The German professional cyclist Nils Politt believes he has a chance at the spring classic Paris-Roubaix and considers the top stars Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel to be beatable.
“It will definitely be more difficult for them to dominate the race,” said Politt to “SID” before the 120th edition of the “Queen of the Classics” on Sunday: “There are no mountains in the way that Mathieu or Wout have their strengths.”
The traditional race in the “Hell of the North” leads over 256.6 km from Compiegne to the velodrome in Roubaix. Characteristic and feared are the cobblestone passages, a total of 29 “pave sectors” with a total length of 54.5 km are on the plan.
“Anything can happen at Paris-Roubaix, it’s always a special feeling. You can fall, be slowed down by a defect,” said Bora-hansgrohe professional Politt, who narrowly missed out on the prestigious victory in second place in 2019: “The race suits me , the form is good.”
Belgian van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Dutchman van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) are among the top favorites after a strong spring. John Degenkolb (DSM), one of only two German winners of Paris-Roubaix, is also hoping for a good performance.