Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Same-Day Racing—Smart Move or Step Back?

For the first time in the history of the event, the Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the men’s Paris-Roubaix will be held on the same day. The UCI calendar has confirmed that both races will take place on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

This represents a significant departure from the tradition established since the women’s race debuted in 2021. Previously, the women’s event enjoyed its own dedicated day on the calendar, typically taking place on the Saturday before the men’s race on Sunday.

Logistics and Budgetary Drivers

The decision to consolidate the races was driven by the race organizer, ASO. Race director Thierry Gouvenou explained to DirectVelo that the change is primarily a matter of logistics and budget.

Gouvenou highlighted security as a primary concern, noting that combining the events allows security arrangements to be set up only once. He stated that this approach is much less of a burden for law enforcement and cited additional budget reasons for the shift.

In addition to the elite men’s and women’s races, the men’s under-23 and junior races are also scheduled to take place on April 12, 2026.

Industry Context and Precedents

The consolidated format is already utilized by most major one-day races in the professional cycling calendar. This includes other iconic Spring Classics such as the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

While this is the standard for many events, the shift has raised concerns regarding scheduling and viewing figures. In some instances, this format has led to very early start times for women. However, the Flanders Classics has recently experimented with the timing by usually scheduling the women’s race after the men’s race.

Paris-Roubaix Femmes History and Course

The Paris-Roubaix Femmes was originally added to the Women’s WorldTour calendar in October 2020, though the inaugural spring edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first edition eventually took place on October 2, 2021.

The 2026 race is scheduled to start in Denain and finish at the Roubaix velodrome, covering a distance of 144km. The event is categorized as part of the Women’s WorldTour.

The race is defined by its challenging terrain in northern France, featuring mud-covered and slippery cobblestone sectors. The first winner of the event was Lizzie Deignan of Trek-Segafredo, who won in 2021 after attacking the peloton 82.5km from the finish and riding solo across 17 cobblestone sectors. Marianne Vos finished second, and Elisa Longo Borghini took third.

Elisa Longo Borghini, also representing Trek-Segafredo, claimed the title in 2022. The most recent winner in 2025 was Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of Visma-Lease a Bike, who became the first French woman to win the race on her debut during her return to road racing.