Tadej Pogacar failed to make it four Monument victories in a row after losing to Wout van Aert in a sprint finish at the Paris-Roubaix.
Pogacar arrived determined to add the only Monument missing from his collection. The world champion's form was evident early on as UAE Team Emirates-XRG turned up the heat with 150km to go.
Pogacar suffered a front-wheel puncture 120km from the finish. After initially taking a neutral service bike, he later received his team bike from the car and began a determined 20km chase back to the front of the race, rejoining just before the crucial Arenberg Forest sector.
The iconic cobbled section proved decisive for Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who was delayed by a double puncture. Despite trailing by over two minutes, the Dutch rider launched an impressive comeback, closing to within 30 seconds of the leaders and eventually finishing fourth.
Following further mechanical issues – a bike change for Pogacar and a puncture for Van Aert – the pair launched a decisive attack in the Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée sector with 54km remaining.
From there, they rode clear together all the way to the Roubaix velodrome, where Visma–Lease a Bike rider Van Aert produced a flawless sprint to take victory, leaving the world champion in second place.
“I’m proud of the whole team," Pogacar said. "It was a very difficult race – I had to change bikes twice and we spent a lot of energy chasing back, so we couldn’t follow our original plan. Still, I managed to get back to the front of the race.
"When Wout attacked, I was able to follow him, but I didn’t have enough freshness in my legs to really drop him on the cobbles. I tried to counter-attack, but he rode very smart. We worked well together to the finish.
"I knew he is very fast, so the sprint was always going to be difficult for me. I gave my best, but he was stronger today and deserved the win. I’m still proud and happy with the result.”
It was only Van Aert's second title in one of the five Monument classics after his Milan-Sanremo victory in 2020.
The Belgian rider dedicated his title to former teammate Michael Goolaerts, who died in 2018 after suffering a cardiac arrest during the race.
"Arriving for a final sprint with the world champion and beating him in a sprint is very special," Van Aert said.
