Paris–Roubaix organisers have confirmed the teams and route details for the 123rd men's edition and the sixth women's edition, which are both scheduled for Sunday, April 12. It will be the first time the two professional races take place on the same day, headlining a five-event weekend of cobblestone racing in northern France.
The men's race will feature 25 teams over 258.3 km from Compiègne, while the women's field of 21 teams starts from Denain. Both routes have been altered to increase the density of cobbled sectors, with race director Thierry Gouvenou describing changes designed to toughen the racing from an early stage.
Men's route: more cobbles, fewer kilometres
The men's course is marginally shorter than in 2025 (258.3 km versus 259.2 km), but its 30 cobbled sectors now total 54.8 km. The key change comes early in the race near the town of Briastre, where the opening sectors have been reordered to replicate the opening of the 2024 race.
"By veering slightly east to reach the town of Briastre, we arrive at a situation where the first four sectors follow each other very quickly; there's almost no tarmac, resulting in an unparalleled density of cobblestones," Gouvenou said. "Two years ago, Alpecin-Deceuninck had already begun to scatter the peloton at this stage."
A new addition, sector 26, includes an 800-metre climb. Gouvenou expects the early sequence to trap outsiders and thin the field before the decisive five-star sectors: the Trouée d'Arenberg (km 163, 2,300 m), Mons-en-Pévèle (km 209.7, 3,000 m) and the Carrefour de l'Arbre (km 241.2, 2,100 m).
Women's race moves to Sunday, gains cobbles
The women's course is five kilometres shorter than in 2025 but adds three cobbled sectors, bringing the total paved distance to 33.7 km, an increase of 4.5 km. The most significant addition is the four-star Haveluy sector at km 52.4 (2,500 m).
"We removed the loops around Denain in order to take the peloton a little further south and add more cobblestones, and Haveluy is one of the sectors that could prove decisive," Gouvenou said.
The women's route rejoins the men's course for the final 17 sectors, with the finish at the Roubaix velodrome expected around 6:20 pm, a prime-time television slot. Organisers said the move to Sunday gives the women's race greater visibility, with riders closing out the day's racing.
21 teams for the women's field
All 14 Women's WorldTeams receive automatic entry under UCI rules, with seven wildcard invitations completing the field.
Women's WorldTeams: AG Insurance-Soudal Team, Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto, EF Education-Oatly, FDJ United-Suez, Fenix-Premier Tech, Human Powered Health, Lidl-Trek, Liv-AlUla-Jayco, Movistar Team, Team Picnic PostNL, Team SD Worx-Protime, Team Visma-Lease A Bike, UAE Team ADQ, Uno-X Mobility.
Invited ProTeams: Cofidis, Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi, Lotto-Intermarché Ladies, Ma Petite Entreprise, Mayenne Monbana My Pie, St-Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93, Volkerwessels Cycling Team.
Four of the seven wildcards went to French-registered squads. International invitations went to Lotto-Intermarché Ladies (Belgium), Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi (Spain) and the Dutch Volkerwessels Cycling Team.
Ferrand-Prévot leads the defence
Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma–Lease a Bike) returns as the rider to beat after becoming the first French woman to win Paris–Roubaix Femmes in the 2025 edition. Her cyclocross and mountain bike pedigree has proved well suited to the pavé.
Team SD Worx-Protime brings 2024 winner Lotte Kopecky, while Lidl-Trek's predecessors won the first two editions through Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini.
Full weekend programme
The weekend begins on Saturday, April 11, when nearly 6,500 amateur cyclists tackle the Paris–Roubaix Challenge over distances of 70, 145 or 170 km. On Sunday, the juniors race 105 km with 17 cobbled sectors from Avesnes, and the under-23s cover 155 km and 23 sectors from Le Cateau-Cambrésis to Roubaix, before the two professional races close the day.
