Barely started, the long-awaited duel between the two eternal rivals was brutally aborted when the Belgian, who had just attacked in the Carrefour de l'Arbre 16 kilometers from the finish, was victim of a puncture of the rear wheel that tore all his dreams of glory.

Van der Poel, unleashed since the beginning of the day and who had just unintentionally sent the German John Degenkolb into the ditch, immediately jumped at the opportunity to fly to victory. His first in the Hell of the North, which he was able to enjoy for a long time on the velodrome of Roubaix, at the end of the fastest edition in history (46.841 km / h), contested under a spring sun.

Mathieu Van der Poel with the Paris-Roubaix Winner's Trophy, April 9, 2023 © FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

"It's extraordinary, especially to get back on the track alone. We do first and second with Jasper. We will really celebrate it tonight because it may never happen again," commented the grandson of Raymond Poulidor who won, under the eyes of his mother Corinne Poulidor, with 46 seconds ahead of Jasper Philipsen, his teammate at Alpecin, and Wout Van Aert.

"C'est la vie"

"When Wout attacked, I had to plug the hole. And suddenly I found myself alone. As I passed him I saw that he had a problem. It's bad luck. Otherwise, we might have gone two to the finish," added the Dutchman.

Belgium's Wout Van Aert (r) in front of Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel (c), in the Arenberg trench during Paris-Roubaix, April 9, 2023 © François LO PRESTI / AFP

Van Aert had trouble taking the blow, like his Jumbo-Visma team, cursed with the retirement of Dylan van Baarle following a fall in the Arenberg gap and the multiple punctures of Christophe Laporte, tenth and best Frenchman at the finish, more than four minutes, despite the blows of fate.

"I'm unlucky at the wrong time," said the Flemish. I felt good throughout the race. Otherwise, there was a great chance that we both arrived on the velodrome with Mathieu. It's a shame, but that's life."

In fact, the two rivals were the strongest in the royal breakaway of seven riders, also including Mads Pedersen, Stefan Küng and Filippo Ganna, who had gradually broken away, after Van Aert blew up the peloton 102 km from the finish, in the Haveluy sector.

The podium of Paris-Roubaix (from left to right): Belgian Jasper Philipsen (2nd), Mathieu Van Der Poel and Belgian Wout Van Aert (3rd), April 9 at the Roubaix © velodrome Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

"It's sad that Wout is dying because otherwise we would have seen a match between the two today," said Stefan Küng, fifth on the line.

Golden Age

For Van Aert, subscribed to the places of honor, his history with the Monuments, the five greatest classics of the calendar, begins to turn into a curse. At 28, the Belgian, who was destined to win a package, still has only one to his name and he begins to date, in Milan-Sanremo in 2020.

And the comparison with Van der Poel is becoming more and more cruel after a magical spring for the Dutchman, winner in Sanremo in March, second in the Tour of Flanders last Sunday and king of the cobbles in Roubaix.

"I'm having the best classics season of my career. Even today I felt super strong. It's a dream," said Van der Poel, who now has four Monuments to his credit, as much as Tadej Pogacar, who was absent on Sunday.

Mathieu Van der Poel (r) at the finish of Paris-Roubaix, congratulated by his Belgian teammate Jasper Philipsen (2nd), on April 9, 2023 on the Roubaix © velodrome Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / POOL / AFP

Van der Poel's victory, at the end of a hard-fought race, also confirms the stranglehold of the superstars of a sport that is living a golden age with champions like him, Van Aert, Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic.

For the two main animators of the "Queen of the Classics", it is now time to take a little rest. On the next Monument, Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 23rd, we expect another duel that makes you salivate in advance: Pogacar against Evenepoel.

© 2023 AFP