Van Aert is one of the leaders of the seven-man Team Visma | Lease a Bike selection. The 31-year-old Belgian finished fourth in the recent Tour of Flanders and hopes to carry his good form onto the cobbles of northern France. The 123rd edition of the French classic is nearly 260 kilometers long, including 55 kilometers over cobblestones.  

“I still feel a huge drive heading into this race,” says Van Aert, who has already finished on the podium twice in Roubaix. “It will be my seventh participation, but this race remains special. The nervousness and unpredictability make Paris–Roubaix so beautiful. Since the Italian races, I’ve been feeling good, and I was able to carry that into the Flemish classics. Now I’m determined to seize my last opportunity for a win this spring.”  

Hagenes will make his third appearance in Paris–Roubaix. The 22-year-old Norwegian has already impressed this spring in Le Samyn, GP de Denain, and the E3 Saxo Classic, where he finished second. Next Sunday, he hopes to show himself again.  

“My goal is to play a role in the finale,” says Hagenes. “I’ll do everything I can to stay in the front as long as possible and support Wout. I believe he can compete with the other favorites. He’s shown a lot of good things in recent weeks. In Roubaix, the race often explodes from far out nowadays, so I’m preparing for a long, tough battle.”  

“Paris–Roubaix is one of those races where luck plays a role,” adds Head of Racing Niermann. “In the past weeks, it became clear who we’ll have to watch. Pogačar and Van der Poel are without a doubt the top favorites, but on this terrain the differences between riders will be smaller than in recent races. Our strength lies in the collective. Alongside Wout, Christophe Laporte and Per Strand Hagenes can also play important roles in how the race unfolds. Both have already proven in the past that they are strong in the cobbled classics. Winning Roubaix remains a big dream for the team, and we are ready to do everything we can to make that dream come true.”