Team-mate Jasper Philipsen finished 46 seconds behind winner Mathieu van der Poel just ahead of Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in the famous Roubaix Velodrome and gave Alpecin-Deceuninck a double victory.
For van der Poel this is already the second success at a monument this year. In March, the 28-year-old also won Milan-Sanremo as a soloist.
It is also the second Dutch triumph in Roubaix in a row. Last year, Dylan van Baarle secured the coveted cobblestone trophy. This time, a fall in the Arenberg forest ended all hopes of another top result. The defending champion even had to give up the race prematurely.
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John Degenkolb (DSM) crowned the overall strong performance of the nine German starters. The 34-year-old, to whom the 3.7km long Pave Sector 17 between Hornaing and Wandignies is dedicated, put in an outstanding race but had to bury any dreams of victory following a crash in the closing stages. Degenkolb collided with van der Poel on the last five-star sector, Carrefour de l’Arbre, and fell.
“This is just unreal!” Degenkolb falls at the top
Paris-Roubaix: Degenkolb crosses the finish line with tears in his eyes
The man from Oberursel rode the final lap of the velodrome with tears in his eyes. In the end he finished seventh (+2:35 minutes).
In 2015, Degenkolb was the second German following Josef Fischer (1896) to triumph in the “Queen of the Classics”.
Paris-Roubaix: German drivers are up front right from the start
In an extremely rapid initial phase, all attempts to escape were stopped. Only a few kilometers before the first of 29 Pave sectors, a small group, which also included the German drivers Jonas Koch (Bora-hansgrohe) and Juri Hollmann (Movistar), broke away.
On the section between Troisvilles and Inchy – the first 2.2 of a total of 54.5 kilometers of cobblestone – the race developed a new dynamic. Falls and defects were inevitable.
Nils Politt (Bora-hansgrohe) was also held up by a mechanical problem. Although the Cologne native returned to the main field, he missed the connection at the decisive moment.
Degenkolb, on the other hand, used his experience before the notorious forest of Arenberg – the first key part of the race. The well-positioned DSM professional pulled away with the top favorites van Aert and van der Poel and survived the brutal Arenberg corridor unscathed. For last year’s winner van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) all hopes of victory ended there following a fall.
Heavy fall in the forest of Arenberg – defending champion out!
Paris-Roubaix: Degenkolb holds himself harmless once morest van der Poel and Co. for a long time
The top group of 13, which initially consisted of four Germans, shrank in the elimination race towards the finish. Degenkolb convinced with commitment, will and cleverness. Attacks by the van der Poel and van Aert duo were intercepted by the 34-year-old single-handedly.
Van der Poel towers over the pavés – Degenkolb falls in the final
However, Degenkolb was denied the reward for his outstanding performance. On the last five-star sector Carrefour de l’Arbre, during an overtaking maneuver by van der Poel, there was contact with Degenkolb. On a meadow next to the cobblestones, Degenkolb lost control of his bike and fell at high speed.
Although he was able to continue the race, all chances of victory were gone. Van der Poel didn’t let this be taken away from him, also because van Aert was slowed down by a damaged rear wheel.
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