Cycling: Dylan van Baarle sensationally won Paris – Roubaix. After the Dutchman finished second in the World Championships last year and was narrowly defeated a few weeks ago in the Tour of Flanders, he is now celebrating the greatest success of his career.
With van Baarle, the strongest driver won
Absolutely world-class! On a truly perfect day, Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) fulfilled a lifelong dream. The Dutchman won Paris-Roubaix, the queen of the classics, crowning himself king in the process. The riders set off from Compiègne at 11 a.m. on this Easter Sunday. After 257,2 grueling kilometers, only a handful would reach the finish line in Roubaix. Even though the weather – unlike last year – was dry and pleasant, the Hell of the North remains just that: a hell! And Dylan van Baarle knew exactly how to defend himself perfectly in this environment. His lead of well over a minute shows that today it wasn't the luckier rider who won, but the truly best. The podium was completed by Belgian Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Swiss rider Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ).
Ineos Grenadiers appear dominant
Right from the start, the action was intense in the Hell of the North. Early attacks were launched – in the hope of still being in contention at the end as a breakaway rider. However, no small group could truly escape, because behind them, the Ineos Grenadiers team, in particular, set a consistently high pace. The British team thus created several splits in the peloton even before the riders had actually reached the 31 cobbled sections. The dropped groups battled for almost three hours to rejoin the peloton before they were finally able to do so. The separated riders were also aided by punctures suffered by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), who had to be waited for twice. Furthermore, a relatively large crash occurred in the first group, making it inevitable that the peloton would be caught.
Mohoric several times on offense
Once the peloton had regrouped, the battle for the breakaway groups reignited. However, the favorites had already dominated the race so decisively that they were determined not to relinquish control. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain – Victorious), Tom Devriendt (Intermarché – Wanty Gobert), Casper Pedersen (DSM), and Davide Ballerini (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) managed to build a lead of more than two minutes during this crucial phase. Gradually, however – Ballerini, for example, due to a puncture – the breakaway riders were dropped back into the peloton. Only Mohoric and Devriendt were able to stay at the front for any length of time. But eventually, a flat tire would also stop the Milan-San Remo winner. The Belgian was now completely helpless on his own. He was caught by the approaching group of favorites, which had by then been reduced to just under ten riders.
Lampaert crashes because of a spectator
Just a few kilometers after his puncture and subsequent recapture, Matej Mohoric launched another attack. The Slovenian pulled Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) with him. Behind them, the support riders left most of the work to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix). But he soon had to admit defeat: it wasn't going to happen today! While Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segaferdo) managed to break away, the Dutchman gave up. His compatriot, Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers), fared very differently: he managed to escape his two companions and steadily increase his lead – all the way to the finish line and the biggest success of his career. The race ended bitterly for Yves Lampaert. The Belgian fell about six kilometers from the finish line because he rode into the clapping hands of a spectator and lost control of his bike.
@DylanvanBaarle is leading in Lᴇ Cᴀʀʀᴇғᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇ ʟ'Aʀʙʀᴇ!
Dylan Van Baarle in tête dans Lᴇ Cᴀʀʀᴇғᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇ ʟ'Aʀʙʀᴇ ! #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/SK5L4gQ4kz
— Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) April 17, 2022
Elisa Longo Borghini wins the women's solo event
Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) didn't let the second edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes slip away. The Italian champion ultimately won convincingly in the Hell of the North. Riding solo, she finished 23 seconds ahead of her competitors. In the chasing group, Belgian Lotte Kopecky (SD-Worx) sprinted to second place ahead of Dutch rider Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo). Swiss rider Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM) finished a disappointing fourth, but once again impressively demonstrated that she is a rider to watch in the future.
Elisa Longo Borghini nearly loses it on the way to a solo victory into Roubaix! pic.twitter.com/FZaLCfcxQg
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) April 16, 2022