The German cyclist John Degenkolb will miss the classic Paris-Roubaix after his severe fall on the tour of the Flanders.
Exactly ten years after his triumph in Roubaix, the 36 -year -old veteran will not be able to compete next Sunday (April 13). Bitter, is the “hell of the north”, this classic full of history, prestige and anecdotes for him more than just a race. “Paris-Roubaix flows through my veins”said Degenkolb once.
However, his severe fall on the tour of the Flanders makes a start at his personal highlight of the season impossible. Degenkolb pulled fractures on the collarbone, elbow and wrist. “John is opened on the floor with some force“, explained Camiel Aldershof, team doctor at Degenkolbs Team Picnic Postnl.
Fall 126 km before the finish
“He will undergo surgery on the wrist, then rehabilitation follows. The schedules can often change, but we expect that he cannot take part in competitions for two months”according to Aldershof. A start at Degenkolbs home race Eschborn-Frankfurt on May 1st is also out of the question.
Fate struck 126 km before the finish line. A cycling professional moving in front of him fell and triggered a chain reaction, Gegenkolb fell and remained in the ditch with pain. The “Ronde” and also Degenkolbs classic season ended.
A sector in Paris-Roubaix bears Degenkolbs name
Degenkolbs special relationship with Roubaix is not only due to his victory in 2015, the only German success alongside Josef Fischer (1896). In 2018, Degenkolb won the tour pave stage to Roubaix. Pave sector Hornaing-Wandignie-Hamage even bears his name in his honor.
Degenkolb was honored for his services to the race. Degenkolbs committed to the Roubaix young races, which he once saved from the end for the honor was decisive for the Roubaix youth race. He regularly maintained his close connection to the “Amis de Paris-Roubaix”, a group that is committed to preserving the cobblestones.