Race Breakdown: Mathieu van der Poel has done his rainbow jersey proud in Paris-Roubaix, in a repeat of the victory in Flanders. The World champion won on the Roubaix cobbles for the second time in a row, after a solo of just under 60 kilometres. Just like in Flanders, the Alpecin-Deceuninck team were once again in total control to win their third Monument
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Job done for Mathieu van der Poel and Alpecin-Deceuninck
The World champion wanted to shake the front group on the Orchies stretch, because the group wasn’t working and he wanted less riders. The team wanted to know where he would attack. “I did that,” he said. But after the race, team manager Philip Roodhooft, stated: “Was this the plan? In any case, it was his plan.” It seems that it was not Van der Poel’s plan to be on his own at this point. “Not expected,” he pointed out. It wasn’t a problem as the Van der Poel is in top form. Mads Pedersen was philosophical: “I have zero excuses, I was at my very best today and was just beaten by guys who were better. Van der Poel did what he wanted with us.”
The World champion just rode away from the others
After the ‘Flemish Opening Weekend’ it looked like Visma | Lease a Bike would carrying on their winning ways from last year, but since then it has all gone wrong for the Dutch team with sickness and injury. It was Lidl-Trek who was expected to be the dominant team for the Tour of Flanders. Now looking back in the spring so far, Alpecin-Deceuninck has done what ever they wanted to do: Three Monuments out of three, Milano-Sanremo, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. And all won at record speed.
The Philipsen/Van der Poel duo has been all conquering
Visma | Lease a Bike won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Dwars Door Vlaanderen and you can throw in Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Clasic de Almeria, so their spring can’t be called a failure, but they were aiming for victory in Flanders and Roubaix with a strong dominant team. Lidl-Trek won Gent-Wevelgem and third in Roubaix, but the American registered team that has 13 wins so far this season was not as dominant as expected. Although Mads Pedersen said: “On Sunday evening we celebrate a good classics campaign.”
Mads Pedersen not disappointed with the spring
Wout van Aert was out with multiple injuries from Dwars door Vlaanderen, Dylan van Baarle was sick and a recovering from illness, Christophe Laporte had bad luck in Roubaix, although the European champion looked to be back to his normal self. For Visma | Lease a Bike it was their three youngest riders who showed the yellow jerseys in the best light. Per Strand Hagenes was in a very strong early break, but the peloton chased it down. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old Norwegian still managed to stay with the group of favourites for a long time.
Per Strand Hagenes fought hard on the cobbles
Mick and Tim van Dijke, the twin brothers in yellow were Visma’s best. Tim was the second rider to turn onto the cobbles of the Tranchée de Wallers-Arenberg, but a puncture caused him to loose Pedersen’s wheel. Mick was the only rider to join the three top favourites of Van der Poel, Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen. Tim crossed the line in 8th place, but he attacked bellow the blue ‘Cote d’Azur’ section on the Roubaix track and was put back to 16th place.
Mick van Dijke managed to be with Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen
The peloton that hit the chicane at the start of Wallers was much smaller than expected. ASO must have been very pleased that Alpecin-Deceuninck split the race before the controversial ‘obstacle’. The lead group went through the chicane without any problems. What would it have been like with a full, or big peloton? Van der Poel commented: “During the reconnaissance I thought it was even worse than in the photos.”
‘That’ chicane
No body could come near Alpecin-Deceuninck this spring. Wins in Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix by the same team in the same year is history. Life couldn’t be better for a Belgian team. If you look at the performance of the other three teams from the cycling mad country; Soudal Quick-Step, Lotto Dstny and Intermarché-Wanty, then the men of Alpecin have been the only team to talk about.
Alpecin-Deceuninck – The stars of Belgium
Lotto Dstny had big hopes for Arnaud De Lie before the Tour of Flanders, but a case of Lyme disease put paid to their hopes. Intermarché-Wanty had moments, but their top men crashed; Biniam Girmay in Dwars Door Vlaanderen and then Laurenz Rex twice in Roubaix. The young Estonian, Madis Mihkels, finished 10th in Roubaix, which was their best result.
Very bad luck for Laurenz Rex of Intermarché-Wanty
And what about Soudal Quick-Step? Kasper Asgreen was with a very strong ‘Break of the Day’ that looked like it would go into the finale, but the peloton didn’t want them to have any sort of advantage and they were hunted down before Wallers/Arenberg. For the first time in 40 years, Patrick Lefevere was not in the Roubaix Velodrôme for the finish, due to sickness, but the sight of Yves Lampaert finishing in 36th place, his best finisher, would have made him very ill. Does the Belgian Soudal Quick-Step boss wish he had never made the change to a Grand Tour team?
Kasper Asgreen made it into the Roubaix break, but that was the Soudal Quick-Step high point
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* Thanks to ProCyclingStats and WielerFlits for facts and figures. *
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