2025 Paris-Roubaix Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of 2025 Paris-Roubaix! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
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Also known as the ‘Hell of the North,’ Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest and most challenging one-day races, with riders enduring a daunting gauntlet of cobbled sectors before finishing at the Roubaix Velodrome. This year's route spans 259.2 kilometres, while all thirty cobbled sectors are packed into the last 165 kilometres.
The riders clip into their pedals in Compiègne and pedal nearly 100 kilometres through the fields of northern France. Then the cobbled feast begins with the first of thirty sectors: Troisvilles à Inchy, stretching 2,200 metres and rated three stars.
As always, the organisers have made slight adjustments to the early cobbled sectors. This year sees the return of Saint-Python and Famars, as well as Vercain-Maugré to Quérénaing, while the Quérénaing to Artres sector is tackled in the opposite direction from last year (and is slightly shorter). However, the biggest change comes in the run-up to the Trouée d’Arenberg. Last year, a forced and far-fetched chicane was introduced to slow the riders down before the risky sector, but this time, the solution is more logical.
This does not change the fact that tension rises in the approach, as the Trouée d’Arenberg marks the real start of the action in Paris-Roubaix. The sector is 2,284 metres long and shaded by overhanging trees on either side. The road goes straight through the forest, and since it descends slightly in the first half, speeds are high. Aspiring winners must be at the front; otherwise, they risk getting caught behind or involved in crashes. Thus, positioning is key when entering the forest.
As the riders exit the Trouée d’Arenberg, still 95 kilometres remain. Over that distance, they must tackle eighteen cobbled sectors—on average, one every 6 kilometres.
Paris-Roubaix truly ignites when the race reaches the pavé to Wandignies-Hamage, and the route continues towards Mons-en-Pévèle. The combination of its 2,985-metre length and the poor condition of the cobbles creates brutal hardship for the peloton.
After Mons-en-Pévèle, eleven sectors remain. Over the next 30 kilometres, the riders battle their way across Mérignies à Avelin (700 metres), Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin (1,400 metres), Templeuve – L’Epinette (200 metres), Templeuve-Moulin-de-Vertain (500 metres), Cysoing à Bourghelles (1,300 metres), Bourghelles à Wannehain (1,100 metres), and Camphin-en-Pévèle (1,800 metres).
The iconic Carrefour de l’Arbre appears with 16.5 kilometres to go. At 2,086 metres, this stretch of pavé is infamous for its sloped corners. After 1,200 metres, a tricky left-hand bend leads to a slight ascent. Specialists who want to excel on their beloved pavé should do so on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, as this is their last opportunity—the final three sectors are much easier.
Gruson and Willems à Hem lead to the last cobbled section, located in Roubaix itself, which serves primarily as a formality. The cobbles are neatly arranged to minimize discomfort. Riders then continue into the old Velodrome with one and a half laps to go.
The last three editions have been won by Dutchmen. Dylan van Baarle claimed victory in 2022, followed by Mathieu van der Poel, who won in the subsequent two years. One more triumph and he will equal Octave Lapize and Francesco Moser, the only riders to win the Hell of the North three consecutive years. Lapize achieved this in 1909, 1910, and 1911; Moser did so in 1978, 1979, and 1980.
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