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news
2011 Paris Roubaix 08 Arenberg cobbles Simon MacMichaelGreg van Avermaet wins the fastest ever Paris-Roubaix
Greg van Avermaet of BMC Racing has won Paris-Roubaix to take the first Monument of his career on a day when fellow Belgian Tom Boonen of Quick Step Floors was unable to secure a fairytale ending to his career by winning the race for what would have been the fifth time.
With the start delayed because of a tailwind, today's 115th edition of the race was the fastest ever, the 257 kilometres from Compiegne ridden at an average speed of 45.2 kilometres an hour, breaking the 1964 record when Peter Post won at an average speed of 45.1 kilometres per hour.
With 20 kilometres remaining, and the key cobbled sectors of Mons-en-Pevele and the Carrefour de l’Arbre looming, seven riders were out in front, including BMC Racing’s Daniel Oss, who had been out in front on his own but dropped back to provide support to van Avermaet.
As the seven riders hit the first of those sectors, Oss pulled off, his work done, with the remaining six riders enjoying half a minute’s advantage over the next group behind them.
The pursuers, with a deficit of half a minute at that point included Boonen and 2015 Paris-Roubaix winner John Degenkolb of Trek Factory Racing and, a little further back following a puncture, world champion Peter Sagan of Bora-Hansgrohe.
By the time the leaders were through the Gruson pave sector and heading into the final 10 kilometres, just three riders seemed left in contention – Olympic champion van Avermaet, Cannondale-Drapac’s Sebastian Langeveldt, and the Quick Step Floors rider Zdenek Stybar.
With their closest pursuers the best part of a minute back, the cat-and-mouse games started 4 kilometres out, the three still locked in battle as they entered Roubaix’s historic velodrome for the lap and a half of the track that would conclude the race.
Suddenly, three became five however, as Gianni Moscon of Team Sky and Trek-Segafredo’s Jasper Stuyven, their companions in the earlier break, re-established contact with barely 200 metres left.
Their efforts to rejoin the front three meant they were unable to challenge in the sprint. Stybar went early, but van Avermaet responded and overhauled the Czech ahead of the line, with Langeveldt third.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
The randomness of outcomes is what makes Paris-Roubaix compelling viewing: favourites and those with form are susceptible to the punctures, crashes, and mechanical failures inflicted caused by the pave (I can't call them cobbles). You need form and strength to be in the mix, but this guarantees nothing.
I felt a little like the majority of the quickstep team disappeared a little too early in the race, leaving Boonen and Stybar with a lot to do, I thought terpstra might have been up there nearer the end. It was a shame that nobody seemed to want to help Boonen and Degencob etc (not that I'd blame them) but with the size of that group towards the end you'd think if they'd have worked they'd have pulled them back in the last k or two.
Was a good race though, maybe not quite on par with last year but still good (as PR almost always is)
I can't be the only one who finds it ironic that the trophy for winning Paris-Roubaix is a bloody huge cobble stone mounted on a piece of wood?
This is now the 2nd time in a row that a rider on an conventional road bike (no fancy suspension etc.) wins! What is this fuss all about anyway?
and with no disc brakes either
Suspension helps mostly common riders on a whole day ride. These guys are robots:)
They don´t need (disc) brakes on a flat race with average speed 45 km/h..
And in the dry. I do wonder if there had been a forecast of rain if the bike choice would have been different?
They have the bonus of soigneurs and osteopaths to ease the pain and put back the joints that get impacted by using a full-on race bike.
28mm tyres also ease the pain.
Greipel only 12 seconds down. Blimey, what a final sprint that could have been.
For too long the bridesmaid, it's great he won this.
Well deserved.
So glad that Stybar didn't get it.
I don´t get it. Stybar has been very unlucky this season. This was the 2nd time he ended 2nd. I don´t think he deserves any hatred..
He was not helping Avermaet in the last 15km beacuse he was made free by his team only about 5km to go.. his role was to support Boonen. If you saw only last 20km you may have had a feeling that Stybar is just riding behind Avermaet, but during the race it was Stybar who worked very hard for Boonen and cought many attacks while Avermaet had his team around. So who worked harder during the whole race? Stybar would be crazy to lead Avermaet for the gold as a sheep.
Agreed, I was going for him over GvA (but really I wanted Langeveld). 2 x 2nd, plus in 2013 he was looking good for the win when a spectator took him out close to the end with Cancellara and Vanmarcke. The whole Quickstep team was riding for Boonen and Stybar did a great job.
I agree. He was at the front or thereabouts for the whole race - pulling hard. Perhaps some of this has come from GvA's post race comment that Stybar wasn't helping much... Great race though.