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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) rode away from Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) for a hellish hat-trick Sunday with his third-straight win at Paris-Roubaix.
The Dutchman rode solo through the final 38km of the “Hell of the North” after Pogačar’s audacious Roubaix debut was derailed by a crash. MVDP becomes the first since Francesso Moser in 1980 to conquer the grueling cobbled monument in three consecutive years.
Pogačar finished second in the velodrome, around one minute back after what was an emphatic, rulebook-defying ride from the reigning Tour de France and world champion.
Mads Pedersen won the sprint for third after he formed a chase group with Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the final hour of racing, cementing his status as one of the powerhouses of the spring.
WVA looked disconsolate at missing the podium spots with fourth place.
Like expected, Pogačar and Van der Poel animated the race Sunday.
The two toppers were at each other’s wheels and trading haymakers all through Sunday’s cobblestone monument, and dropped everybody through consecutive sectors of the bone-jarring pavé.
The two modern one-day dominators were only separated when Pogačar overcooked a corner at 38km to go on the Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin sector. He was unhurt but gapped and never made it back to a barnstorming cobblestone time trial from his classics rival.
Both Pogačar and Van der Poel were forced to change bikes in their pursuit race to the ancient Roubaix velodrome. But there was no stopping the big Dutch ace from riding to a sensational third victory at Paris-Roubaix and the eighth monument of his classics-crushing career.
Guess who else has eight wins at the historic races on his resume?
Pogačar.
The twosome are now 2-1 for the season. Van der Poel won San Remo last month, Pogačar got revenge last weekend at The Tour of Flanders.
Judging by Pogačar’s emphatic debut Sunday, this “modern Merckx” will be back for more Paris-Roubaix, soon.
Powershow on the Arenberg-Wallers pavé
Pogačar, Pedersen, and Van der Poel forced the first major selection of the day at around 100km to go.
The “big three” traded haymakers through the consecutive sectors of Haveluy, Arenberg, and Wallers and gapped everybody except Philipsen and Bisseger.
Van Aert had been yo-yo-ing between the front and back of the main groups through the early sectors and was gapped in what worked out to be a decisive selection.
Pogačar narrowly evaded double disaster in the melee of muscle flexing moves.. MVDP had pressured the world champ after the Arenberg and Pogačar looked in trouble with a bonk or cramps.
Pogi was serviced by a team car but bounced off of the vehicle in the process, and only narrowly kept it upright.
THAT. WAS. CLOSE!
Tadej Pogacar’s #ParisRoubaix almost came to an end courtesy of his own team car! #cycling | #couchpeloton pic.twitter.com/EHGslo3UrD
— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) April 13, 2025
The big three on the Tilloy
Cramps fixed, the Pogi show was back on.
The world champion blazed clear down the 4* Tilloy sector at 70km to go, MVDP on the wheel.
Pedersen saw a puncture to his hopes when he dropped away from the leaders with a flat tire. The big Dane dropped back to a chase group loaded with hitters. Van Aert, xx and xx were all there. But once Roubaix’s big three got away, they weren’t being brought bck.
Philipsen caught across soon after the Tilloy, and the three romped their way toward Roubaix.
Pogačar crashes, Van der Poel soloes in
The race all tipped on its head at the 5* Mons-En-Pévèle and the sectors soon after.
Pogačar and Van der Poel threw haymakers through the Pévèle, 50km from the final, and Philipsen popped.
The race looked like it might come down to a Pogačar vs MVDP sprint in the velodrome when Pogačar overcooked a right-angle bend on the Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin sector at 38km to go. The rainbow-suited champ rolled into the barriers, and fell off his bike.
Van der Poel looked back, but didn’t wait for his classics nemesis.
Pogačar was unhurt and hopped straight back onto his bike, but Van der Poel hit the turbos. The two-time winner soon made a gap of 15-20 seconds and looked faultless on the dry, fast cobbles.
Pogacar can do many superhuman things but being more skilled on the cobbles than MVDP is not one of them. He learned his lesson the hard way. Overcooked the corner and crashed. #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/4oQWROdrkP
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 13, 2025
Pogačar looked like he’d never catch back to the Flying Dutchman. His race was decisively ended when he had to take a bike change at 20km to go that put MVDP one minute ahead.
Van der Poel’s ride to the three-peat wasn’t all plain cobble-bashing. He too had to switch bikes at around 20km to go, but lost little time to the fast-fatiguing Pogačar.
