Van Aert Breaks Decade-Long Curse to Conquer Paris-Roubaix

Wout van Aert won the Paris-Roubaix cycling race on Sunday. He beat world champion Tadej Pogacar in a dramatic final sprint. The Belgian rider ended ten years of bad luck in the famous race. The event is one of cycling's five "Monuments," its most prestigious one-day races. "It's everything to me," Van Aert said. "I stopped believing a lot of times." The 31-year-old finally triumphed after a brutal race over cobblestone roads. His main rivals, Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, also had bad luck. Both suffered punctures during the race. Van der Poel had two mechanical problems and could not compete for the win. This is Van Aert's second Monument victory. He also won the Milan-Sanremo race in 2020.