{"id":1889321,"date":"2026-04-17T07:05:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T04:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1889321"},"modified":"2026-04-17T07:05:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T04:05:43","slug":"even-last-place-was-faster-than-2018-paris-roubaix-winner-peter-sagan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1889321","title":{"rendered":"Even Last Place Was Faster Than 2018 Paris-Roubaix Winner Peter Sagan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Andrew Hood<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Updated April 17, 2026 07:20AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How fast was Sunday\u2019s record 48.91kph at Paris-Roubaix?<\/p>\n

Even the time of the officially classified last-place rider \u2014 Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) in 141st at 24:31 back \u2014 was faster than Peter Sagan and just about every Roubaix winner from a decade ago, except for Greg Van Avermaet\u2019s then-record ride in 2017.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s super-aero peloton, that stragglers and late call-ups are finishing faster than former winners reveals just how fast cycling is evolving.<\/p>\n

Wout van Aert set a new average speed of 48.91kph in 5:16:52 on Sunday, turning the Queen of the Classics into the fastest edition ever recorded across its brutal 130-year history.<\/p>\n

That speed blew past the previous men\u2019s record of 47.80kph set by Mathieu van der Poel in 2024 by more than a full kilometer per hour.<\/p>\n

Rider after rider came to the velodrome in disbelief at how fast Sunday\u2019s sufferfest was.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe race was on from the start, and with the tailwind it was super fast all day, it was incredible,\u201d said former winner John Degenkolb.<\/p>\n

And Thomas? The Cofidis rider had never raced Roubaix and wasn\u2019t even supposed to start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t originally in the line-up. On Friday, I was still at the Pays de la Loire-Tour de Marne. But we\u2019ve had a lot of injuries, so the team asked me to come along,\u201d Thomas told AFP<\/em>. \u201cI didn\u2019t know any of the cobbled sections. I didn\u2019t even do a recce.\u201d<\/p>\n

That a rider making his Roubaix debut finished faster than winning times from a decade ago confirms the sport has hit a new warp speed.<\/p>\n

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Speed had been clicking up over the past decade<\/h2>\n
\"Paris-Roubaix
Wind, tech, and ambition drove the speed Sunday at Paris-Roubaix. <\/span> (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Comparing times of Sunday\u2019s stragglers to the likes of Sagan or Van Avermaet is like comparing a donkey to a thoroughbred, but it reveals how speed has been ticking up at Paris-Roubaix over the past decade.<\/p>\n

In fact, four of the past five editions of the men\u2019s Roubaix have set new speed records.<\/p>\n

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The Frenchman finished Sunday in 139th in the last official time \u2014 one other finisher was time-cut \u2014 at 5:41:23.<\/p>\n

That means that Thomas was just under 13 minutes faster<\/em> than Sagan\u2019s winning time in 2018.<\/p>\n

Though the cobble sectors and total distance vary slightly from year to year, Roubaix\u2019s basic template has remained largely unchanged for decades, making average speed and finishing times a handy yardstick to compare eras. Weather is the obvious wild card.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s changed since the days of Sagan and Van Avermaet is the machinery. Bikes, wheels, and tires have evolved dramatically compared to their peak years a decade ago.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Van Avermaet broke a nearly\u00a050-year speed record with 45.20kph. He rode a BMC Granfondo RBX, not an aero frame, and raced on 30mm tubulars and a traditional 2x Shimano Dura-Ace groupset.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Van Aert lined up on a Cerv\u00e9lo S5 aero road bike, running 32mm tubeless tires and a massive 1x aero chainring.<\/p>\n

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The 2026 edition clocked in at nearly 3.7kph faster than Van Avermaet\u2019s previous benchmark from a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Is 50kph next?<\/h2>\n
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Benjamin Thomas of Cofidis was a late call-up to start. <\/span> (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s aerodynamic gains and wider tires are helping drive today\u2019s high-speed version of Roubaix.<\/p>\n

Since 2022 \u2014 a year after the last mud-soaked edition in 2021 \u2014 each Sunday in Hell has either set a new speed record or come close.<\/p>\n

Alongside equipment, riders are preparing radically differently than they did a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Fueling has shifted dramatically, with riders shoveling 100g of carbohydrates or more per hour into their faces. Altitude training blocks are now much more a part of the prep toward the monuments for the big favorites.<\/p>\n

The arrival of Tadej Poga\u010dar last year as cycling\u2019s strongest rider also ramped up the stakes and the speeds.<\/p>\n

Just when it seems the race cannot get faster, it does.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot go faster and faster\u201d, Mathieu van der Poel said in a Paris-Roubaix press conference. \u201cI think this is a bit the limit, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Remarkably, the previous benchmark set by Peter Post in 1964 stood for 53 years until Van Avermaet finally broke it.<\/p>\n

Some are wondering if next year will break 50kph.<\/p>\n

Wind, ambition ramp things up<\/h2>\n
\"Paris-Roubaix\"
Cross\/tailwinds always kick up late at Paris-Roubaix.<\/span> (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So what drove the blistering pace on Sunday?<\/p>\n

The weather always plays a decisive role in L\u2019Enfer du Nord<\/em>. Headwinds, rain, and mud kill speed at Roubaix.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, it was partly sunny with springlike conditions, and the cobbles were dry and running fast. Cross-tailwinds helped push the pace across the day.<\/p>\n

As the splintered bunch pushed deeper into key sectors at Mons-en-P\u00e9v\u00e8le and Carrefour de l\u2019Arbre, winds of 15\u201320kph nudged the speed even higher as the leaders chased toward Roubaix.<\/p>\n

Race dynamics also helped dictate the speed. Unlike a traditional Roubaix, no early breakaway was allowed to pull clear.<\/p>\n

UAE Emirates-XRG kept the pressure high from the gun and drove an unrelenting pace toward the first cobbled sectors to pile stress on their rivals as Pogi chased history.<\/p>\n

The average speed was already above 50kph before the race even hit the pav\u00e9<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Despite a rash of punctures, a mix of tech, tailwinds, and ambition pushed the men\u2019s peloton to warp speed in a route stacked with 30 sectors and 54.8km of bone-rattling cobblestones.<\/p>\n

Last-place man Thomas had a unique view from the back end of the carnage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy instructions were to join the breakaway. I tried once or twice. But the pace was so fast that breaking away from the peloton was virtually impossible,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cAt Mons-en-P\u00e9v\u00e8le, I lost the group\u2019s wheels and rode the last 40 kilometres on my own. Well, almost, because I caught up with Noah Vandenbranden and we finished together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m at the Carrefour de l\u2019Arbre, everyone is shouting, \u2018Van Aert\u2019s won, Van Aert\u2019s won!\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI did the maths: I know I\u2019ve got 16km and 25 minutes left to finish within the time limit. We finished just ahead of the broom wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incredibly, his last-place time would have been good enough to win almost any edition of Roubaix going back a decade.<\/p>\n

But put Van Avermaet or Sagan on today\u2019s bikes, and they\u2019d be racing for the podium. And Thomas would be near the bottom 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

Another way to see it is in the time cut. Thomas barely made the hors d\u00e9lai<\/em> limit, set at eight percent of the winner\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

Roubaix hasn\u2019t gotten any easier; it\u2019s just gotten faster.<\/p>\n

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Fastest editions of Paris-Roubaix<\/h2>\n
\"Paris-Roubaix\"
Van Aert set a new record speed with his win Sunday. <\/span> (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Year<\/span><\/td>\nWinner<\/span><\/td>\nAverage Speed<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2026<\/span><\/td>\nWout van Aert<\/span><\/td>\n48.91 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/span><\/td>\nMathieu van der Poel<\/span><\/td>\n47.80 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025<\/span><\/td>\nMathieu van der Poel<\/span><\/td>\n46.92 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/span><\/td>\nMathieu van der Poel<\/span><\/td>\n46.84 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/span><\/td>\nDylan van Baarle<\/span><\/td>\n45.79 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2017<\/span><\/td>\nGreg Van Avermaet<\/span><\/td>\n45.20 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1964<\/span><\/td>\nPeter Post<\/span><\/td>\n45.13 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Andrew Hood<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Updated April 17, 2026 07:20AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/roubaixspddhorizon.jpg”] Andrew Hood Updated April 17, 2026 07:20AM How fast was Sunday\u2019s record 48.91kph at Paris-Roubaix? Even the time of the officially classified last-place rider \u2014 Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) in 141st at 24:31 back \u2014 was faster than Peter Sagan and just about every Roubaix winner from a decade ago, except for Greg […]<\/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-1889321","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\/1889321","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=1889321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889321\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1889321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1889321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1889321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}