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Cycling Weekly

Sport

Emma Magnus

Mathieu Van der Poel claims historic solo victory in action-packed Paris-Roubaix

van der Poel Mathieu van der Poel Jasper Philipsen Mads Pedersen Nils Politt Stefan Küng Roubaix (Facility) Laurence Pithie Mathieu van der Poel AlpecinDeceuninck Paris

World Champion Mathieu Van der Poel won Paris-Roubaix for the second year in a row as he rode to solo victory in this year’s eventful edition.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider launched his fatal attack on Orchies, the three-star cobbled sector 60 kilometres from the finish, making it the longest solo victory in 30 years.

Set up by his teammate Gianni Vermeersch, Van der Poel took advantage of a moment of calm, stamping his rainbow shoes down on the pedals and accelerating off the front of the group.

The elite chasing group, which included riders like Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) initially hesitated, with attempts to follow closely marked by Van der Poel’s teammates, Gianni Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen.

Showcasing his technical ability, the Dutch rider increased his lead on the subsequent cobbled sectors. “Anything can happen in Paris-Roubaix,” commentator and two-time winner Sean Kelly warned. But, with each section of pavé negotiated without incident, a win seemed more inevitable.

Van der Poel entered the velodrome with a lead of almost three minutes, emotion visible in his face as the bell rang for the final circuit. Arms raised, he crossed the finish line to a cheering crowd, cementing his place in history.

Behind him, the chasing group had splintered, with Pedersen, Küng, Politt, Pithie and Philipsen having pulled away. Pithie, however, crashed on a corner with 27 kilometres remaining, while Küng was dropped after an acceleration by Philipsen, 10 kilometres from the finish. Pedersen, Politt and Philipsen entered the velodrome together, each eyeing up a place on the podium.

Pedersen led the trio, looking round at Philipsen and Politt, both on his wheel. Politt launched an early sprint, with Pedersen coming round him on the outside and Philipsen on the inside. It was Philipsen who snatched second place, securing a one-two win for Alpecin-Deceuninck for the second year in a row. Pedersen claimed third, with Politt fourth.

Küng, still battling to catch up, finished fifth, ahead of a pursuing Vermeersch and Pithie, who finished sixth and seventh respectively.

Following on from his 2023 win at Roubaix —also a solo victory— Van der Poel joins a select group of riders to win the esteemed Hell of the North more than once. His win last weekend at the Tour of Flanders —solo again— makes him the 11th man in history to complete the Flanders/Roubaix double, doing so for the first time in 11 years.

The win also brings his Monument tally to six, putting Van der Poel in the top 16 of all time.

“I could never have dreamed of this as a child,” said Van der Poel after the race. “I’m a bit lost for words.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

This year’s 259.7-kilometre course, beginning in Compiègne —100km from Paris— and finishing in the velodrome in Roubaix, northern France, included 29 sectors of pavé. The route added 3.2 kilometres of cobbles to last year's course, bringing the total up to 55.7 kilometres – the most in 30 years. This was the 121st edition of the men’s race, and the third Monument of the season so far.

The race saw dry, windy weather. The cobbles were largely dry, with some damp, slippery sections caused by overnight rain in France. There were some unexpected non-starters, including 2022 winner, Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a Bike), Michael Mørkøv (Astana Qazaqstan) and Michael Vink (UAE Team Emirates).

This year was the fastest ever edition of Paris-Roubaix, and the action started early. After a series of smaller attacks, the first breakaway formed after 23 kilometres, with Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Mobility), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step), Marco Haller (Bora Hansgrohe), Liam Slock (Lotto Dstny) and Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan) gaining 1 minute 45 seconds on the peloton, at their highest point. Dries de Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Dušan Rajović (Bahrain-Victorious) chased, eventually joining them.

A bad crash came 39 kilometres in, with riders colliding with parked cars on the left-hand side of the road, at a level crossing. Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jonas Rutsch (EF Education- EasyPost) were forced to abandon, while Erik Nordsæter Resell (Uno-X Mobility) plus key contenders Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) were also affected. Merlier, who was visibly wounded, received treatment on the bike and abandoned later in the race, along with Milan. Rex was also forced to abandon after a second crash —a collision with a traffic island— 118 kilometres in.

The peloton fractured as it hit the pavé, led at speed by Alpecin-Deceuninck, who were dominant throughout the day. The first of many riders to suffer misfortune on the cobbles was Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike). Laporte punctured on the first sector, the three-star, 2.2km Troisvilles à Inchy, which put a decisive end to his chances of winning the race. Nils Politt, John Degenkolb (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Tim van Dijke (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Stefan Bissegger (EF Education EasyPost) were amongst those inconvenienced by mechanicals later on.

Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) was disqualified from the race 132 kilometres in, after taking a “sticky bottle” from the Ineos team car, helping him make his way back to the peloton following a mechanical issue.

With the peloton now split in two, the initial breakaway was caught by the first chasing group, still headed by Alpecin-Deceuninck, after 120 kilometres. A larger front group formed, with most teams were represented and several big names involved, including Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Stefan Küng, Kasper Asgreen, John Degenkolb, Laurence Pithie and Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious).

It wouldn’t last long. As the peloton approached the much-anticipated Trouée d'Arenberg, teams jostled for position. Riders navigated the controversial chicane, added to the sector earlier this week, without incident. With their speed forcibly reduced, they entered the Arenberg Forest almost from a standstill. Pedersen came to the front and fired down the middle of the cobbles. Van der Poel launched an attack, with only Pedersen, Mick van Dijke (Visma-Lease a Bike) and teammate Jasper Philipsen able to follow.

Küng eventually closed the gap, before a series of dramatic punctures. Philipsen was first, with 91 kilometres to go, having to change bikes and fight to rejoin the front group. Pedersen was next, pulled back into the chasing group with Jordi Meeus (Bora Hansgrohe) and Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), who also punctured. Ahead of them, Küng made a move off the front, accompanied by Politt and Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

The trio were caught after the pavé de Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières. By now, the chasing group had been whittled down to an elite group of around 20 riders, with favourites like Van der Poel, Philipsen, Pedersen and Pidcock remaining in the mix.

A series of moves followed. But, predictably, it was Van der Poel who put the hammer down on the three-star sector Orchies, with 60 kilometres remaining. As the chasing group hesitated, hampered by Van der Poel’s teammates, his advantage widened.

By the time Van der Poel entered the Roubaix velodrome, he had almost three minutes’ advantage, and a win was inevitable. He celebrated the victory in the saddle, with his arms raised triumphantly to the air.