A taste of heaven in Hell: Magnus Bäckstedt, 2004 (V/VI)

April 3 ^rd 2018 - 12:23

Luck and fortune are sometimes a decisive factor in Paris–Roubaix. Twists of fate, false moves and strategic blunders can all make the favourites' best-laid plans go awry. Opportunists who fish in troubled waters can become heroes for a day and get a taste of glory in the Hell of the North. In 2004, the stars aligned for Magnus Bäckstedt when Johan Museeuw was knocked out of contention and the Swede won the sprint in the velodrome to earn the crowning achievement of his career.

At a height of 193 cm and a weight of 90 kg, Magnus Bäckstedt was a sight to behold on the cobblestones. Following an encouraging seventh place in his debut in 1998, the gentle giant became convinced that Paris–Roubaix could become the race of his life. Fast-forward six years and the Swede seemed to have stalled in his progression, often fading long before the finish. In 2004, all the signs pointed towards Johan Museeuw wrapping up his career in style by equalling De Vlaeminck's record with his fourth victory in Paris–Roubaix.

It was one of those cold, dry Sundays. The wind battered the peloton mercilessly and riders kept peeling off the back. There were about 30 solid riders left at the entrance to the Carrefour de l'Arbre, where Museeuw brought the hammer down. The Flemish rider whittled down the leading group to just five men, but it was soon his turn to wave goodbye to victory when he suffered a puncture 6 km before the line. Dutchman Tristan Hoffman, young Swiss rouleur and race rookie Fabian Cancellara, Britain's Roger Hammond and Magnus Bäckstedt, who had pounced onto the decisive move —the winner of the four-man sprint was anyone's guess. However, the gentle giant had finished second in Gent–Wevelgem just a few days earlier, right behind a rising star from Belgium called Tom Boonen, and when he opened up the gas he left his three rivals in the dust. A true titan of cycling!