Van der Poel Draws Confidence From "Copy-Paste" Preparation for Record-Equalling Roubaix Four-Peat
Mathieu van der Poel has revealed that his preparation for the 2026 Paris-Roubaix has followed an almost identical pattern to the campaigns that delivered three consecutive victories from 2023 to 2025 — and the Dutchman sees that as a very good sign for next Sunday's race.
"It's almost copy-paste," Van der Poel told reporters after finishing third at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday. "The same training block in Spain, the same races in the build-up, the same feeling in the legs. A week after this kind of preparation last year, I won the Tour of Flanders. This year I've finished third here, but my focus has always been Roubaix. It's not a disadvantage for me."
The Alpecin-Deceuninck leader completed a training camp in southern Spain in mid-March before returning to Belgium for the cobbled Classics block. He raced the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and Flanders in the space of twelve days — the same three races he used as Roubaix preparation in each of his winning years.
Third place at Flanders, behind Pogacar and Pedersen, may have disappointed the Dutch champion, but Van der Poel was quick to contextualise the result. "Nobody beats Tadej when he rides like that," he said. "But Roubaix is a different race. It's longer, it's harder, and the cobbles there are my cobbles. I know every sector, every pothole, every centimetre of that velodrome finishing straight."
The numbers back up his confidence. Van der Poel's three consecutive Roubaix victories represent the longest active winning streak in any Monument, and a fourth would see him equal the all-time record shared by Roger De Vlaeminck and Tom Boonen. No rider has ever won Paris-Roubaix four times in a row — De Vlaeminck's wins were spread across seven editions, Boonen's across nine.
The Dutchman's Roubaix dominance is built on a combination of raw power and tactical intelligence that is uniquely suited to the race's demands. His ability to accelerate out of corners on the pave, to read the wind across exposed sectors, and to deliver a devastating sprint from a small group has made him virtually unbeatable in Roubaix's closing kilometres. In 2025, he held off Pogacar in a two-up sprint after the Slovenian matched him move for move through the Carrefour de l'Arbre.
This year, however, the threat from Pogacar feels different. The perfect spring the UAE leader has enjoyed — three wins from three starts — and the extensive equipment overhaul he has undergone suggest that Roubaix 2026 will be the most serious challenge Van der Poel has faced in the race. Wout van Aert, Filippo Ganna, and Pedersen add further depth to a startlist that may be the strongest in Paris-Roubaix history.
"I'm not thinking about them," Van der Poel said when asked about his rivals. "I'm thinking about the cobbles. If I ride my race, if I'm on the front where I need to be, the rest takes care of itself. That's how I've won it three times. That's how I plan to win it a fourth."