Paris-Roubaix Coverage: Your Guide to the Cobbles

The 2026 Paris-Roubaix cycling classic is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, in Northern France. Known as the Hell of the North, the event is a one-day race covering 260 kilometres from Compiègne to Roubaix.

The course is defined by 55 cobblestone sectors, which total approximately 54 kilometres of paved medieval farm tracks.

Key Contenders and Storylines

Mathieu van der Poel is competing in the 2026 edition seeking a record-equalling fourth Roubaix title.

Tadej Pogačar, who previously won the Tour of Flanders, is attempting to achieve an unprecedented sweep of the Spring Classics.

The women’s race will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The field for this event is described as one of the deepest in the history of the women’s competition.

Course Mechanics and Sector Ratings

The race organization assigns a rating from one to five stars to each cobbled sector. Five-star sectors are the most brutal and have historically been the points where the race is decided. One-star sectors are rough enough to cause damage to bicycles and riders but are rarely decisive on their own.

The sectors follow a counterintuitive numbering tradition where they are numbered in reverse order of their appearance on the route. Sector 29 is the first cobbled section riders encounter, while sector 1 is the final cobbled passage before the finish at the velodrome.

The Trouée d’Arenberg, designated as Sector 18, is the most famous cobbled sector in cycling. It consists of 2,300 metres of ancient stones located through a forest cutting and carries a five-star brutality rating.

Race Structure

The competition is broadly divided into three distinct phases:

• The opening phase consists of flat roads leading to the first cobbles, which is where breakaways typically form.
• The middle phase takes the riders through the various cobbled sectors, where the selection of the lead group happens.
• The finale leads into Roubaix, where the eventual champion is determined.