He came to the end of the fatigue, of the tension, of himself. Sonny Colbrelli won Paris-Roubaix on Sunday in a three-way sprint with Florian Vermeersch (2nd) and Mathieu Van der Poel (3rd) at the end of a race in dire conditions and a crazy scenario. A few seconds after his victory, the Italian could not contain his joy, to put it mildly. After carrying his bike in triumph, his body stained with mud, he lay down on the ground in a real delirious puff where relief, exhaustion and happiness mingle, screaming for nearly a minute on the lawn of the Roubaix velodrome.
An image that will remain in the history of this Paris-Roubaix, but more broadly in the history of cycling. Because it sums up all by itself the ordeal that the runners underwent in this rainy Sunday, “Hell of the North”, which has never been so aptly named. A few steps from these groans of happiness, Mathieu Van der Poel is also lying, almost curled up on himself. He does not move, paralyzed by fatigue and the disappointment of having missed out on the greatest feat of his career. This image will also be remembered.
“This is my first Paris-Roubaix and I’m winning, I’m very happy,” explained the winner of the day at the microphone of FranceTV a few seconds after having regained his senses. It’s a legendary Roubaix today, with rain from the start. I followed Van der Poel in the final, I did a great sprint. “
