Although we expected it, Mathieu Van der Poel managed to surprise us. His attack on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, everyone expected it, but certainly not on the cobbled sector of Orchies, 60 kilometers from the finish. It’s far, much too far. Except for the world champion, who took off like a rocket in front of his teammate Gianni Vermeersch, who was responsible for bothering Mads Pedersen and company just enough in passing. A detail. Nobody had the rods to follow the Dutchman.
The rest of the race was a formality. Mathieu Van der Poel strolled until he increased his lead to three minutes, a gap he kept on the Roubaix velodrome. No doubt possible, the strongest is really him.