Mathieu van der Poel has stormed to a second victory within the Paris-Roubaix one-day traditional after launching a surprising solo assault 60 km from the end to win his second biking ‘Monument’ of the yr following his Tour of Flanders victory final weekend.
On the 260km “Hell of the North” route that includes 29 cobblestone sectors, Dutchman van der Poel’s victory on Sunday by three minutes was one of many largest profitable margins in years as he rode to his sixth victory in Monuments – the most important classics within the biking calendar – and crossed the road together with his arms outstretched.
Van der Poel is simply the tenth rider to win each cobbled Monuments — the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix — in the identical season and solely the second rider to do it with the world champion’s rainbow jersey on his again, following Rik van Looy in 1962.
Far behind him, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Philipsen and Nils Politt battled it out within the famed Roubaix velodrome for the final two podium spots.
Politt went for it early however it was Philipsen who completed second for an Alpecin-Deceuninck one-two whereas Pedersen was third.