Van der Poel wins Paris-Roubaix – Degenkolb Siebter – Sport

John Degenkolb rolled through the legendary Roubaix Velodrome with his head down. The audience’s applause and the recognition of winner Mathieu van der Poel for an outstanding performance could not console the German professional cyclist. A fall in the final phase had deprived Degenkolb of all chances of his second victory after 2015 in the classic Paris-Roubaix and made the “hell of the north” a drama for him.

Instead, van der Poel, with whom Degenkolb collided on the last difficult cobblestone passage, was allowed to celebrate. The Dutchman stayed on the bike and then raced as a soloist to his first cobblestone trophy. “Incredible. I had one of the best days on the bike. It’s incredible and hard to describe,” said van der Poel. At the finish, the 28-year-old from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team had a 46-second lead over his Belgian team-mate Jasper Philipsen. Third place went to fellow favorite Wout van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma).

Degenkolb calls Paris-Roubaix his “favourite race”

After winning Milan-Sanremo in March, it was van der Poel’s second major triumph of the year. Degenkolb was no longer able to intervene in the placement sprint. With a deficit of 2:35 minutes, the DSM professional finished seventh as the best German. Max Walscheid (Neuwied/Cofidis) finished eighth, just under a minute behind.

“It’s my favorite race. Everything about it fascinates me,” said Degenkolb, to whom the 3.7 km long Pave sector 17 between Hornaing and Wandignies is dedicated, before the start. In the end, Degenkolb lay exhausted and disappointed on the floor.

Van der Poel and Degenkolb touch – the German falls

In an extremely rapid initial phase, all attempts to escape were stopped. Only a few kilometers before the first of 29 Pave sectors, a small group, which also included the German drivers Jonas Koch (Bora-hansgrohe) and Juri Hollmann (Movistar), broke away. On the section between Troisvilles and Inchy – the first 2.2 of a total of 54.5 kilometers of cobblestone – the race developed a new dynamic. Falls and defects were inevitable. Nils Politt (Bora-hansgrohe) was also held up by a mechanical problem. Although the Cologne native returned to the main field, he missed the connection at the decisive moment.

Degenkolb, on the other hand, used his experience before the notorious forest of Arenberg – the first key part of the race. The well-positioned DSM professional pulled away with the top favorites van Aert and van der Poel and survived the brutal Arenberg corridor unscathed. For last year’s winner Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) all hopes of victory ended there after a fall. The top group of 13, which initially consisted of four Germans, shrank in the elimination race towards the finish. Degenkolb convinced with commitment, will and cleverness. Attacks by the van der Poel and van Aert duo were intercepted by the 34-year-old single-handedly.

However, Degenkolb was denied the reward for his outstanding performance. On the last five-star sector Carrefour de l’Arbre, during an overtaking maneuver by van der Poel, there was contact with Degenkolb. On a meadow next to the cobblestones, Degenkolb lost control of his bike and fell at high speed. Although he was able to continue the race, all chances of victory were gone. Van der Poel didn’t let this be taken away from him, also because van Aert was slowed down by a damaged rear wheel.