imperial, Mathieu van der Poel wins after 60 km alone and takes the double on the Hell of the North

A week after his victory in the Tour of Flanders, Mathieu van der Poel won the sixth Monument of his career in Roubaix on Sunday.

A rainbow jersey of the victorious world champion in Roubaix, episode 2. The day after Lotte Kopecky’s victory in the women’s race, Mathieu van der Poel flew over the 121^e edition of Paris-Roubaix. The Dutchman, well helped by his teammates throughout the race, surprised his competitors by attacking in one of the least difficult sectors of the race, 60 kilometers from the finish. Setting out on a solitary raid, and without suffering any mechanical misfortune, he raised his arms for the second time on the André-Pétrieux velodrome, after his victory in 2023. Insatiable, he is the first to achieve the double since the Belgian Tom Boonen , who won in 2008 and 2009.

In the absence of his main competitor on the cobbles, Wout van Aert, the great favorite of Paris-Roubaix held his place. He knew he was expected, his team too, and his teammates played their role perfectly by first controlling a first breakaway of nine riders, then by leading the peloton in the first sectors to catch up with them. By setting a very high pace that few managed to follow, they also reduced the leading group to only around thirty riders when approaching the Trouée d’Arenberg, whose new chicane at the entrance was well negotiated. .

Very fit, perhaps too much, and euphoric in this legendary passage of the race, Mathieu van der Poel toughened his tone once again and blew up the leading group, losing a few teammates in the process. The world champion had to wait to regain the support of Jasper Philipsen and Gianni Vermeersch, who played a key role a few kilometers further. If the initiative of the second to attack with Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) initially questioned, it ultimately allowed Mads Pederden (Lidl-Trek) and other competitors to be exhausted. in pursuit.

A new record average speed

And to everyone’s surprise, while we were expecting a sharp offensive on one of the most difficult cobbled sectors, Mathieu van der Poel decided to attack in the three-star sector (out of five) of Orchies, at 60 kilometers from the finish. A masterstroke since no one took the wheel of the world champion, and his teammates then nipped in the bud any attempt to counter. More than comfortable on the cobbles and an outstanding driver to avoid the pitfalls, the Dutchman very quickly widened his lead with a minute taken in ten kilometers.

Only a mechanical problem or a fall could have prevented him from raising his arms in Roubaix, but fate smiled on him, unlike a lot of outsiders who were unable to hold off on him, like Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a Bike), forfeited at the start due to illness, Christophe Laporte, who suffered a puncture in the first meters of the first paved sector, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), who retired after two falls, or even Joshua Tarling (Ineos -Grenadiers), excluded from the race for hanging on to his car too much after a mechanical problem.

Mathieu van der Poel’s solo raid therefore took place without a hitch, as in the Tour of Flanders last weekend, while his pursuers fought to appear on the podium, several minutes late. Entering the André-Pétrieux Vélodrome triumphantly, the Dutchman was able to savor the last meters of the race by calming down the pace after a race covered at a record speed of 47.8 km/h (compared to 46.9 last year) . He even crossed the finish line before his pursuers entered the last cobbled sector. As in 2023, his teammate Jasper Philipsen then settled the sprint to take second place and offer a double to Alpecin-Deceuninck. Mads Pedersen completes the podium.

“It wasn’t planned to start alone with 60 kilometers to go, I wanted to make the race difficult. That’s my strength, my way of doing things. When I saw that there was a small gap, I kept going. I had a great day today. I had incredible legs, and with the wind at my back, I knew I could go. The team did an incredible job, even better than last year”, welcomed the world champion upon arrival. He won a sixth Monument with a victory in Milan-San Remo, three in the Tour of Flanders and now two in Paris-Roubaix. With his current form he could even win a seventh, on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on April 21, in the absence of the double title holder, Remco Evenepoel, injured, but with the presence of Tadej Pogacar.