“Usually I hate this race but for sure I love it today,” Paris-Roubaix winner Mathieu van der Poel said after claiming his first ever Hell of the North. And for all the Queen of the Classics has its dark side, no one can deny the eternal fascination of Paris-Roubaix.
This year’s race was the fastest-ever since Paris-Roubaix began in 1896 and as dramatic and unforgiving as any of the previous 119.
After shaking off Wout van Aert, his most tenacious rival, at the end of Carrefour de l’Arbre at 15km from the finish, Van der Poel soloed around Roubaix velodrome to claim the fourth Monument of his career.
A sense of ‘what-if’ remained after Van Aert punctured at the crucial moment of the race but even the most diehard Belgian fans will admit that Van der Poel never put a foot wrong and so deserved his second Monument in just over a month. Once Van der Poel was alone for he ride to Roubaix, there was no sign that he lacked the strength or resilience to win.
Van der Poel’s victory was just one story of a race where the emotions ranged from the cruel misfortune of Van Aert’s puncture to the elation of Jasper Philipsen, whose loyal hard work was rewarded with a fine second place alongside his Dutch Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate.
No one will forget the tears of veteran John Degenkolb, in the front group and performing at a level that evoked memories of his 2015 victory, only to see his chances wrenched from his grasp when he was poleaxed to the side of a road after a three-way entanglement with Philipsen and Van der Poel on Carrefour de l’Arbre.
There was also the brave race finishers like Karl Patrick Lauk (Bingoal WB), the last name on the results sheet, and Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) – Roubaix’s youngest racer in 86 years. Every participant in the Hell of the North and everyone who makes it to the Roubaix velodrome, comes away with a story to remember.
To witness the key moments and get a stunning inside view of the race, photographer Chris Auld (opens in new tab) spent a long, arduous but worthwhile day out on the roadsides and fields of northern France.
To enjoy his superb visual account of the 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix, look no further than our gallery.
Related – Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023 gallery
Ineos Grenadiers led the charge in the early stages of the race
Unsurprisingly, fans of favourite Wout van Aert were out in force across the course
A view down the length of the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…