The 2026 men's Paris-Roubaix was the fastest ever in its 123 editions, with winner Wout van Aert and runner-up Tadej Pogačar recording a blistering new high average speed of 48.91kph over the race's 258 brutal kilometres, breaking the previous record set by Mathieu van der Poel in 2024.
Two years ago, the average speed was 47.802kph, meaning the latest Sunday in Hell was more than a full kilometre per hour quicker, with a strong tailwind and a lack of an early breakaway contributing to the new record.
The fight to get into an early move was hard-fought as usual, with all the riders knowing full well that with the chaos set to ensue, getting ahead of it can bring top results as it has for the likes of Silvan Dillier and Jonas Rutsch in the past. Dillier finished second to Peter Sagan in 2018, having been part of the early move, and Rutsch claimed sixth just last year thanks to the same tactic.
When racing reached the first of 30 cobbled sectors at Troisvilles, it had been full gas all the way out of Compiègne, and with no break getting ahead, it was only going to heat up from there, with punctures and bike changes forcing all of the big names to chase at different points.
The pace lulled when eventual runner-up Pogačar frantically had to swap onto a Shimano neutral service bike with 120km to go, but having been brought back just in time for the crucial five-star Trouée d'Arenberg sector, he didn't miss the race's full explosion into life.
Van Aert was led out by Matthew Brennan, and with the tailwind in their backs, the leading group of favourites traversed its jagged cobbles at a rapid pace, completing the race's most iconic and dangerous 2.3km in under three minutes.
The leading group was mostly powered by Pogačar for the final 90km, who worked to keep a chasing Mathieu van der Poel behind, who punctured twice in the Arenberg forest and emptied the tank to try and bring back his main rivals.
But ultimately, it came down to a two-man race for victory as Van Aert made his move with 54.2km to go. Pogačar and Mads Pedersen followed, but the Dane dropped when the rainbow jersey took over and powered through Mons-en-Pévèle.
He tried for the remaining kilometres to drop the Belgian with no joy, as a change in wind direction meant a headwind dampened his power. Entering the velodrome in Roubaix together, Van Aert had enough power in the sprint to come around Pogačar to take the biggest victory of his career.
An hour and a half later, Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) pipped Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) to victory in the women's race, which was also the fastest-ever edition in its six-year history.
Koch contributed to the new high average speed of 40.834kph with several attacks in the final 50km, attempting several times to get rid of Vos and her teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, whose solo win last year held the previous record speed of 40.479kph.
Unfortunately, with the women's race being moved to the same day as the men's race for the first time, much of the early chaos and attacks were not shown on the broadcast, but gravel racer turned WorldTour pro Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) did break away solo early.
Onto sector 12, Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée, the race had thinned down massively with Visma leading the 40-rider peloton. It was on the next sector, Mons-en-Pévèle, where Koch exploded the lead group.
Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) dropped from the leading four, but Ferrand-Prévot and Vos could not shake Koch, and she actually kept attacking them on the approach to the velodrome. Vos would have been the favourite for the sprint, but Koch had enough to sprint from the front and hold her off in the run for the line.
With advancements in technology and nutrition, alongside the general level of professionalism in both the men's and women's pelotons, it's no surprise to see the average speed keep improving year-on-year, but the tailwind in 2026 and the way both races were taken on make it hard to imagine a direct improvement in 2027.
Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Find out more.
