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Van Aert stuns Pogačar for maiden Paris-Roubaix triumph
TL;DR
Wout van Aert won his first Paris-Roubaix title, defeating Tadej Pogačar in a thrilling sprint finish. The race covered 258.3 kilometers and featured 30 cobblestone sections, concluding at the Roubaix Vélodrome.
Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert of Team Visma-Lease a Bike celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's Paris-Roubaix cycling race. Jasper Jacobs/Belga/dpa
Wout van Aert stunned Tadej Pogačar in a dramatic sprint finish to claim his first career win at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday and deny his rival victories in all five cycling Monuments.
An eventful race over 258.3 kilometres with its 30 treacherous cobblestone sections culminated in the Roubaix Vélodrome where Belgium's van Aert rode out of Pogačar's slipstream entering the final banked turn and never looked back.
Jasper Stuyven of Belgium completed the podium in third ahead of Dutch three-time defending champion Mathieu van der Poel from a six-strong chasing group.
Van Aert got his second Monument win six years after his first in 2020 at Milan-Sanremo and dedicated it to his former team-mate Michael Goolaerts, who died in the 2018 edition of the race.
"It means everything. It has been the goal since 2018. This victory is for Michael and his family. It was a really tough day and after that I was not lucky so many times," he said.
"Tadej gave me a hard time. I was just sticking to my plan. I did my sprint in my dreams and preparations so many times."
Pogačar admitted that "when I started my sprint my legs were like spaghetti."
Van Aert and Pogačar had to fight back from punctures and mechanical problems in an eventful race in northern France.
Pogačar had aimed to join Belgian greats Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck and Rik van Looy in winning the five iconic races, the others being Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia.
He won Milan-Sanremo for the first time last month and the Tour of Flanders for a third time a week ago, with only Paris-Roubaix missing after he had to settle for second in his debut last year.
The pack of riders in action during the men's Paris-Roubaix cycling race. Dirk Waem/Belga/dpa
Q&A
What was the distance of the Paris-Roubaix race won by Wout van Aert?
The Paris-Roubaix race won by Wout van Aert was 258.3 kilometers long.
Who finished third in the Paris-Roubaix race?
Jasper Stuyven finished third in the Paris-Roubaix race.
How did Wout van Aert win against Tadej Pogačar in the Paris-Roubaix?
Wout van Aert won by sprinting out of Tadej Pogačar's slipstream as they approached the final turn in the Roubaix Vélodrome.
