The world of cycling is buzzing in view of Sunday, one of the most eagerly awaited days for every fan: the day of Paris Roubaix, “The Hell of the North". For part of the audience, however, this celebration risks being only half enjoyed. The official TV broadcast times have been released today, both for the men’s race and for the women’s race, now at its sixth edition. For the first time, the women’s race will take place on the same day as the men’s event, which will feature the highly anticipated showdown between Van der Poel and Pogačar. Until last year, the women’s event was held on Saturday, a slot that guaranteed it independent visibility and broader TV coverage.
While this decision may increase the number of spectators along the route (already extraordinary in past years, between the most iconic cobbled sectors and the Vélodrome) it also risks significantly harming the television viewing experience. And this is where the issue arises. In 2025, the Discovery group (Eurosport, HBO Max, and TNT+) broadcast around three hours of live coverage, covering 83km of the race, including all the decisive sectors. This year, however, the broadcast start time is set for 17:00 CEST. This applies to every broacaster airing the race worldwide due to the lack of images production from ASO. Considering a predicted finish between 18:09 and 18:35, and taking into account the usual previews, at best only about 50km of the race will be shown. In other words, half of the cobbled sectors will be missed.
At a time when women’s cycling is finally gaining space, audience, and media recognition, this decision feels like a step backward. Not only in terms of the amount of coverage, but also in the message it sends: the women’s race returns to being treated as secondary content, overshadowed by the men’s event. Can it really be considered progress to concentrate everything on the same day if the television product ends up diminished?