Why Paris-Roubaix Organizers Moved Women’s Race to the Same Day as the Men’s

Paris-Roubaix Femmes switches to Sunday in 2026 and will run alongside the men’s race for the first time in a move that race organizers hope will be a boon for the cobbled monument.

For its sixth edition, the women’s Paris-Roubaix will no longer be a stand-alone race contested on Saturday.

Instead, organizers are holding it on the same day as the men’s race in what they hope will deliver an increase in television audiences and boost roadside crowds.

“If we look at TV audiences, we were already reaching around two million viewers at peak, which was strong,” race director Franck Perque told CyclismActu. “By following the men’s race, with a later finish around 18:20, we expect that number to grow. People will stay in front of their TVs.”

At least that’s the hope.

Race organizers have always walked a tightrope between balancing the needs of all events and matching that up with the costs of running races.

ASO also confirmed title sponsor Zwift is out, but organizers insist the race remains on a growth track thanks to increased regional governmental support.

“The sponsor also wanted to put more focus on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but we can also count on strong support from the Hauts-de-France region,” he said. “We’re still at the beginning of the story, with only six editions, and we want the race to keep growing and establish itself over time.”

Both races now feature “Haute-de-France” in the official title, and ASO officials insist Paris-Roubaix Femmes is here to stay.

Sunday’s race will set off from Denain and end in the iconic velodrome for a total distance of 143.1 km. For 2026, the route also sees an increase in cobbled sectors to 33.7km, up 4.5km from last year.

The course will trace the same 17 sectors that make up the finale of the men’s race and finish in Roubaix around 6:20 p.m, about one hour or so after the men’s race wraps up.

“I also think there will be more spectators than on Saturday, because we’ll have both the men’s and women’s crowds. We want to encourage people to stay on site,” he said. “I think we’ll see more people both along the roads and watching on TV.”

Double serving of hell on wheels

The hope is that the fans, both on the roads and on the TVs, will keep tuning in for the race.

The decision to move the race will also trigger a debate.

Perque also logistical and commercial factors were also behind the decision to move the race.

What’s the best option? A stand-alone event with the women’s peloton racing front and center? Or sharing the stage and the built-in audience that comes with the men’s race?

Perque said the move also addresses the hard-money realities that come with logistics and costs associated with doubling up road closures and staffing.

Running two major races on separate days required extensive road closures across northern France and doubled the costs and pressure on police, race marshals, and other staffers, he said.

“Having two events of this scale on Saturday and Sunday blocked a lot of roads and towns,” Perque said. “Organizing everything on one day allows us to pool resources, especially security, and it also helps streamline costs and reduce the burden on local communities.”

The 2026 edition will not include defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who is focusing on the Ardennes classics after hitting the podium at the Tour of Flanders.

Still, there is a stacked field, including Lotte Kopecky, Marianne Vos, Lorena Wiebes, Elisa Longo Borghini, Cat Ferguson, and Elisa Balsamo.

Route map

Rated sectors