Paris-Roubaix 2026: The most important facts in brief
- Date: 12 April
- Distance: 144 km, 20 pavé sectors, 33.7 kilometres of cobblestones
- Key points: Haveluy
- Start: Denain (women)
- Target: Roubaix, Velodrome André Petrieux
The women will start in Denain as before, but will have a new route. Although the new route is five kilometres shorter than last year, it has three new cobbled sections that add up to a total of 33.7 kilometres. That's 4.5 kilometres more than in 2025, and the women will continue to avoid the infamous sector in the Arenberg forest. It has never been on the programme since the first edition in 2021. "We've cancelled the loops around Denain," explains race director Thierry Gouvenou and adds: "This means we're taking the peloton a little further south and can integrate more cobbles. Haveluy is one of the sectors that could prove decisive for the race."
Paris-Roubaix thus continues its equalisation - the women's route in the finale runs over the same 17 sectors as the men's route. Now the fans can cheer on the men's and women's pros in quick succession. The dust from the men's race has probably only just settled when the female cycling pros pass. The first woman is expected to cross the finish line in the cycling stadium at around 18:00, around 90 minutes after the first men.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
