Red Bull (with red helmets), Philipsen, Segaert and more: What do the outsiders say ahead of Paris-Roubaix?

From the outside, Paris-Roubaix looks like a two-horse race between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Premier Tech can win on the Vélodrome for a record fourth consecutive time, while Pogačar could claim his first cobblestone, and in the process tick off all five Monuments. But who else is dreaming of success in the French cobbled classic?

At Alpecin-Premier Tech it all revolves around Van der Poel, but in recent years Jasper Philipsen has sometimes been a well-played wildcard too. Think of his Milan-Sanremo victory in 2024 and his second place behind his teammate in Roubaix that year. Due to a cold, Philipsen does not appear to have the best legs heading into Sunday, but he still showed his motivation at Thursday's press conference:

'Paris-Roubaix suits me well, a race where anything can happen. If you haven't won it yet, it's always tricky going into this race, but you can also be in super form and puncture. I'm going in with an open mind and then hopefully everything will go well. It could be a big battle for the breakaway and it might not even form before the first cobbled sector.'

Besides Van der Poel and Pogačar, there are big names like Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) who we expect to be among on a good day. But who else? Bahrain Victorious, for example, field two excellent names in Matej Mohorič and Alec Segaert. Segaert has aleady won this spring, on the cobbles of GP de Denain in March.

'I always look forward to Paris-Roubaix the most,' Mohorič confirms. 'It is the most chaotic classic and the one closest to my heart. I would love to ride onto the podium one day and hopefully one day fight for the victory.' On Segaert, he adds: 'My condition is at a very high level, so I'm hoping for some luck, and with Alec we also have a strong option. He is in fantastic form.'

Segaert knows it himself too. 'Paris-Roubaix is the race that suits me best. It is flat and that matches my characteristics at this point in my career. It is a constant effort and if everything goes well, I can see scenarios where we can fight for a podium place and maybe even for the win. I am full of confidence for Sunday.'

The fire is burning at other teams too ahead of the French cobbles. Decathlon CMA CGM, through team leader Daan Hoole, stated that a top five is the minimum goal. 'Paris-Roubaix means a huge amount to me. I fell in love with this race when I finished second as a junior. Paris-Roubaix is a race with so much history, one that is so demanding and brutal.'

'We have prepared well as a team and have looked for the best setup for the cobbles. We will try to race smartly. We need to be at the front on the cobbles and follow the strongest riders if we want to make it to the finale. As a team, we will be happy with a top-five result — that is what we are going for,' said the towering Dutchman.

Soudal Quick-Step are starting Scheldeprijs winner Tim Merlier, but it is former winner Dylan van Baarle and in-form Jasper Stuyven who carry the team's biggest hopes for a result. 'I hope to carry my good legs from the past few weeks into this race and hope to compete for the podium,' Stuyven said.

Podium ambitions will also be present at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, who have plenty of cards to play with Tim and Mick van Dijke, Laurence Pithie and Gianni Vermeersch. The Red Bull riders will be extra visible wearing red helmets, to draw attention to the Wings for Life World Run, which raises funds for spinal cord research. The running event takes place on 10 May.