‘I didn’t expect to be alone’ – Mathieu van der Poel just too strong in ‘unplanned’ Paris-Roubaix attack

Paris-Roubaix is an unpredictable race, more so than pretty much any other on the season calendar, with crashes, punctures and various other instances of bad luck always ready and waiting to strike and derail even the best-laid plans of the top contenders for glory.

If the previous 120 editions of the race weren’t enough evidence, then we saw it again on Sunday, with riders including Mads Pedersen, John Degenkolb, and Laurence Pithie all falling victim to some bout of misfortune or another en route to Roubaix.