Van Baarle gave the Ineos team, the richest in the peloton, the first success in its history in the “Queen of the Classics” which was run at record speed, in the sun and in the dust.
The 29-year-old Dutchman won for the first time in a very big race. Second in the world championship last year, he finished second in the Tour of Flanders at the beginning of the month.
Van Baarle beat a small group ruled by Belgian champion Wout van Aert by almost two minutes after 257 kilometers of a race led at a brisk pace.
The Ineos team went on the offensive… 210 kilometers from the finish with the help of the Quick-Step. The peloton of favorites (van der Poel, Küng) was forced into a 105 kilometer pursuit to get in before Haveluy.
Up front, the Slovenian Matej Mohoric, the winner of the last Milan-Sanremo, led a breakaway formed before the Trouée d’Arenberg, 111 kilometers from the velodrome.
Mohoric, delayed for a time by a change of bike, then saw a reduced group of favorites return before starting again, at the threshold of the last 30 kilometers, with the Belgian Yves Lampaert.
Behind them, van Baarle reacted before breaking away on the cobblestones of Camphin, at the entrance to the 20 kilometers, and heading for the 7th Dutch success in history, eight years after Niki Terpstra. By covering the 257.2 kilometers of Paris-Roubaix in 5h36’55, Dylan van Baarle won the fastest edition in history at 45.79km/h!
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Adrien Petit, first Frenchman
Adrien Petit was the fastest for the sprint for sixth place and achieved his best performance of his career in Paris-Roubaix. It is also the first Frenchman while Laurent Pichon takes a very good 8th place.
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