Paris-Roubaix 2026 — Road Closures & Traffic

Back to Paris-Roubaix 2026 | See also Viewing Plan

The cobbles of the Trouée d’Arenberg — these roads will be closed

How road closures work

Race route roads must be fully closed no later than 20 minutes before the first rider (arrêté préfectoral). In practice, closures begin much earlier — police set up barriers, the publicity caravan passes ~1.5–2h before elite riders. Roads remain closed until the last race vehicle has passed (voiture balai). With four races on the same day, roads are NOT reopened between successive races.

4 races = prolonged closures

Roads shared by multiple races (sectors 20 through 1) could be closed from before the U19 passes (~11:00) until after the Women passes (~18:30) — potentially 7+ hours. No reopening between races.

Source: Arrêté préfectoral — Prefecture du Nord

Caravan timing — when closures begin

Roads typically close ~1h before these caravan times. The caravan precedes the elite riders by ~1.5–2 hours.

Location	Caravan	Closure starts (~1h before)	Elite riders
Troisvilles (sector 30)	11:29	~10:30	13:07–13:19
Solesmes (sector 25)	12:08	~11:08	13:43–13:58
Denain	12:46	~11:46	14:18–14:36
Haveluy (sector 20)	12:49	~11:49	14:21–14:39
Arenberg (sector 19)	13:02	~12:00	14:33–14:52
Mons-en-Pévèle (sector 11)	14:08	~13:08	15:33–15:58
Carrefour de l’Arbre (sector 4)	14:51	~13:51	16:13–16:41
Roubaix (finish)	15:15	From 07:00 (special zone)	16:35–17:05

U19 and U23 add earlier closures on shared sectors

Sectors 20 through 1 are used by U19 (from ~11:13), U23 (from ~12:17), Elite, and Women. Roads near these sectors may close much earlier than the caravan times above suggest.

Roubaix finish area — Full timeline

Friday April 10

From 17:00: Avenue du Parc des Sports closed (between av. Maxence Van Der Meersch and av. de Verdun) — France Televisions setup
Parking prohibited from 16:00 on that section
Traffic lights at Parc des Sports / Maxence Van Der Meersch → blinking orange from 19:00

Saturday April 11 (Challenge day) & Sunday April 12 (Race day)

From 7:00: Traffic cuts along Avenue Alfred Motte, filtering at major intersections
From 9:00: Full closures on:
- Avenue Roger Salengro
- Avenue Maxence Van Der Meersch
- Avenue du Parc des Sports
- Rue de Lannoy and adjacent roads
- Allee Crupelandt
- Avenue Alexander Fleming
- Rue Leon Blum
- Contour des Petites Haies
Parking banned av. du Parc des Sports: 7am Saturday → Sunday midnight
Systematic towing for violations — no exceptions

Highway & expressway closures (confirmed — arrêté préfectoral)

Road	Closure time	Direction	Notes
A2 interchange #18 “Denain” (→ RD 40)	10:00–17:00	Both exit ramps, both directions	Critical — closes very early!
A23 interchanges #2 & 2b (→ RD 938)	11:15–18:00	Exit ramp, both directions	Affects Arenberg → Mons/Carrefour drives
M700 voie rapide	Race day	Recueil exit ↔ Toufflers roundabout, both directions	Affects Hem area

A2 Denain exit closes at 10:00 — critical for viewing plan

The A2 Denain exit closes at 10:00 — much earlier than the caravan (12:46). If driving from Troisvilles or Cambrai toward Arenberg via A2, you cannot exit at Denain after 10:00. Use the next exit (Valenciennes) and approach from the north, or use local roads.

Commune-specific closures

Hem

Several axes closed beyond just the race route
M700 voie rapide closure confirmed

Helesmes

Parking prohibited 7:00–17:00
Traffic completely prohibited during race passage
Towing enforced

Driving implications for viewing plan

Troisvilles → Arenberg (~50 km)

Direct route through race course: Impossible — closed
Recommended: North via Cambrai → D643/A2 toward Valenciennes → south to Wallers
A2 Denain exit closed from 10:00 — must use Valenciennes exit or local roads
A23 Orchies exits closed from 11:15 — cannot use A23 as alternative
If leaving Troisvilles at 12:00 (Option F): Arrive Arenberg ~12:50, before caravan — safe, but must avoid A2 Denain exit
If leaving Troisvilles at 13:25 (Option A): Roads near Arenberg closed for 25+ min already — high risk

Arenberg → Mons-en-Pévèle (~30–35 km)

Race route goes the same direction — cannot follow it
Must detour west via Douai or through local roads south of the route
A23 Orchies exits closed from 11:15 — confirmed, cannot use A23
U23 finishing (~14:30) and Women starting from Denain (14:35) add closures
Tight timing: ~40 min drive with closures, ~40–60 min window

Arenberg → Carrefour de l’Arbre (~35 km)

Detour west via Douai/Orchies area to approach from south
Comfortable timing: ~80 min buffer (leave Arenberg ~14:55, elite at Carrefour ~16:13)
Even with 30 min of closure delays, still arrives with time to spare

Carrefour de l’Arbre → Roubaix Vélodrome (~15 km)

Finish area closed from 07:00 — cannot drive close
Parking: McArthur Glen car park (free, relatively close) or park away and walk
Factor in 15–20 min walk from parking to velodrome entrance
Recommended entrance: Rue de Lannoy (less crowded than av. Maxence Van Der Meersch)

Parking on pavé sectors

Parking and circulation strictly prohibited on cobbled sectors
Field parking prohibited along the route
Camping-cars and caravans: designated areas provided by each commune on the race route only

Alcohol ban

Alcohol ban along the route

Alcohol consumption is banned along the entire race route on Sunday April 12, 10:00–19:00. Exceptions: authorized hospitality areas, café terraces (like Chez Françoise), and spaces with temporary public domain occupation permits.

Security

~1,000 police and gendarmes deployed (including reserves)
Belgian police provide additional support, particularly at Trouée d’Arenberg and Carrefour de l’Arbre (Gruson)
Rope barriers (piquetage-cordage) at: Mons-en-Pévèle, Carrefour de l’Arbre, Gruson — public must remain behind barriers
Vigipirate plan in effect: anti-vehicle barriers, safety railings, reinforced checkpoints deployed by Metropole Europeenne de Lille