🎥 Pogacar (bleeding after 3-ton crash) and Van Aert (bleeding knee) crash, Pedersen and Ganna puncture, Teunissen crashes

The chaos started with a few crashes, including one involving Wout van Aert. The Visma | Lease a Bike team leader eventually got back on his bike but had to let his rivals go through the Forest of Arenberg. The Belgian was captured on camera on the feared cobbled sector, his much-discussed right knee visibly bloodied, the same knee that was seriously injured during the 2024 Vuelta a España.

Read more below the photo.

Van Aert wasn’t the only one to lose time in the Arenberg Forest—Filippo Ganna also didn’t make it through with the front group. The Italian from INEOS Grenadiers punctured with 160 km to go, and Mads Pedersen suffered the same fate 90 km later. The Dane had been flying over the cobbles and was responding to an attack from Pogacar, but suddenly came to a halt after a corner. He then dropped back into the same group as Van Aert.

Then there’s Pogacar—the rider everyone had their eyes on in Paris-Roubaix. And the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG certainly ran into a lot. First, he was nearly hit by a team car from his own squad. Then, he was seen with a bleeding left wrist, most likely caused by a €300,000 watch... Just when it seemed like everything had settled down and Pogacar was riding up front with Van der Poel, he took a corner too aggressively and crashed.

Finally, Mike Teunissen, who was having a great ride for XDS-Astana, saw his race unravel with 59 kilometers to go. He suddenly pulled over with a tube hanging from his wheel, his front tire had blown. Game over for the Dutchman…