front of the race. A drone shot showed riders stretched across the entirety of the sector. Kopecky had a bike issue at 61 kilometers to go, asking the team car for an Allen key as she impressively tightened her handlebars on the fly .

Kopecky quickly raced her way back up to the lead group, moving towards the front just as the lead group hit Sector 13, the 1.7-kilometer Orchies segment, lead by Visma Lease-a-Bike’s Sophie Von Berswordt. Following the sector, the pace settled at the front as the peloton came back together.

At 53 kilometers to go, Kopecky made another attack on the cobbles, this time joined by her teammate Lorena Wiebes, who almost instantly began to struggle with a bike issue, Vos, Christina Schweinberger, and Pfeiffer Georgi. As Wiebes struggled with her bike, Vos attacked, bringing the lead group of four to a gap of 10 seconds.

Behind them, several riders, including FDJ Suez’s Grace Brown and two Human Powered Health riders, struggled with flats on the tricky cobbled section. The attack was reabsorbed into the dwindling peloton, forming a lead group of about 25 riders. Riders, including Kopecky and Van Dijk, tested small attacks, but they were quickly contained by the strong riders in the lead group.

FDJ-Suez’s Jade Wiel attacked out of Sector 8, building a slight advantage as Tiffany Cromwell of Canyon SRAM led the chasers. Wiel’s advantage grew to 10 seconds before Kopecky moved to the front, with Vos tight on her wheel. Van Dijk counterattacked, but FDJ-Suez moved into the lead group to cover moves as their rider moved up the road. Wiel’s advantage grew to over 20 seconds as Kopecky made a stop at the team car to pick up extra bottles. Wiel’s lead continued to extend, hitting 30 seconds with just under 28 kilometers and a few sectors of gravel of racing left.

20 kilometers to go

At the front of the chase group, Vos and Kopecky looked around, and Van Dijk attacked the group, aiming to shut down Wiel’s attack. But the FDJ riders hopped on her wheel, dropping the efficacy of Van Dijk’s attack. Wiel’s advantage dropped to 10 seconds, but then began to grow again. But in sector 6—Bourghelles to Wannehain—Wiel’s was reabsorbed into the lead group as Visma Lease-a-Bike and Van Dijk brought her back with FDJ’s Amber Kraak close behind. Van Dijk and Kraak both dropped into the time trial position, creating yet another small gap off the front.

Kraak and Van Dijk quickly extended their small gap as FDJ continued to play defense in the front of the race. As the gap grew to 15 seconds, the Visma Lease-a-Bike and SD Worx riders seemed unbothered by the two-woman attack, though the peloton’s pace accelerated as they hit the cobbles yet again.

Kopecky moved to the front and attacked with Balsamo, Georgi, and Vos on her wheel. The gap to the leaders quickly came down as Georgi fell off the pace and dropped back. Thanks to Kopecky’s massive surge, the gap to the rest of the peloton stretched aggressively in mere moments. The trio closed on Kraak and Van Dijk, putting two Lidl-Trek riders in the lead group with 18 kilometers to go.

Van Dijk let into Carrefour de l’Arbre, and the group of five maintained a strong lead on the peloton as Georgi tried to claw her way back, only eight seconds behind. Balsamo started to separate slightly from the lead group, struggling to hold the pace. Georgi made contact with Balsamo, passing her in her quest to connect to the leaders.

At the front, the riders struggled to pull together, as Van Dijk didn’t want to pull since Balsamo and Georgi were coming close to bridging up to the group. Balsamo and Georgi closed the gap, and immediately, Van Dijk attacked, with Vos staying tight to her wheel. The group of six stayed together as they hit 10 kilometers of racing to go, 40 seconds ahead of the chasers.

With eight kilometers to go, the group’s advantage shrunk to 25 seconds as the riders at the front struggled to work together cohesively. As the gap dropped to 20 seconds to a chase group of 10, including Wiebes and Borghesi, Kraak worked at the front, seemingly trying to press their advantage as Kopecky calmly sat on her wheel.

At five kilometers, the gap was just under 20 seconds as Kraak attacked, then Van Dijk with Kopecky and Vos on her wheel, Georgi and Balsamo staying tight behind. Behind them, the group of chasers tried to bridge up, but couldn’t seem to make any headway. The lead group’s 20-second gap was still in place at 2.5 kilometers to go, as the six racers started to focus on being prepared for the finish sprint while maintaining their gap. Van Dijk took a pull on the front with Vos right on her wheel, and they hit the final small cobble sector.

The final sprint

The group of six—nearly all World Champions—hit the velodrome together, preparing for the final sprint.

The bell rang for one lap to go. Georgi was the first to go, followed by Vos, but it was Kopecky coming from the back and around the other riders to take her first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes win. “This was the goal of the season,” said Kopecky in the post-race interview. “It’s always nervous. You are here with two very fast sprinters, Vos and Balsamo, so you’re never sure. One moment, I thought, ‘Now I’m boxed in,’ and I had to start the sprint pretty early, but I could keep sprinting”

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Paris-Roubaix: Deignan and Colbrelli go down in history

Paris-Roubaix returned after an absence of 900 days, and this weekend left no doubt as to why the Monument classic is one of cycling's most beloved races. On Saturday, Lizzie Deignan (GBR - Trek-Segafredo) launched an epic weekend with an 82km solo ride in wet conditions to become the first-ever winner of Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

The roads and cobbles were even nastier on Sunday for the men's race. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA - Bahrain Victorious) survived the many traps of the day to win in the velodrome at his first attempt (an unprecedented feat since Jean Forestier in 1955) ahead of two other rookies of the Hell of the North, Florian Vermeersch (BEL - Lotto Soudal) and Mathieu Van der Poel (NED - Alpecin-Fenix).

“To be the first winner in such a race definitely has to be up there [among my greatest wins]”, Deignan celebrated as she added Paris-Roubaix to her stellar winning record (UCI World Champion, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Strade Bianche...) “It was completely surreal [when I entered the velodrome]. This morning, I was here as a teammate, I never dreamed of winning myself, so to find myself alone after such an effort was an incredible moment. I really savored that final lap. We are part of history now, there’s no going back.”

A podium to remember. 📸 @TDWsport pic.twitter.com/hunAh3N0ZA — Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) October 2, 2021

“I’m very happy because it was a legendary Paris-Roubaix with the rain”, said a very emotional Colbrelli. “After Arenberg, I followed Van der Poel. It was super difficult. After the crash in the first sector, I stayed at the head of the group I was in. In the finale, I did a super sprint. The Lotto Soudal rider [Florian Vermeersch] surprised me but I jumped in the last 25 metres. That was close! In my dream races, the Tour of Flanders is first and Paris-Roubaix is second. This is my year. I’m very happy.”

Deignan’s historical one-woman-show

The 129 riders starting from Denain on Saturday afternoon already made history as the first women to take on the infamous challenges of Paris-Roubaix. Emotions that ran high in the peloton were only to rise throughout the day, with exhilarating action on the wet way to Roubaix.

Attacks flew from the start, with many baroudeurs hoping to gain an advantage ahead of the first cobbled sector, at km 33.9. The difficult conditions and the tension in the bunch also led to early crashes, with Marlen Reusser (SUI - Ale’ BTC Ljubljana) and Kasia Niewiadoma (POL - Canyon//SRAM Racing) forced to abandon before they even hit the cobbles.

Most of Trek-Segafredo, including the likes of Ellen van Dijk (NED) and Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), were chasing behind the bunch as they entered the first cobbled sector. But their British star Lizzie Deignan was still up there. “I sprinted to be in a good position and I carried that speed on the cobbles”, she explained. “When I looked behind, I was alone, so I figured as long as I’m up there, they need to chase me down.”

Jumbo-Visma, Movistar Team Women and Team SD Worx (with Lars Boom and Anna van der Breggen in the cars) were the most involved in the chase, as Deignan increased her lead to 2’ on the first challenges of the day. The race then exploded on the mighty cobbles of Mons-en-Pévèle, the day’s first 5-star sector.

With the wet and muddy conditions, UCI World Champion Elisa Balsamo (ITA - Valcar-Travel & Service) was among the riders to hit the deck. 13 riders remained in contention behind Deignan, with Lisa Brennauer (GER - Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) and Emma Norsgaard (DEN - Movistar Team Women) taking long turns at the front.

After hitting a maximum of 2'35'', the gap was down to 2’15’’ when Marianne Vos (NED - Jumbo-Visma) set off in pursuit alone in one of the most demanding sequences of the day, with the sectors of Camphin-en-Pévèle (4 stars) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (5 stars) leading the riders into the last 15km.

The Dutch icon quickly cut Deignan’s lead to 1’15’’. But the Brit managed to ride to Roubaix on her own and triumph with a gap of 1’17’’ over Vos, after covering the 29.2km of cobbles alone at the front. Elisa Longo Borghini joined them on the podium (1’47’’) just ahead of Lisa Brennauer (+1’51’’).

Colbrelli survives an all-out battle

Heavy rain fell over the northern areas of France after Deignan's triumph, and the weather conditions were even more epic when the men's race started from Compiègne on Sunday morning. Many attackers were also willing to make the most of the early parts of the race, and an impressive group of 31 riders managed to break away at km 47. Among them, Stefan Küng (SUI - Groupama-FDJ) soon lost his options with an early crash.

The gap was up to 2' when they reached the first cobbles, covered with mud and marred with puddles. Florian Vermeersch and Nils Eekhoff (NED - Team DSM) powered away from the breakaway while the bunch already exploded before the infamous Trouée d'Arenberg. Mathieu Van der Poel accelerated again and again, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) escaped a crash and Sonny Colbrelli went on the move to bridge the gap with early attackers already dropped.

📸Arenberg #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/ZHVo51JYuf — Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 3, 2021

With 70km to go, Van der Poel dropped his rivals to join Colbrelli in pursuit of a new group of attackers led by Gianni Moscon (ITA - Ineos Grenadiers), alongside Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL - Israel Start-Up Nation) and Florian Vermeersch. Moscon went on his own with 52km to go and quickly opened up a significant gap.

But the Italian suffered a puncture inside the last 30km and then a crash on sector 7 before being caught and dropped by Van der Poel, Colbrelli and Vermeersch on the Carrefour de l'Arbre. The three men worked together in the final 15km until Colbrelli outsprinted them in the velodrome.

The Italian then crumbled on the grass. So did Van der Poel, Vermeersch and many others, emulating their female counterparts at the end of an epic weekend of racing.

Elation. #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/03wzPcjXMq — Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 3, 2021

As it happened: Van der Poel's victory at Gravel World Championships

Paris-tours: christophe laporte gets better of mathias vacek in two-up sprint at mud-soaked classic.

Jasper Philipsen third as two-man breakaway holds off peloton of sprinters 

How it unfolded

Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) won a cagey two-up sprint at the close of a wet, mud-soaked 118th edition of Paris-Tours .

The Frenchman beat breakaway companion Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) on the Avenue de Grammont, while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was best of a reduced bunch of sprinters, who failed to reel in the leading duo in the closing stages.

Laporte and Vacek piggybacked onto the day’s original breakaway with 33km left to race, outlasting teammates Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) to contest the finish 21 seconds of the peloton.

“I’m really happy to win Paris-Tours, I haven’t won since those European Championships [in 2023],” Laporte said at the finish. “I was happy with the Olympics [where he won bronze in the road race], felt good today, and I wanted to get something out of the end of my season and finish strongly. 

“I was playing off the tactics of Lidl-Trek, then having Vacek with me, he’s obviously in very good shape and I knew I’d have to play tactics with him and try to finish as best as possible. Once I knew we were going to have the sprint I was waiting until the last moment. The season has finished on a good note. With all the gravel tracks and the corners, it was pretty dangerous, it calmed down [after the first sector] as there were fewer riders, and in the end, it was a fantastic finish.”

After a flurry of attacks in the opening kilometres, a four-man breakaway escaped, consisting of European time trial champion Affini, Mikel Retegi (Kern Pharma), Ceriel Desal (Bingoal WB) and Enzo Boulet (CIC-U-Nantes Atlantique). 

Several riders crashed in the dismally wet conditions and Desal’s stint in the breakaway was brought to an end by one such fall, while the other three forged on. Their advantage swelled to as much as five minutes but was shaved down as the riders approached the ten gravel sectors - vineyard paths - in the final 70km. 

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) attacked as the first chemin de vigne approached, briefly followed by Pascal Ackermann (Israel-PremierTech), and went solo as he hit the first of the supposed ‘white roads’ at Limeray – more of a slick, muddy brown in the inhospitable weather. 

The Dane caught the breakaway with 56km to race and immediately swung onto the front, but his efforts were stymied by his new companions’ refusal to cooperate. Boulet and Retegi were distanced on the Grosse Pierre gravel sector but Affini continued to sit on Pedersen’s wheel, with the Dane holding their gap steady at around 35 seconds.

Laporte attacked with 33km to go, taking Vacek with him, and Affini finally took a turn in support of his teammate. But the Italian was dropped on the Côte de la Rochère, absorbed by the bunch, and soon spat out the back of the peloton too. 

A visibly tired Pedersen was reeled in on the penultimate gravel sector but the peloton’s march was slowed by Visma-Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek hanging back, and the leading duo held the gap at around half a minute.

Lotto-Dstny led the chase for Arnaud de Lie but as the kilometres ticked by it became clear the gap was unassailable: this was a two-man shootout for glory in Tours. Laporte and Vacek had time to try to psych each other out on the Avenue de Grammont before the Frenchman launched his sprint; Vacek couldn’t match his kick and Laporte had time to celebrate as he crossed the line. 

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CRO Race: Israeli champion Oded Kogut wins bunch sprint on stage 6 as Brandon McNulty takes overall victory

Tour De Langkawi: Matteo Malucelli makes it three with final stage win as Max Poole claims overall race win

UCI Gravel World Championships: Mathieu van der Poel dominates with solo victory

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