One of the most legendary races of the cycling calendar, only just behind the level of spectacle one could find in races like the Down Under Classic and Riga – Jurmala, is about to start. Is Blythe able to repeat last season’s wonderful victory, or will we see Summerhill winning another monument?
We expected a large break, but in the end only ten riders join the break. Cobbling teams Amaysim, Grieg, Tinkoff and Eurosport seem to dislike it though, as the gap of the ten leaders stays around 30/40 seconds for a while. The ten riders up front are Bosnian champion Siric (Cedevita), Geniets (Farfetch), Lampawog (Vesuvio), Pons (MOL), Russo (Zwift), Budenieks (Evonik), Goldstein (Huski), Cink (Moser), Baterdene (Puma) and Stannard (Xero).
It’s cobble time! 168 km to go as the breakaway of ten starts their cobbled adventure with an advantage of three minutes over the peloton. Youngster Siric is the best cobbler up front, the Cedevita rider sets the pace.
No prisoners in hell! Siric with a puncture. Cedevita manager redordead will be getting a flashback to Mestric dropping out of last season’ Paris-Roubaix U23 finale for the same reason! The Bosnian bruiser makes his way back to the leading group rather quickly though. At the back of the peloton, Zimmermann and Pogacar are the first to be dropped.
Siric really providing the fans with some fun in the early stages of the race. Only Baterdene, Lampawog and Russo currently able to follow him on the cobbles. Pons also suffered a puncture in the leading group. In the peloton, Eeckhout now has a flat tyre.
The leading group starts growing in numbers again, as some very interesting names attack and join the head of the race. Salzmann, Karatzios, Menten, Gaday and Benoot now also at the front with 135 km to the finish line.
Insausti and Schreurs have also been sent forward by their leaders and join the head of the race with 128 km to go. The peloton now at 2’10” with the teams working there Aegon, Tinkoff, Grieg, King Power and Mapei.
103 km left as the leaders start secteur pave 15, better known as the Forest of Arenberg! The legendary cobbles reminding everyone how beautiful this race is! In the peloton, Moulingui, Hnik and Boros attacked.
95 km left! The advantage of the twelve leaders (Russo, Siric, Karatzios, Menten, Lampawog, Benoot, Gaday, Baterdene, Salzmann, Scheurs, Insausti and Pons) has shrunk to 50”. Moulingui between them and the peloton of 80, led mostly by Tinkoff and Grieg.
The peloton gets split in two thanks to some nice work by Zubov, and we have a big victim! Pedersen not positioned well, his dream of winning Paris – Roubaix will probably be postponed for at least another season! Polanc also in this group!
The peloton of 45 at twenty seconds of the race lead with 80 km to the finish line! Salzmann wants some more screen time and attacks!
Siric is the last rider of the morning breakaway to get caught, as none of the other decent cobbles riders from the leading group seem able to reel the Farfetch rider back in. Big surprise coming from the peloton though, as Wisniowski attacks and quickly catches everyone except for Salzmann! Still 77 km to go!
He leaves everyone behind and quickly joins the Farfetch leader at the head of the race. The two leaders have a minute lead over a peloton of 38 riders on sector 13, with 72 km to go! In the peloton it’s favourite Senechal doing the work!
Might not use the word peloton anymore, as this is clearly becoming more a ‘group of favourites’! Only twenty riders able to follow the Tinkof rider’s pace, as the gap towards Wisniowski is now at 45” with 69 km left!
Wisniowski really not caring at all, still going all-in! He leaves his companion from Farfetch behind on sector 11, with 60 km left! 18 chasers at 45”!
And boom, Senechal is out! This leaves us with sixteen chasers: Summerhill (Amaysim), Gerts (Huski), Bewley (Mapei), Per (Isostar), Theuns (MOL), Kamyshev (Tinkoff), Blythe (Eurosport), Teunissen (Gazelle), Debesay (Generali), Ferreira and Kasperkiewicz (King Power), Van Hooydonck and Vermeersch (Aegon), Centrone (Vesuvio), Tiller (Farfetch) and Neilands (Evonik)!
King Power one of the two teams that still has a duo in the chase, and they take up responsibilities! Ferreira brings down the gap of Wisniowski to only fifteen seconds, as we are about to hit the next legendary sector, Mons en Pévèle!
A win seems very unlikely, but Wisniowski has survived Mons-en-Pévèle as well! He gained ten seconds on the sixteen chasers again, as Milano San Remo victor Summerhill is setting the pace over here! 52 km and nine cobbled sectors to go!
Wisniowski, what are you doing?! His lead growing to 50” again! Nobody willing or able to help Summerhill in the chase, the American decides to attack to try and join the Grieg rider at the front! 46 km left!
The American trailing the race lead by 20 seconds at the end of sector 8, with 41.5 km left! In the group of favourites, Per decides to attack as well now!
The two titans together with 39.5 km to go! Per at 33”, the other fourteen favourites an additional 24” behind!
Wisniowski really taking the piss of his rival now, as he attacks again! Is he able to stay ahead of the American this time?!
No! They come together again with 34 km to go. Per at 30”, the group of fourteen favourites at 1’10” of the race lead!
Sector 7 sees the Isostar rider come five seconds closer again! Domestiques Vermeersch and Ferreira trying to bring the other favourites closer, but they now trail by 1’15” with 29 km to the finish line!
A big effort from Per on sector six, as he joins the two leaders with 27 km left! The fourteen other favourites at 1’25”!
Sector five, Camphin-en-Pévèle, is far from easy. Last year’s winner Blythe think it’s now or never to try and close the gap, and attacks! He quickly brings it down to fifty seconds, can he close it by himself?!
The three leaders inside the final twenty km now, as they are on the legendary Carrefour de l’Arbre! Blythe at 30”, the other favourites at an additional 45”! Pedersen has meanwhile made his way back to the sixteenth place!
The three leaders stay together on sector three as well! 17 km to the finish line and Blythe at 25”! Other favourites at an additional 50”, as the two domestiques got dropped and there are no more duos there!
He seemed to be staggering a bit, but one more acceleration by Blythe makes it four at the front with exactly 15 km to go! The favourites behind at exactly one minute now, as radio tour announces several attacks there as well!
Nobody able to make a difference on the penultimate cobbled sector neither! 10 km to the finish line and the gap towards the chasers, led by Kamyshev, has shrunk to only thirty seconds! Other people at thirty seconds are Van Hooydonck, Kasperkiewicz, Bewley, Teunissen, Gerts and Theuns! Anything is still possible!
What a finale! They keep taking turns at the front, but a Kasperkiewicz attack seems to ensure everyone getting back together with 6 km left! Impressive performance by Neilands as well here, who managed to come back by himself to make it twelve leaders!
Blythe is the first rider to head onto the Velodrome! Can he repeat last year’s fairytale?!
The bell is ringing, the riders enter the final lap of this year’s Paris – Roubaix! Kamyshev in the lead ahead of Van Hooydonck!
Still the Tinkoff rider leading the pack with 2 km to go, as Kasperkiewicz attacks!
The King Power rider has a small gap with 1.5 km to go! Is this the right move?!
Kamyshev trying to close it, but the gap is still there with 1 km to the finish line! Bewley seems to be in the perfect position to win this race for the 7th time in his career!
And off he goes! The kiwi overtakes Kasperkiewicz in no time! 800 meters to go, as Theuns might be his biggest rival!
Final 400 metres! Theuns, Per and Wisniowski still believing in the win as well!
But Bewley still has a nice lead with 200 meters to go!
And he knows it’s in the bag! A legendary racer winning a legendary race for the seventh time in his career! Ladies and gentleman, the name is Sam Bewley!
Theuns with a very nice second place, whereas Per will also make his manager a happy man with a strong third place. Former world champion Wisniowski in fourth after an incredible attack with almost 80 km to go.
Gerts in fifth ahead of Summerhill (6th), and Van Hooydonck (7th), with last year’s winner Blythe finishing eighth ahead of Dutch champion Teunissen and former teammate Neilands in tenth, also after an impressive performance. Kamyshev is the first Tinkoff rider in 11th, with the rest of the top-15 going to Kasperkiewicz (12th), Debesay (13th), Centrone (14th), and Tiller (15th).
