The news this week – beyond Tadej Pogačar and Demi Vollering’s Tour of Flanders victories – has been dominated with small c crime. 54 riders are being investigated for crossing train tracks while a red light was showing during the Flemish race, and people have been stealing cobbles from the Paris-Roubaix course. Both offences could put riders in real, serious danger. Fortunately for those set to compete at Paris-Roubaix, Jonas Abrahamsen and his team Uno-X Mobility have been out on the cobbles with their magnifying glasses making sure everything is ship shape for Sunday.
The third Monument of the season is set to start at 9:30 UK time for the men’s and 16:00 for the women’s on Sunday 12th April. Could Tadej Pogačar equal Mathieu van der Poel’s three-time title? Might Demi Vollering continue her Flanders form and bag another cobbled monument? Either way, the cobbles will be pristine – all thanks to a bunch of goats.
1. It’s news to me, but some of the core workmen gruelling over the Paris-Roubaix cobbles are actually goats. The herd – around 40 strong – take to the cobbles every year as a form of ‘eco-grazing’, removing the need for chemical weed killers.
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The queens are back 🐐📍 Trouée d’Arenberg pic.twitter.com/qEcu078kj7March 27, 2026
2. Buona Pasqua! Cyclist and social media influencer Elisa Scarlatta took to the Italian streets to spread some Easter joy last weekend – featuring the cutest crochet (?) bike/egg bag.
3. Scarlatta wasn’t the only one delivering chocolate to her fellow cyclists this weekend. SD Worx-Protime’s limited edition easter bunny mascot was doing the rounds this year at the Tour of Flanders.
4. For what Zoe Bäckstedt lacks in general knowledge she makes up in race results: after the interview, she blasted into fifth place at the Tour of Flanders, just behind last year’s winner, Lotte Kopecky.
5. One of the most scandalous things to have happened at the Tour of Flanders this year was a surprisingly common cycling phenomenon: a jumped red light. The peloton was divided after a train passed over a level crossing, splitting Tadej Pogačar and 54 others from a pack that included Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Now those 50-plus riders could face fines by the Belgian public prosecutor’s office for the traffic offence.
Train stops Tour of Flanders: driver identified pic.twitter.com/W8Wcb7Yj3yApril 5, 2026
6. Featuring in both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Ronde, the Muur van Geraardsbergen is not for the faint of heart: 910 metres of climbing at an average incline of 9%, maxing out at 20%. It’s even harder if you’ve got a dog strapped to your back.
7. Ahead of the last cobbled Classic of the season this weekend, here’s a reminder of what not to do from the side lines. (This is a wince-inducing watch.)
8. Jonas Abrahamsen and Uno-X Mobility are taking no risks this weekend as he prepares to race Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.
9. Mathew Hayman: everyone’s favourite Paris-Roubaix winner. In 2016, the Aussie took victory in France after breaking his arm just six weeks earlier.
10. A bonus pic for my fellow goat fans. Unfortunately, they won’t be featuring on race day.
We ran into Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert on Arenberg 🐐On a croisé Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel et Wout van Aert sur Arenberg 🐐 pic.twitter.com/KrVddpiIaGApril 7, 2026
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