Don't miss it! Cycling's golden era delivers weekly brilliance and once-in-a-lifetime rivalries

PARIS (AP) — Think of the golden age of men's tennis, when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray dominated the tour with unprecedented consistency, delighting fans weekly.

Something remarkably similar and just as spectacular is unfolding in cycling today.

The sport is being blessed with a generation of male champions who have revitalized it, injecting a sense of drama that had been missing for years, when race strategies felt predictable and viewers would often only tune in for the last kilometers. Now, at the start of every major event, everything seems possible.

You can thank Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard for that.

They are the main figures of cycling’s new age. And since the start of the season, which culminates in the heat of July during three weeks on the bucolic roads of the Tour de France, there has not been a week of racing when they have not taken each other on with excitement and panache.

The latest example unfolded over the weekend in northern France at Paris-Roubaix, the grueling cycling classic over cobblestones known as the Hell of the North.

The 123rd edition of the one-day race was expected to be a duel between three-time defending champion van der Poel, from the Alpecin–Premier Tech, and Pogačar, the leader of the UAE Team Emirates XRG, who was chasing a first victory in the only Monument missing from his cabinet trophy. There are four other so-called Monument races in cycling — Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Tour of Lombardy, the Tour of Flanders and Milan-San Remo.

Nothing went as planned in what turned out to be a blockbuster script.

Van der Poel saw his hopes vanish after two punctures in the cobbled sector of the famed Trouée d’Arenberg, losing considerable time he was unable to make up despite a furious chase. Pogačar, who had also suffered a puncture earlier in the race, found himself in an ideal position at the front, but that was without reckoning van Aert.

The often unlucky but experienced Visma–Lease a Bike rider stayed with the Slovenian until the finish and comfortably beat him in the final sprint at the Roubaix velodrome, handing him his first defeat of 2026.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme praised Pogačar for the enthusiasm he is bringing to the sport by competing on all terrains throughout the year. The 27-year-old four-time Tour champion is arguably the most exciting rider of his generation. Capable of winning everywhere, he has drawn comparisons with the great Eddy Merckx.

“We have a champion who is doing what Eddy Merckx was doing 50 years ago,” Prudhomme told RMC radio on Sunday. “Not just in terms of victories, but in being present from March all the way through to October. His quest for a fifth Monument—the only one that still eludes him—will continue, and in a way, that’s just fine by me.”

The renewed excitement in cycling has been felt throughout all the major classics this season, with thrilling, action-packed races at Milan–San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. It has also been present at weeklong races such as Paris-Nice, where two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard won ahead of Dani Martinez with the biggest winning margin since 1939, and the fourth biggest in the history of the race.

Vingegaard also secured the best climber’s polka-dot jersey, and took the best sprinter’s green jersey in a show of force that foreshadowed another major battle with Pogačar at the Tour this summer.

As well as chasing a third Tour crown this year, Vingegaard is set for his Giro d’Italia debut in May in a bid to win all three Grand Tours. He won the Tour de France in 2022 and ’23 and last year clinched his first Spanish Vuelta title.

Beyond the rivalry between Pogačar and Vingegaard, the possible participation in the Tour of young prodigy Paul Seixas could add an extra layer of suspense. At just 19 years old, the versatile Frenchman from the Decathlon CMA CGM team is regarded as a future great and France hopes he can end its long wait for a Tour victory, which dates back to 1985 and the final triumph of Bernard Hinault.

Seixas became last week the youngest winner of the Tour of the Basque Country, as well as the youngest winner of a WorldTour stage race ahead of Evenepoel.

“I had said before his brilliant victory in the Ardèche (classic), after a 42-kilometre solo breakaway that If he doesn’t come (to the Tour), we won’t hold it against him. I can confirm today that if he does come, we won’t hold it against him either," Prudhomme joked when asked about Seixas's participation.

According to Prudhomme, cycling's revival is confirmed by a renewed interest among younger audiences, who follow races roadside — like last year in Montmartre during the Tour final stage which drew thousands of spectators — as well as on social media and on television.

There was nearly 150 million viewers across Europe for last year's Tour, with afternoon broadcasts in France reaching record highs.

“I don’t know if we’re living through a golden age, but we are certainly experiencing some beautiful moments,” Prudhomme said.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Remco Evenepoel of the Team Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe, right, competes during the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Netherlands' Mathieu van der Poel, left, follows Mads Pedersen of Denmark, right, to take a fourth place in the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar celebrates after winning the Tour of Flanders cycling race, with Netherland's Mathieu Van Der Poel, left, finishing second and Belgium's Remco Evenpoel third in Oudenaarde, Belgium Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert))

Belgium's Wout van Aert crosses the finish line ahead of Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, left, to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in Roubaix, France, Sunday, April 12, 2026. Van Aert pointed his finger skywards to commemorate Belgian cyclist Michael Goolaerts who died after crashing in the race in 2018. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's Viktor Orbán had such an outsize global influence that his crushing electoral defeat is resounding far and wide.

Here's how global leaders reacted, in their own words. There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration, which campaigned for Orban.

Orbán repeatedly blocked aid for Ukraine to fend off Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly reached out to incoming leader Péter Magyar in hopes of support.

‘’It is important when constructive approach prevails. Ukraine has always sought good-neighbourly relations with everyone in Europe and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary,'' he posted on social media.

‘’We are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe,'' Zelenskyy said.

Orban was Russia's closest ally in the European Union, and courted China. Both countries seemed to distance themselves from him after Magyar's win.

“Hungary has made its choice, and we respect that choice,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We expect to continue our very pragmatic contacts with the new Hungarian leadership.”

Asked about the impact of Hungary’s vote on the conflict in Ukraine, Peskov responded that “I don’t think this has anything to do with the future of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.''

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in Beijing that “China attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations and stands ready to work with Hungary’s new government based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.”

Orbán was constantly critical of the EU, even though his country enjoys billions in funding from the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a frequent target of Orbán's pronouncements, said, ‘’Europe is Hungarian today.''

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy.''

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz messaged Magyar: ‘’Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe. Gratulálok, kedves Magyar Péter!”

French President Emmanuel Macron said that "France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union.''

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, traveling in South Korea, posted a video clip apparently showing him speaking to Magyar by phone while overlooking the Korean capital.

“Oh, I am so happy. I think I am happier than you, you know,” Tusk said in English.

In his victory speech, Magyar said that his first foreign stop would be to Poland, which has historically had friendly ties to Hungary.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni thanked her ‘’friend Viktor Orbán'' for their collaboration. ‘’I know that even from the opposition he will continue to serve his Nation.''

France's far-right National Rally, jockeying to replace Macron in the French presidency next year, supported Orbán and tread cautiously after his defeat.

‘’This result, respectfully welcomed by Viktor Orbán, shows that the incessant accusations by European institutions in recent years against Hungarian democracy were unfounded,'' posted the party's president, Jordan Bardella.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his part, offered his “heartiest congratulations” to Magyar on X.

“I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation and to advance the vital India-EU Strategic Partnership for the shared prosperity and well-being of our peoples,” he wrote.

FILE - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban waves has he walks onto stage to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero,File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, greets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell,File)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, addresses after a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)