MvdP will never have that class.

What are you on about. Waiting for someone on a stage of a 3 week stage race that you’re leading us not comparable to waiting for someone in the last few kms of a one day race. And that’s not even considering that van Aerts started the move by attacking when the Dekenkob accident happened.

And…breathe again!

And that’s not even considering that van Aerts started the move by attacking when the Dekenkob accident happened.

Robbie Mcewen called that as a racing incident almost immediately. Philipsen got bounced to the right and into MvDP who in turn moved right and squeezed out Degenkolb who then came off.

WvA had attacked, MvdP closed it down and then WvA punctured so MvdP had already gone over the top and was solo. By then the chasing group had realised they were fighting for 2nd and they had Philipsen sitting in disrupting the chase anyway.

Fair bit of luck went MvdP’s way on that one but the same could be said of Alison Jackson’s win yesterday. Admittedly it got a bit anti-climatic when it became obvious that, barring disaster, MvdP was going to get a solo win but he deserved it, he made a lot of it happen with his attacks. Good race!

@DrJ are you saying you think MvdP should have waited for WvA after a puncture?

If so, I absolutely disagree. I can’t think of anyone who’d stop for a competitor puncturing in one of the hardest cobbled sections in any bike race. It’s not even remotely like the Vinegaard/Pogačar situation.

Looking at the MVdP vs Degenkolb incident. MVdP went for a gap that was never there even when Jacobsen moved slightly right. Really poor riding from MVdP and a terrible shame for Degenkolb who I thought was the strongest with WVA and MVdP.

Although I don’t think that that MVdP should have stopped for WVA’s puncture.

Lucky win in some ways – two main rivals going out of contention at nearly the same time – but you have to be lucky to win Paris Roubaix

Degonkolb was off the road and moved left MVdP moved right. No blame to anyone that I can see, just racing.

WvA had attacked, MvdP closed it down and then WvA punctured so MvdP had already gone over the top and was solo.

Interesting. I saw it as MvdP getting on his wheel and passed so quickly because WvA punctured

Interesting. I saw it as MvdP getting on his wheel and passed so quickly because WvA punctured

Difficult to know how much of that MvdP knew at the time though and besides as others have said, you’re not going to wait in a 1-day race. The Ganna/Pedersen group was still breathing down his neck, they’re not all going to sit up and wait.

Same as you’re not going to see Verstappen ease off the gas if Alonso gets a puncture. Just one of those things.

Degenkolb being classy and magnanamous about the crash:

"That's racing" 🗣

Heartbreak for @johndegenkolb at Paris-Roubaix – the former winner collapsed in tears at the finish line, but was consoled by Mathieu Van der Poel who apologised after the race 🤝

🎥 Go in-car with @TeamDSM 👇
_
🇫🇷 #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/3T2abbSpxP

— Velon CC (@VelonCC) April 9, 2023

Difficult to know how much of that MvdP knew at the time though and besides as others have said, you’re not going to wait in a 1-day race.

agreed. The thing is, it could’ve then happened to MvdP on any of the remaining cobbles. It’s just part of the game

You don’t wait for punctures on one day races, especially the monuments. Fairly simple.

MVdP apologised since it was his mistake to go for the gap that wasn’t there. He was desperate to get past Jacobsen and should have waited.

We now remember the winners. Do you remember who pictured in front on Markus Backstedt on the last section of pace back in 2004 and should Markus have waited?

Let’s also not forget that Wouts attack was triggered by that crash as MVdP was held up quite a bit. It is pretty damn funny to suggest not waiting for Wout shows a lack of class!

Let’s also not forget that Wouts attack was triggered by that crash as MVdP was held up quite a bit. It is pretty damn funny to suggest not waiting for Wout shows a lack of class!

The crash caused by MBDP you mean? Yeah, that’s funny. He had the opportunity to show that he was the better rider. Guess we will never know now.

Eh? literally no-one involved in the actual incident thinks it was anything other than ‘the thing that happens occasionally when you race on the cobbles’  Punctures and falling off are normal evens for Paris -Roubaix. The same thing could’ve happened to MvdP after all.

Is it just me who thought that was actually quite a dull race? Not a lot happened for quite a while after the big break went then the excitement of the finale was neutralised by van Aert’s puncture.

We now remember the winners. Do you remember who pictured in front on Markus Backstedt on the last section of pace back in 2004 and should Markus have waited?

No-one punctured in front of Markus Backstedt.

Now Magnus Backstedt, that’s a different matter 🙂. It was Johan Museeuw (I was really, really careful with the spelling there). I remember that from yesterday, one of the commentators mentioned it.

Should MvdP have waited? Of course not.

The crash caused by MBDP you mean? Yeah, that’s funny.

Regardless of who caused it Wout attacked off it but you think MvdP lacks class as he didn’t wait for Wout to change his wheel. Honestly that hilarious 😄😄😄

Is it just me who thought that was actually quite a dull race?

Once MvdP was solo, it was a bit of an anti-climax, yes.
A small bunch sprint would have been good, especially if there was an underdog in there.

Part of the issue was that the TV cameras stayed with the small group of leaders so no chance to catch up on what was going on behind.

But overall, I thought both days of racing were excellent!

Honestly that hilarious

You keep saying so. Your life must be pretty dull to find such things hilarious.

Wout attacked when Alpecin barged into JD. Vdp attacked when Wout punctured. You could argue that getting a puncture is about poor tyre choice, running the wrong pressure, carelessly riding over sharp rocks, whatever, but in my view vdp missed an opportunity to step up.

but in my view vdp missed an opportunity to step up.

Are you seriously suggesting he should have waited?

should have

Could have, certainly.

different ‘rules’ for on day races though.

I find it bonkers to think someone would wait in this type of racing. Racing incident sums it up and the puncture, sure it’s unfortunate, but would any of the others have waited for MvdP if he’d have punctured, no, of course they wouldn’t

Vdp attacked when Wout punctured

He didn’t attack he just continued, but you keep going it amusing!

Could have, certainly.

Obviously he could have but if you think he should have or that it reflects badly on him that he didn’t then I’ll politely suggest that you don’t understand how bike racing works.

What makes it all the more amusing is how sporting Wout and MVdP are to each other, when one beats the other they congratulate each other and move on. It’s a massive intense rivalry but it’s built in respect, it’s the same when Pog joins in. They don’t make excuses for losing and they don’t gloat over wins, they enjoy it and move on or come back out swinging in the next race.

I’ll politely suggest that you don’t understand how bike racing works.

Could well be – I mostly don’t understand how the world works at all 🙂

It is absolutely mind blowingly insane how fast it was! 29mph for 254km!!!!

That’s why it was boring in a way. It’s like at Hillingdon (🤣 yes I get how silly the comparison is but hear me out)- the advances in aero bikes, wheels and skinsuits etc mean the Cat 3 race is now 28mph. Cool, sounds fun. Well no! Who’s getting away from that!! The Cat3 guy who DID at Abingdon the other week had to do nearly 400w to stay away for 20mins. And it’s the same idea at PR. Who can do a 100km solo breakaway at 29mph on a road bike, (after needing to do some insane 2 minute power to even get a gap in the first place)? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Not many of them I’d wager.

The firepower at the front of the Pro race is so strong now that nobody can afford to let anyone get a gap. So the race becomes like a load of paranoid Cat 4 choppers not wanting anyone to get up the road.

As for waiting 🤣 there’s another Cat4 lesson to be learned right there- when you hear the sound of crunching carbon (or bones!) behind- you ATTACK!!!!! not mince around with a bunch of flowers seeing if they’re okay 🤣

I’m guessing MvdP is the first XC World Cup winner to triumph at Paris-Roubaix, another insane stat that he seems to rack up every year.

And whilst he may have had good luck, that’s the nature of the sport. In off-road racing, punctures aren’t always ‘bad luck’; poor tyre pressures/ poor choice of lines can contribute to punctures. When the same team keeps getting punctures, it suggests there is an issue – and maybe not just ‘bad luck’.

Nino had a flat in Nove Mesto last season, nobody waited for him…..It’s something I’ve always found nonsense, but can accept in Grand Tours, but for everything else, tough!!

As for waiting 🤣 there’s another Cat4 lesson to be learned right there- when you hear the sound of crunching carbon (or bones!) behind- you ATTACK!!!!! not mince around with a bunch of flowers seeing if they’re okay 🤣

There’s a similar philosophy in track racing. If you hear a crash, speed up and move up. Everyone & everything else will be sliding down the bankings to the bottom; you want to be up high and for that you need the speed.

Looking round, slowing down etc is a recipe for causing a second crash!

It’s a good point about the increased speed as well. People afterwards were saying that it was being ridden like a Junior race – Juniors having a well deserved reputation for riding like a bunch of jack-in-the-box, chasing anything and everything.

I’m guessing MvdP is the first XC World Cup winner to triumph at Paris-Roubaix

He hasn’t won the XC World Cup. CX yes.

Regardless of who caused it Wout attacked off it

Did he though? I think it’s a bit unfair to tar him with that assertion, could he just have been attacking because he saw MvdP was boxed in? Or was the crash just because MvdP had responded to WvA’s attack?

Either way, I agree 100% that nobody should be sitting up and waiting for a puncture at that stage of the race, that’s almost a recipe for the whole bunch making it to the velodrome en masse! 😆

Who would decide who you had to wait for though? If it was Ganna? Pedersen? Degenkolb? At the end of the day, if someone crashes, punctures or gets off their bike for a beer, it’s all the same, you take your chances and race hard. Anything else is bonkers

Did he though? I think it’s a bit unfair to tar him with that assertion

Pretty sure yes, he is behind the incident to the left and see’s it happen and then drops the hammer. I am not taring him though, that’s racing, just pointing out that if people are critical of MVdP for not waiting then logic would suggest they should be critical of that too… I don’t think either did anything wrong.

The Moment Paris-Roubaix Was Won

Race report from Inner Ring.

Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday then we’re onto the Ardennes Classics with Amstel Gold on Sunday.

Well done MVDP. Luck plays a part, of course but Disk brakes for the win, because how long did it take to unscrew that thru-axle? Degenkolb won previously on my bike and I still love that bike.

I’m more surprised they didn’t have a spare bike ready at the end of the sector, rather than just a few wheels. Other teams managed it, and it was hardly unexpected that a puncture could occur there. So much for self-inflating tyre technology.

I’m more surprised they didn’t have a spare bike ready at the end of the sector, rather than just a few wheels. Other teams managed it,

Did they – I think they mentioned it on commentary, but then corrected themselves and said that spare bikes have to come off the team cars, rather than being pre stationed. And as team cars were at that point not immediately following, it would have been a long wait.

Other teams had cars parked up at the end with bikes, yep.

Close sprint finish in the Women’s De Brabantse Pijl.

Huuuuge effort from Silvia Persico to out-sprint Demi Vollering for the victory at Brabantse Pijl pic.twitter.com/C27yN26dXW

— Cyclist (@cyclist) April 12, 2023

Men’s is in the last 40km or so now.

All the Belgian weather in one race.