Mathieu van der Poel won the 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. After 256.6 kilometers he crossed the finish line solo on the velodrome in Roubaix. At about 15 kilometers from the finish he escaped his biggest competitor Wout van Aert. The Belgian punctured his rear tire on one of the countless cobblestone sections and had to let Van der Poel go.
For Van der Poel it is finally a prize in one of the greatest classics in cycling. In 2021 he finished in third place, his best performance so far on the cobblestones of northern France.
After his win in Milan-San Remo this spring and his strong performance in the Tour of Flanders, the man from Brabant was one of the absolute top favourites. Van der Poel also proved that during the race. He could always be found in the front and did not shy away from the attack. With a dream come true for him at the finish, because Paris-Roubaix was still missing from his impressive honors list.
“It was another crazy race from start to finish. As a team we did it perfectly,” said Van der Poel in front of the NOS camera. “I’m riding my best spring ever. I’m now rid of my back problems. I don’t constantly complain about it, but it feels a lot more pleasant.”
After Dylan van Baarle last year, Mathieu van der Poel is the eighth Dutchman to win Paris-Roubaix.