{"id":1881147,"date":"2026-04-13T05:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1881147"},"modified":"2026-04-13T05:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:00:37","slug":"lebrons-curse-tadejs-tires-and-more-paris-roubaix-randoms-you-might-have-missed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1881147","title":{"rendered":"LeBron’s Curse, Tadej’s Tires, and More Paris-Roubaix Randoms You Might Have Missed"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-next-in-line-2.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated April 13, 2026 05:53AM<\/div>\n
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Paris-Roubaix, it\u2019s a race of a thousand narratives.<\/p>\n

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Every rider who makes it across the gnarled cobblestones and into the ancient velodrome has tales to tell after the Hell of the North.<\/p>\n

And away from the bikes, the hype of \u201cThe Queen of the Classics\u201d conjures all sorts of curious back-stories and sub-plots.<\/p>\n

This year was no exception \u2013 both Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes were puncture-fests riddled with oddities and what-ifs.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a wrap of a few of the intriguing things you might have missed before Wout van Aert and Franziska Koch rattled to career-defining victories Sunday at Paris-Roubaix:<\/p>\n

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Did LeBron James curse Mathieu van der Poel?<\/h2>\n
\"Lebron
Lebron sent Van der Poel a hype-message before his Paris-Roubaix was derailed by disasters.<\/span> (Photo: Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LeBron James made a surprise social media stop-off in the Paris-Roubaix universe this weekend.<\/p>\n

Encased in a bike helmet the size of a small planet, \u201cKing James\u201d took to Instagram to send a message of support to three-time champion Mathieu van der Poel ahead of the Dutchman\u2019s big day.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNothing but respect for greatness at the highest level. MVDP is just a different breed. The preparation. The mindset. The willingness to embrace the pain. That\u2019s what separates legends from the rest,\u201d James said in his social media message.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo be great. Go make history,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe world is watching for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

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From the court to the cobbles: \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 LeBron James sends a message to \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 Mathieu van der Poel ahead of Paris-Roubaix<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 IG: LeBron James pic.twitter.com\/2F9GRQ1p3I<\/p>\n

\u2014 Domestique (@Domestique___) April 12, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Inspiring words from one sporting great to another, indeed.<\/p>\n

But did LeBron inadvertently cast some sort of spell on mighty MVDP?<\/p>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s chance at a historic four-peat deflated in a calamitous collection of punctures and a pedal fiasco in the depths of the Arenberg trench.<\/p>\n

It was a disastrous spell almost unknown by the man who typically surfs cobbles like he\u2019s on a casual Sunday ride and dodges misfortune like he\u2019s a magician.<\/p>\n

And why was LeBron sending his stoke to Van der Poel anyway?<\/p>\n

Sure, the 41-year-old is a noted bike fan and no doubt a very nice guy.<\/p>\n

Maybe he just wanted to show support?<\/p>\n

Sorry, but the skeptic in us thinks it might have been a canny activation prompted by their shared bike sponsor, Canyon.<\/p>\n

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Spectator collisions shape women\u2019s and junior Paris-Roubaix<\/h2>\n
Brand was one of two riders who suffered spectacular collisions with spectators on Sunday.<\/span> (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lucinda Brand\u2019s quest to top her career-best third-place finish at Hell of the North came to a spectacular, catastrophic end on the Carrefour de l\u2019Arbre on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The charging Dutchwoman brushed a spectator as she took a smooth but risky line down the gutter of the five-star sector, and was sent clattering to the stones.<\/p>\n

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The incident took her out of the second chasing group of Lotte Kopecky and budding Coloradan Megan Jastrab, and ended her shot at glory.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\ude31 Oh la chute de Lucinda Brand, accroch\u00e9e par un spectateur#LesRP #ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaixFemmes pic.twitter.com\/LGDWppi2co<\/p>\n

\u2014 Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) April 12, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

But it could have been worse.<\/p>\n

Reels shared by nearby members of the crowd show how close the following moto came to plowing over the rider and her bike.<\/p>\n

And Brand wasn\u2019t the only one who came unstuck in pursuit of a smooth ride over the pav\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The very same scenario ended Soren Bruy\u00e8re Joumard\u2019s chances earlier that day as he led the junior race.<\/p>\n

These collisions aren\u2019t the first of their type. They won\u2019t be the last, either.<\/p>\n

Riders often look to exploit the grassy verges and smoother stones along the outer edge of the pav\u00e9. Bike-crazed fans wielding booze bottles, chip packets, and smartphones are only inches away.<\/p>\n

Brand was lucky to come away from her crash unhurt.<\/p>\n

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Incredibly, she even chased back to finish 10th behind FDJ\u2019s breakout winner, Koch, and was lucid enough to accept shared responsibility for the incident in a message she wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n

Joumard didn\u2019t share the same fortune. The young Frenchman was able to ride to the finish but had to settle for 70th.<\/p>\n

Titanic tires for Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/h2>\n
\"Poga\u010dar
Poga\u010dar was rolling a seriously beefy tire on his front wheel on Sunday.<\/span> (Photo: Bernard PAPON \/ POOL \/ AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not even a set of tires that looked suited for a tractor could save Tadej Poga\u010dar from three punctures on Sunday.<\/p>\n

According to Bike Radar<\/em>, Poga\u010dar used a 35mm Continental GP5000S TR on the front wheel of his Colnago Y1RS. When inflated on his Enve rims, it ballooned to 38mm.<\/p>\n

Just look at the images \u2013 this thing is huge.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar used a 32mm tire on the back, which Bike Radar<\/em> believes inflated to closer to 35mm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s thought that the mismatch was largely due to limited frame clearance rather than performance improvement.<\/p>\n

Riders have been opting for increasingly wide tires in pursuit of better comfort and rolling resistance across the heinous stones of Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n

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In recent years, tire widths ballooned from 28mm to 30mm to 32mm as huge, squishy, tubeless setups made old-school tubulars redundant.<\/p>\n

The development of 35mm options expanded the trend to a wild new level this weekend.<\/p>\n

But if Poga\u010dar\u2019s myriad of misfortunes on Sunday proves one thing, it\u2019s that there\u2019s no puncture-proofing Hell.<\/p>\n

Was Poga\u010dar\u2019s sprint stymied by a flat?<\/h3>\n
\"Yet
Yet another plot-twist for Poga\u010dar: His teammate thinks he sprinted on a flat tire.<\/span> (Photo: asper Jacobs \/ Belga Mag via AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While we\u2019re on the topic of Tadej\u2019s tires \u2013 did the world champion have to sprint against Van Aert on a flat?<\/p>\n

His teammate Antonio Morgado thinks so.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like he had a problem with the rear tire, so we checked the bike [after the race]. It didn\u2019t feel right. It seemed like he had a puncture at the back,\u201d Morgado told In De Leidustri.<\/em><\/p>\n

Could that have been the difference for Poga\u010dar? Was his chance for a historic monument sweep deflated by a sub-optimal sprint set-up?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not been confirmed that the tire was flat. But it certainly won\u2019t have helped a rider who already had \u201cspaghetti legs\u201d if it were.<\/p>\n

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Three Kopeck\u00fds and one Kopecky at Paris-Roubaix<\/h2>\n
Matyas (second left) and Tomas (second right) shown here earlier in 2026, were joined by sister Julia in the Roubaix velodrome. <\/span> (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Momma and Poppa Kopeck\u00fd had a very nerve-rattling day on Sunday. Three of their kids raced Paris-Roubaix on Sunday in what might be a first in pro cycling.<\/p>\n

Matyas (23) and his elder brother Tom\u00e1\u0161 (26) finished 30th and 61st respectively for Unibet Rose Rockets in the men\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

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And it turns out they didn\u2019t have to wait in the velodrome too long to welcome their baby sister, Julia. The 21-year-old finished 15th in the Femmes for SD Worx-Protime only an hour or so later.<\/p>\n

And no, the Czech trio is no relation to Flandrien queen, Lotte Kopecky.<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated April 13, 2026 05:53AM<\/div>\n
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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-next-in-line-2.jpg”] Jim Cotton Updated April 13, 2026 05:53AM Paris-Roubaix, it\u2019s a race of a thousand narratives. Every rider who makes it across the gnarled cobblestones and into the ancient velodrome has tales to tell after the Hell of the North. And away from the bikes, the hype of \u201cThe Queen of the Classics\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1881147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1881147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1881147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1881147\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1881147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1881147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1881147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}