In the 119th edition of the men’s Paris-Roubaix, the 257.2-kilometer slugfest on cobblestones, also known as the “Hell of the North,” proved hellish, but not in the usual sense. Despite multiple crashes and an unusual number of flat tires in the peloton, Ineos Grenadiers made history with their first Paris-Roubaix win, with Dylan Van Baarle arriving at the velodrome first with a dominant solo effort.

Early move: The group split early in the race thanks to a confusing crosswind, as the group in front took advantage. Ineos behaved like a young team willing to try big moves, like time-trialing as a team at the head of the peloton. Ineos was also the only team with an American in the race, 19-year-old Magnus Sheffield, who won the classic Brabantse Pijl race in Belgium midweek. Early in the race, they were in the large lead group that created a 1:15 split to the rest of the field. They were more than willing to stay in the front and do the work—as was Quick-Step, the team hoping for a bit of redemption after a rough start to the season. Notably missing in this lead group were Van der Poel and Van Aert.

Rough luck: In the first two cobblestones sections, the chase group suffered several crashes, taking down more than a dozen riders as they tried to keep the pace high to bring the gap down. And the lead group also suffered a mechanical for Ineos’ Filippo Ganna that slowed the pace, then a major crash on the cobbles that nearly shattered Ineos’ early domination. But Quick-Step continued their struggle to make it back to the top of the standings. They got man—Davide Ballerini—into a lead group of five, but a flat in the famed Arrenburg section set him back. His teammate Tim Declercq was also forced to abandon.

Big move: After the Arenberg, Bahrain Victorious’s Matej Mohorič (winner of this year’s Milan-San Remo), Casper Pederson, Laurent Pichon, and Tom Devriendt (Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux) had a gap of 1:10 to Connor Swift and Ballerini, and 2:30 to the chase groups. As two of the chase groups merged, Van der Poel and Van Aert once again ended up in a group together, two minutes behind the leaders with 50 miles to go. The group whittled down as Pederson lost connection.

Van Aert attacks: With 30 miles to go, Jumbo-Visma launched an attack led by Van Aert, with other favourites Stefan Küng, Van der Poel, Dylan van Baarle, Jesper Stuyven, Yves Lampaert, and Ben Turner in the small group, quickly bringing the gap down. Van Aert’s performance is awe-inspiring given his COVID diagnosis last week and his unfortunate flat earlier in the race—but he and Van Baarle were still the two pushing the pace in the group.

The worst luck: Van Aert’s luck still didn’t improve; another flat left him chasing the group once again with 25 miles to go. But just a mile up, Mohorič also suffered a mechanical, getting swallowed up by the chase group with Devriendt left solo off the front. Van Aert closed the gap to the chase group just as Mohorič fell back into that same group. The race shifted from breakaway and chase group to highly tactical attacks and small gaps. Van der Poel caused some confusion as he didn’t seem able to close gaps, or was unwilling to do so.

 

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In the final 10 kilometers: Van Baarle created a substantial gap, with Mohorič and Lampaert chasing. Unfortunately, Lampaert caught his handlebars on a spectator’s hand and suffered a rough crash on the cobbles. Meanwhile, Mohorič was caught by Van Aert’s group. While Van Baarle had plenty of time to solo for the win, a four-man sprint finished out the podium with Küng launching the first attack. Van Aert came around him to score second place, leaving Küng to take third.

What the winner had to say: “It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it when I went on the velodrome, you know. I looked at the other side to see if there were some other guys. When the team car came up next to me with Servais [Knaven]. then I really started believing in it. It’s been crazy.”

“I mean, it’s a Monument, so of course, I wanted to win a Monument. To be second in Flanders and then to win Roubaix, I’m lost for words.”

TL;DR: While Matej Mohorič and Tom Devrient seemed like they couldn’t be caught, the big dogs—Mathieu Van Der Poel and Wout van Aert—along with motivated teams like Ineos, were unwilling to throw in the towel. But even when he was caught, Mohorič didn’t give up, though he was ultimately bested by an impressive solo effort by Van Baarle. The race was hot and dry, but that didn’t stop it from being marked by many crashes and dozens of flats. And when they hit the velodrome, Van Baarle had plenty of time to celebrate his historic victory, the first Paris Roubaix win for Ineos.

The Top 10

1. Dylan Van Baarle INEOS Grenadiers
2. Wout van Aert Jumbo-Visma
3. Stefan Küng Groupama-FDJ
4. Tom Devriendt Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
5. Matej Mohoric Bahrain Victorious
6. Adrien Petit Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
7. Jasper Stuyven Trek-Segafredo
8. Laurent Pichon Team Arkéa-Samsic
9. Mathieu van der Poel Alpecin-Fenix
10. Yves Lampaert Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team