Van Aert Wins — But Who is the Greatest Paris-Roubaix Rider of All Time?

Wout van Aert finally got his cobblestone last Sunday. Eight years of near-misses ended with a sprint finish against Tadej Pogačar in the Roubaix velodrome — the fastest edition of the race ever run at 48.91kph. It was one of the great days in modern cycling.

But it got me thinking. Van Aert winning for the first time at age 31 moves him to 23rd in the all-time rankings. Roger De Vlaeminck still sits at the top with 218 points across 14 top-10 finishes. Boonen is second. Merckx — despite winning three times — is only seventh because consistency over a career matters as much as victories.

I built the definitive dataset to answer the question properly and created this video so you can visualise it.

How I Calculated the results

Using the Formula 1 points system — 25 for a win, down to 1 point for tenth place — I ranked every rider who ever finished in the top 10 at Paris-Roubaix, from Josef Fischer in 1896 all the way to Van Aert in 2026. Every edition. Every nationality. 515 unique riders. 130 years of racing.

The results are genuinely surprising. George Hincapie sits 14th all-time with 106 points and zero wins. Sep Vanmarcke has 13 top-10 finishes and has never once raised the cobblestone. Belgium has scored 47% of every point ever available at this race. France last won in 1988.

Northern Classic Bike Hire — Returns for 2027

We Ride Flanders. Paris Roubaix Challenge. Amstel Gold. Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Northern Classic Bike Hire is back for the 2027 Spring Classics season. If you want to follow the race routes, ride the sectors, or just be in northern France and Belgium during the greatest week in one-day cycling — get in touch. Bikes available. Details coming soon.

In the Oisans this Summer? Alpe d’Huez — Tour de France 2026

The Tour de France finishes its final mountain battle on Alpe d’Huez — twice. Stage 19 arrives on Friday 24 July, Stage 20 on Saturday 25 July. The queen stage runs 171km from Bourg d’Oisans via the Croix de Fer, Télégraphe, Galibier and Col de Sarenne — 5,600 metres of climbing before the 21 bends.

If you are in the Oisans area and want to ride the climbs before or after the race comes through, carbon all road bikes are available to rent. Drop me a message.