“A chance to make history” is how Peter van Petegem, who won both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year in 2003, views what is at stake for Mathieu van der Poel this afternoon as he battles to reconquer the Queen of the Classics for a second time in his career.
Already victorious in Paris-Roubaix in 2023, the Alpecin-Deceuninck racer’s third triumph in the Tour of Flanders last Sunday has opened the door for him to try to become the first rider since Fabian Cancellara in 2013 and eighth in history to conquer both Monuments in the same year.
While that opportunity for the double is accessible for every rider who wins Flanders each April, Van der Poel’s status as outright favourite for Paris-Roubaix arguably raises those stakes much higher than usual.
And on Sunday to mark the occasion, French newspaper L’Équipe published a series of interviews with the most recent five riders to take the double - Rik van Looy in 1962, Roger de Vlaeminck in 1977, Peter van Petegem in 2003, Tom Boonen in 2005 and 2013 and Fabian Cancellara in 2010 and 2013.
“I already won Flanders in 1999 and when I won for a second time in 2003, it was almost like a pathway towards my big object, Paris-Roubaix,” Van Petegem told L’Équipe.
“When I won Roubaix, I had the feeling that I had gone down in history, a double hadn’t happened for 25 [26] years, and people talk about that. When I look back at the photos, I felt very proud of myself seeing that I won in the World Cup leader’s jersey - it’s a jersey that’s lacking [in the current peloton] because at that time of the season, it meant that you were the best Classics winner.”
“My objective at the time was to win races,” Cancellara told L’Equipe, "So I didn’t think about it so much at the time.”
“It’s only when I stopped racing that I told myself I’ve gone into the history books as a result - it’s like doing the Giro-Tour double in the same year, or winning Amstel, Flèche and Liège in the same week.”
“I don’t remember my two victories very well,” Van Looy, now 90, told L’Équipe, “but don’t forget I won Gent-Wevelgem, too, on the Wednesday inbetween!”
“I’ll watch the race on Sunday but it’s difficult to say if Van der Poel will do the double, Paris-Roubaix is such a hard race to win.”
While Van Looy argued that beating Eddy Merckx in 1975 in Paris-Roubaix while clad in the World Champion’s jersey was more memorable, Boonen said doing the double for the first time represented “A major breakthrough in my career.”
“I was 25, young at the time to take my double for the first time. In a week I became one of the best riders in the world and I can still be proud of it. And winning Roubaix four times remains the proudest achievement of my career.”
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