Info with one day to go
April 8 th 2023 - 18:59
Key points:
· The 120th edition of Paris-Roubaix, set to start tomorrow from Compiègne at 11:10 CEST, will be held on quite tricky conditions as the rain soaked the cobbled sectors on Thursday and the sun is drying up some of the terrain ever since.
· The Hell of the North will be warm on Sunday, with 16ºC temperatures, and it might become boiling hot if yet another duel between Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout van Aert takes place in the Roubaix velodrome.
· A cohort of marquee riders are also hoping to be in the mix tomorrow - namely Filippo Ganna, Kasper Asgreen, Stefan Küng, Yves Lampaert, Nils Politt… and defending champion Dylan van Baarle.
Thierry Gouvenou: “Race conditions will be treacherous”
Every year, on the second weekend of April, the esplanade of the Château de Compiègne hosts quite a symposium of amateur and professional meteorologists trying to figure out what the weather will be like during Paris-Roubaix. Rightly so in 2023, since it has rained quite a bit this week over the Hauts-de-France region and the state of the cobbles is changing by the hour. Race director Thierry Gouvenou is wary of the possibility of crashes that may mark the outcome the race. “The weather has surprised us, we didn’t expect this week to be so wet,” says the Frenchman, a former professional rider who was 7th on the 2002 Paris-Roubaix, which is the second-to-last edition of this race that was held under the rain. “There were showers on Thursday, and thus there are some puddles on the course, and some muddy sectors. Besides, it’s sunny now, which makes the race conditions even more treacherous as we will constantly be changing from dry surfaces to slippery ones. We will see if the terrain dries up further by the time the riders take the start, but the wind seems quite mild this evening.” At least the temperature, 15 or 16 degrees Celsius, will be ideal for racing.
Mathieu Van der Poel: “I feel I am in great shape”
Despite having only taken part twice in Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu Van der Poel has already made quite an impression on this race since he nearly won in his first attempt (3rd in 2021) and delivered a solid top10 in the second (9th in 2022). His Alpecin-Deceuninck team lines up some solid Classics riders like Jasper Philipsen, Kaden Groves or Silvan Dillier, all of them fully devoted to the Dutchman. “I’m not obsessed with Paris-Roubaix,” says Van der Poel, “but of course we will try to win tomorrow because this is one of the best victories a rider can get. I’ve felt very good throughout this Classics campaign, which is already a success since I won Milano-Sanremo.” Furthermore, Raymond Poulidor’s grandchild has been 2nd at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic and the Tour of Flanders. “It has been a great year so far, and now I’m looking forward to round it off with a second Monument win. I feel I am in great shape and I hope to be at the front tomorrow.”
Wout van Aert: “Not at my 100%, yet hoping to contend”
Several times victorious and even dominant in particular occasions, Jumbo-Visma has so far been the winner of this Classics campaign team-wise. Its leader, Wout van Aert, has some unfinished business with Paris-Roubaix, as last year he was the runner-up to his now-teammate Dylan van Baarle. They are wearing the same outfit tomorrow, as will do some excellent powerhouses like Belgium’s Nathan Van Hooydonck and France’s Christophe Laporte. There are some clouds on Van Aert’s horizon, though, as he still feels the consequences of his crash last Sunday in the Tour of Flanders. “My knee is okay, but my ribs still hurt. I’m not at my 100%, yet I hope to contend for victory.” Even if at 99% of his best self, would the Belgian be up for another episode of his never-ending rivalry with Mathieu van der Poel? “It’s a potential scenario. We know he is very strong at this moment and that he is capable of dropping anyone at any time. I will for sure keep an eye on him.”
Soudal-Quick Step strive to strike back
For a Classics team like Soudal-Quick Step, this has been a disappointing Classics campaign so far. It’s been five years, too, since they last won Paris-Roubaix with Philippe Gilbert’s swansong in 2019. It’s the duty of riders like Kasper Asgreen, who was 7th on last week’s Tour of Flanders, to make up for this and conclude the team’s cobbled campaign on a high note. Another rider who shall be extra-motivated is Yves Lampaert, who was in the mix for victory last year when he crashed against a spectator with just 8 kilometres to go. Tim Merlier and Tim Declercq can both play as domestiques and as outsiders, and so can do Florian Sénéchal on what he defines as “the race in my heart.” In case of victory, the current French national champion would be the second-ever rider to triumph in Roubaix wearing the blue, white and red outfit – the first being Georges Speicher in 1936.
Defending champions Ineos Grenadiers expect “an intense race”
The Ineos Grenadiers have some firepower on their line-up. Despite losing to Jumbo-Visma the defending champion of the Paris-Roubaix, Dylan van Baarle, they still keep the race craft and the squad that turned the race upside down last year, putting the Dutchman in the right situation to claim victory. Despite a record sheet with just three participations in the Hell of the North settled with an abandon, an OTL finish and a 35th place in the Velodrome, Italian powerhouse Filippo Ganna is one of the men to watch tomorrow. “I don’t know if I am a real favourite for the win,” says the two times ITT World Champion. “I’ve got the feeling that tomorrow’s race will be quite intense, as the Tour of Flanders was last Sunday. Therefore, it won’t be easy to use the same strategy we deployed last year.” Ineos is entering the youngest rider in the start list, current Junior ITT World Champion Josh Tarling. “I can’t wait to get started,” says the 19-year-old British rider. “I thought I knew quite a lot about Paris-Roubaix because I raced it twice as a junior, and watched it lot of times on telly - and I’ve even done the sportive! But then you do one race recon with Luke Rowe and everything changes. I realised I just knew the sectors – and that was about it! I’m learning a lot these days. I’d like this race to be a goal for me in the future. As of now, I just have to learn and make the most of every opportunity I can get.”