Paris-Roubaix 2024: Mathieu van der Poel says long-range attack not planned, admits being 'lost for words'

Published 07/04/2024 at 16:37 GMT

It is yet more success for Mathieu van der Poel, as the Dutchman threatens to turn this into one of the great Classics seasons. He stormed away from the pack 60km from the finish of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday afternoon, securing a huge gap ahead of an uncoordinated chase as he was able to stroll to victory. Team-mate Jasper Philipsen sprinted to second on a fine day for Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Van der Poel crosses line in Roubaix Velodrome to seal dominant win

Mathieu van der Poel said a long-range solo attack that delivered him a comprehensive Paris-Roubaix double was not planned, as he revelled in a dominant day on the cobbles of Northern France.

Van der Poel won by almost three minutes after he took off 60km from the finish, making his move stick to secure back-to-back wins in the 121st edition of the Monument.

His team-mate Jasper Philipsen took second to round off a triumphant day for Alpecin-Deceuninck.

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Speaking shortly after crossing the finish line inside the Roubaix Velodrome, Van der Poel said: "It's hard to believe actually - again with the team maybe even stronger than last year.

"I'm super proud of the boys and I'm very happy to finish it off."

Quizzed whether his ambitious attack was planned, he responded: "No, not really.

'This is the move!' - Van der Poel launches blistering solo attack with whopping 60km to go

"I just wanted to make the race hard from there on because I know that's my strength and I felt super good actually today. When I had a gap, I knew that it was a tailwind to the finish for the most part.

"I had a really good day today."

The 'Hell of the North' delivered its usual chaos via regular punctures and crashes, but the Dutch 29-year-old serenely plotted his way round the course as the race was reportedly completed in its quickest-ever time.

"Of course you always know in Roubaix a puncture is never far away," Van der Poel continued.

"But I had quite a gap and the car also behind me so I was confident and I could really enjoy the moment more than I could last week [in his win at the Tour of Flanders], because I was really at my limit last week.

"But today I felt incredible and I could really enjoy the last part."

"I never could have dreamed of this as a child," he added. "I was super motivated for this year - I wanted to show the [rainbow] jersey in a nice way.

"It goes beyond expectations and I'm a bit lost for words actually but I really want to enjoy this moment."

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