Paris-Roubaix 2025 - Prediction

Sunday April 13th 2025: Compiègne - Roubaix (259.2 km) 

Paris-Roubaix 2025, the 122nd edition of the iconic cycling classic, will be held on Sunday 13 April over a gruelling 259.2-kilometre course with thirty cobbled sections, the first of which will be after 100 kilometres. The riders will start from Compiègne as usual and ride through the northern French countryside towards Roubaix, where the famous finish at the velodrome awaits.

As in previous years, the course remains largely unchanged, although the organisation has made some subtle changes. Well-known sections such as Saint-Python, Famars and Vercain-Maugré return, while the cobbled section from Quérénaing to Artres will be ridden in the opposite direction this time. The biggest change concerns the approach to the Forest of Wallers (Trouée d'Arenberg), where an unnatural chicane from last year has been replaced by a more logical deviation.

The focus is traditionally on the second half of the race, with the first real selection at the Trouée d’Arenberg, or the Forest of Wallers. This 2,400-metre long cobbled section is famous and infamous for its major crashes and the violence of the material. This is followed by another eighteen cobbled sections in the last 95 kilometres, on average every six kilometres.

Mons-en-Pévèle, around 50 kilometres from the finish, is considered a key section thanks to its combination of length (3,000 metres) and poor condition. Mons-en-Pevele is followed by a series of tough sections, including Cysoing à Bourghelles, Camphin-en-Pévèle and then the decisive Carrefour de l’Arbre. This 2,085-metre section with treacherous bends is often the scene of the final attack.

The final kilometres towards the Roubaix Velodrome still contain three short sections, including Gruson and Willems à Hem, but they rarely play a significant role. In recent years, Dutch riders have been dominant: Dylan van Baarle won in 2022 after a long solo, while Mathieu van der Poel impressively outpaced his opponents in 2023 and 2024.

In Paris-Roubaix 2025, Van der Poel is chasing a historic third victory in a row. Only greats Octave Lapize (1909–1911) and Francesco Moser (1978–1980) have managed to do so before.

📺Eurosport 1 (10.30 u), Sporza (13.30 u), NPO 1 (13.10 u)
⏰11.10 u
🏁17.15 u
⛅️Rainy, strong wind, 18 degrees

LISTEN TO (IN DUTCH):
WIELERORAKEL PODCAST (S4E01) - GOUDEN TIPS VOOR HET KLASSIEKE VOORJAAR
WIELERORAKEL PODCAST (S4E02) - MATHIEU HEIJBOER (VISMA LEASE A BIKE) OVER HET KLASSIEKE VOORJAAR

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