Van der Poel wins Paris-Roubaix again with Pogačar in second place after late crash

ROUBAIX, France (AP) — Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel benefited from Tadej Pogačar's late crash on Sunday to win the Paris-Roubaix race for the third straight year.

Pogačar's debut appearance at the one-day classic saw him seeking to become the first Tour de France champion to win it since Bernard Hinault in 1981.

The 259.2-kilometer (161-mile) race is called “The Hell of the North” because of its numerous cobblestone sections and reputation for crashes.

Pogačar found that out with 38 kilometers to go.

The 26-year-old Slovenian was neck-and-neck with Van der Poel when he misjudged a turn on a cobblestone section and went into the crash barriers.

Although he was unhurt, his chain came off and he had to change bikes, losing crucial time. Then, when he picked up a puncture with 20 kilometers to go, his victory chances were gone.

The grueling race is one of the five “monuments” in one-day cycling along with Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Tour of Lombardy, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.

Van der Poel, who raised his bike in the air in celebration, and Pogačar have won eight monuments each.

“It means a lot. It’s such a hard race, I was suffering. I just had to go for it,” Van der Poel said. “I’m just happy I found my good legs again. We know what an incredible champion Tadej is.”

Although Van der Poel had a puncture with 16 kilometers left, he changed bikes without losing much time and entered the Roubaix velodrome all alone.

He bowed his head and then raised three fingers when he crossed the finish line in 5 hours, 31 minutes, 27 seconds.

Pogačar got a loud ovation and waved to the crowd when he finished second, 1 minute, 18 seconds behind. Danish rider Mads Pedersen took third place after a three-way sprint to the line, finishing 2:11 behind Van der Poel.

The 30-year-old Van der Poel added another prestigious win to his glittering career and got the better of Pogačar again after beating him last month at the prestigious Milan-San Remo, which Pogačar has never won.

On Saturday, Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt overcame sickness and a crash to win the Paris-Roubaix women’s race for the first time after a well-timed solo breakaway. The 148.5-kilometer women’s race featured 29.2 km of cobbles.

Sunday's race had been billed as a showdown between two of the greatest cyclists of the modern era: the versatile and tactically shrewd Pogačar versus the super-fast and powerful Van der Poel.

Van der Poel outsmarted him at San-Remo, but Pogačar bounced back with a victory last Sunday with a trademark solo attack at Flanders.

When Pogačar launched an attack with 71 kilometers left, Van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen were soon on his wheel.

Philipsen was then dropped as the pace increased, but Pogačar’s inexperience on the cobbles showed when he entered a turn too fast and ultimately lost the race.

“The speed was super-high and he missed the turn a bit,” Van der Poel said. “It was the two of us going into the Velodrome if he didn’t make the mistake. I think it would have been very difficult to drop him.”

Pogačar has won three Tour de France titles and one Giro d’Italia and is notoriously hard to beat.

Last month, he won the Strade Bianche race in Italy for the third time despite falling.

But this time he could not overcome his setback.

AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

Second placed, Tadej Pogacar, of Slovenia, winner Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, and third placed Mads Pedersen, of Denmark, pose on the podium of the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Second placed, Tadej Pogacar, of Slovenia, winner Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, and third placed Mads Pedersen, of Denmark, pose on the podium of the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, poses on the podium as Tadej Pogacar, of Slovenia, pass behind after he winning the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, poses on the podium as Tadej Pogacar, of Slovenia, pass behind after he winning the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, lifts the cobblestone trophy while second placed Tadej Pogacar, of Slovenia, and third placed Mads Pedersen, of Denmark, look on, on the podium of the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, approaches the finish line on her own to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, approaches the finish line on her own to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Golden Tempo showed exactly why he is a great closer, and his stretch run at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday delivered more history for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz from 12 lengths off the lead, Golden Tempo surged from the back of the pack to win the 158th rendition of the race. The victory came five weeks after his last-to-first charge to win the Kentucky Derby.

“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” said DeVaux. “I think he needed to do this to kind of show that he was meant to win the Derby and that he is a horse that belongs in that conversation of being one of the top 3-year-olds.”

Golden Tempo held off Commandment to win by a length and a quarter at odds of 6-1. Commandment was second and favorite Renegade placed third.

“I followed them closely in the second turn,” Ortiz said. “They started to pick it up, so I did as well. I was just waiting for the right time to go all in. When I asked him to go, my horse responded.”

DeVaux, after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, is the second in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci won it with Arcangelo in 2023. DeVaux is the first woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.

“It’s overwhelming,” DeVaux said. “All the credit goes to Golden Tempo, who won the race, and Jose did a wonderful job of making it happen. But I’m just so fortunate to be in this position. It’s history-making, and I’ve kind of shied away from it, but I’m really grateful that I am that person.”

DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career there, but she doesn’t call herself a Saratoga native. She spends most of her time in Kentucky now and said she grew up in southern Florida. But after all the support she’s received from the town, she has started to embrace it.

“Everyone is kind of calling me the hometown girl,” DeVaux said. “So that’s kind of fun. I’m going to miss our appetizer (at) Saratoga, as we call it, the ‘Bellatoga.’”

Golden Tempo was the third choice in the race. There were concerns about whether he could pull off another big comeback win in a field that included Renegade. The Todd Pletcher-trained horse finished second to Golden Tempo by a neck in the Derby.

The pace was not nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo still was able to close in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49. It didn’t matter, as he was the best in the field of nine horses.

“He wasn’t going to get that setup as he did in the Derby,” Ortiz said. “We all knew that, and I was a little worried about it. He needed some kind of setup. But today, there wasn’t one and he showed up today and won.”

Golden Tempo won two-thirds of the Triple Crown after DeVaux and owners decided to bypass the Preakness. He is the second horse in as many years to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont after not running in the middle jewel.

“We made our decision, and we won today and we’re going to be happy about that,” DeVaux said.

This was the third and final time for the Belmont at Saratoga in upstate New York, while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island is getting demolished and rebuilt. Run at 1 1/4 miles because of the track at Saratoga, the race is set to return to Belmont Park next year when it will return to its traditional 1 1/2-mile distance.

“It’s so meaningful,” DeVaux said. ”A lot of family here. Saratoga, it’s been wonderful to have such a historic race here. ... It’s so meaningful because the town gets to have this and celebrate it along with us.”

Golden Tempo paid $14 to win, $7.32 to place and $3.88 to show. Commandment paid $7.02 to show and $4.08 to place, while Renegade paid $2.52 to place.

Ortiz followed Renegade, ridden by older brother Irad, just as he did in the Derby. It worked out just the same in the first Saturday in June as the first Saturday in May.

“He was bouncing a bit today, which made me very happy because I wanted him to be a little bit sharper today,” Jose Ortiz said. “You can see him, he’s very relaxed. He does what I ask him to do. That’s the main thing.”

Co-owner Vinnie Viola dedicated the race to his late friend Dominic DiPrisco, who died Wednesday at age 70. Viola prayed to DiPrisco Saturday morning, hoping for an extra push in the Belmont Stakes.

“I know you’re in heaven, and I love you, and this race is for you,” Viola said. “It means more than I can express in words right now.”

Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes for the second time, nine years after his first aboard Tapwrit in 2017.

“We just wanted him to get better and keep winning these kinds of races,” Ortiz said. “We’re very happy with him. It’s all about him.”

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

Trainer Cherie DeVaux, center, with Jockey Jose Ortiz, left, holds the trophy after Golden Tempo won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Trainer Cherie DeVaux, right, greet Golden Tempo (9) and Jockey Jose Ortiz after they won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockey Jose Ortiz celebrates aboard Golden Tempo as they are led to the winner's circle after winning the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockey Jose Ortiz celebrates as he crosses the finish line aboard Golden Tempo (9) to win the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Golden Tempo (9) with Jockey Jose Ortiz crosses the finish line to win the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Spectators watch the second race of the day before the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jockeys walk thoroughbreds to the track for the second race of the day before the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)