A right -angle turn to the right, Pogacar falls and Van der Poel only drives away on the cobblestones

Mathieu van der Poel comes about the artificial grass in the middle area of ​​the Velodrome André-Pétrieux. Or well, it looks more like waddling what the brand new winner of Paris-Roubaix-for the third time in a row-does. On his forehead there is a wrinkle of mud, he is just able to hug his mother Corinne.

Moments later, Tadej Pogacar also appears, and with him it also looks more like stumbling than on his natural run. While riders are interviewed in the artificial grass behind him – they can no longer stand – he makes his way through photographers and officials to a tent of the organization, to take a seat on a chair quickly.

They are broken, the two best riders in the world. After another course full of attacks, which started more than a hundred kilometers before the finish. In recent weeks, the Dutchman and the Slovenian constantly bombarded each other in the largest day of the cycling season, and they were so matched that they kept each other completely balanced at the start of their last confrontation of this spring.

And this Sunday, the two drivers will remain last, in the final of Paris-Roubaix. It requires a Pogacar steering error, so that he ends up in a ditch, to decide the game in favor of Van der Poel.

A chronicle of an announced battle.

It is buzzing

« Hey, not too fast! » The Belgian rider Tim Wellens cycles in the forest of Wallers over one of the toughest cobblestone strips of Paris-Roubaix, but it goes too fast for him. Filming with a phone, he wants to capture his teammate Pogacar, but he puts it so hard that he almost disappears out of sight.

On February 10, Pogacar will put the resulting video online, a week after Van der Poel ended the cyclocross season with his seventh world title. From that moment on it is buzzing: would the Slovenian participate in Paris-Roubaix? That would be a special choice. Since Greg Lemond participated as a reigning Tour winner in 1991, all riders who drove into the yellow jersey of Paris have avoided the spring race. The last time a rider both won in the same year was Bernard Hinault in 1981.

Paris-Roubaix is ​​simply too dangerous for classification riders. A slipper on an uneven boulder and your collarbone is broken, or much worse. Restoring crosses the preparation to be on your best in the Tour de France for three weeks. Pogacar has experience with it: in 2023 he fell into Liège-Bastogne-Liège, broke his wrist and had to adjust his preparation for the Tour. In France he had to leave the yellow jersey to Jonas Vingegaard that year.

Moreover, cycling has specialized too much in recent decades: the thin climbers who usually fight uphill who win the big rounds have nothing to look for on the cobblestones they bounce over in the absence of weight. Such races are more suitable for larger, blocker riders of the Wout van Aert type from Belgium or Van der Poel, not Pogacar.

1-0 Van der Poel

After the video from Northern France, Pogacar remains silent for a long time over his spring plans. He drives, and wins, the UAE Tour and also wins Strade Bianche in Italy. Van der Poel starts his road season in the Belgian Samyn Classic, wins, and drives together some places of honor in the Italian ride race Tirreno-Adriatico.

They meet for the first time in Northern Italy on March 22, at the start of the classic Milan-Sanremo. They make it an unforgettable edition: Pogacar starts with attacks on the Cipressa, 25 kilometers from the end, and keeps attacking until he drives Sanremo from Italy together with Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna. The rest of the peloton has been left without a chance, exceptional for this race. In De Sprint, the Dutchman manages to surprise his two co -extractors; 1-0 for Van der Poel in his mutual game with Pogacar.

The peloton then moves towards Belgium, for one-day classics such as the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem. Van der Poel drives and wins the E3, but Pogacar does not show itself. In a press release that will be released at the end of March, it can be read that he has withdrawn. Because, it says almost carelessly: the Slovenian wants to be at its best for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

The choice of Pogacar is one out of ambition and out of love for the history of cycling. At the age of 26 he has already won the Tour of Lombardy (four times), the Tour of Flanders (twice) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (twice). He wants to try to win the remaining two largest one -day classics; Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. The Slovenian would only be the fourth rider in the history that would succeed.

Pogacar has been withdrawn from cycling laws for years. The man with the small, slender build can, sprint time trials, and showed in the Tour of Flanders that cobbles do not bother him. In fact: in the only northern French cobblestone ride he rode in his professional career, a stage in the Tour de France of 2022, it was the Slovenian that time to take his competitors, not the other way around.

Pogacar shows that it is serious: in an exploration of the Paris-Roubaix course, the Slovenian drives on two of the three heaviest cobblestone strips-Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre-the fastest time ever cycled. Although behind an engine, it turns out later, but the shape is there, and Pogacar apparently has no fear of the cobblestones.

The anticipation becomes even greater as Pogacar and Van der Poel on 6 April in the Tour of Flanders again presenting a large cycling show. Pogacar continues to speed up every hill until well in the final, because he knows: driving Van der Poel to the finish is losing the course in the sprint. He has to shake him up somewhere. In his seventh attack, on the old Kwaremont, he finally succeeds. More than sixteen kilometers later, Pogacar only crosses the line; The stand is 1-1.

Suddenly the decision falls

The mutual struggle must be decided between the fields of Northern France, on roads that are normally ridden by heavy tractors, with thick tires that are grinding on skewed draining roads full of stones that can break a bicycle wheel in half.

The top favorites show themselves early. The Dane Mads Pedersen gives the starting shot with a demarrage, then Pogacar attacks, Van der Poel in turn folds over it. They do not release each other, the big names, but their first pin pricks ensure that the peloton behind them completely splashes apart.

While the direction shows images of leaky tires, broken wheels and riders on the ground, Pogacar and Van der Poel continue to put together, no matter how difficult they make to release each other. The Slovenian bites his teeth and shakes the head. Van der Poel Tuit his lips once again with another effort.

At about 70 kilometers from the finish, Pogacar runs away again. Van der Poel is actually too far from behind, but with a giant acceleration he still drives to the wheel of his rival. Suddenly they are, with more than 65 kilometers to go, together and only in the lead. Van der Poels teammate Jasper Philipsen joins them for a while, but has to let them go again a little later.

Now the differences between the drivers stand out. Van der Poel is eight centimeters longer, nine kilos heavier. He sometimes seems to pull his bike apart, he tries to convey so much strength to the pedals. Pogacar also has a smoother pace. A few times he almost accelerates silently, and suddenly a small hole arises between him and Van der Poel.

The duo is located on the Pont-Thibault à ennevelin, a medium of difficult cobblestone strip 38 kilometers from the finish, if suddenly the decision falls in the game. The road makes a right -angle turn to the right and the Slovenian estimates his roadway completely wrong. Suddenly he is in the ditch, his chain of the bike. Van der Poel knows how to avoid him barely.

Van der Poel does not even deeply a bottle thrown from the audience, who hits his head. The gap is twenty seconds, becomes just as thirteen, but soon rises. If Pogacar stops for a bicycle change, the white flag is finally hoisted. Van der Poel sends the Velodrome in Roubaix with a grimace of fatigue. On the finish photo that is shown afterwards, you can see how he gets off even before the line.

« It is a great honor to be allowed to race against someone like Mathieu. If I had been a child, he would be my idol, » says Pogacar afterwards. He calls it one of the toughest races in his career. Van der Poel says a little later: « Tadej is one of the best riders ever. I suspect that if he stops, his career will look a bit like that of Eddy Merckx. » Despite all the efforts, they enjoyed it. Both are now on eight monuments won.

Van der Poel goes on vacation after his victory, Pogacar still drives the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. They only meet again in the Tour de France, and will not find each other there much because Pogacar is driving for the rankings and Van der Poel for stage victories. Do they still find that a pity? « Now you shouldn’t get too greedy, » Pogacar responds. « Let’s enjoy what we have shown. »

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