Paris-Roubaix is an unpredictable race, more so than pretty much any other on the season calendar, with crashes, punctures and various other instances of bad luck always ready and waiting to strike and derail even the best-laid plans of the top contenders for glory.
If the previous 120 editions of the race weren't enough evidence, then we saw it again on Sunday, with riders including Mads Pedersen, John Degenkolb, and Laurence Pithie all falling victim to some bout of misfortune or another en route to Roubaix.
One team, for the second year in a row, seemed almost impervious to the pitfalls of Paris-Roubaix, however – Alpecin-Deceuninck, of course.
Once again, the team comes away from northern France with a one-two result, adding to earlier Monument victories at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, another masterclass, and another domineering triumph from Mathieu van der Poel.
The world champion raced solo from 60km out at the three-star Orchies sector, crossing the line some 80 minutes a full three minutes ahead of second place, his own teammate Jasper Philipsen – the largest margin of victory since Johan Museeuw's 22 years ago.
All from a move that was apparently unplanned, too.
"It was just I thought it was a good moment there," Van der Poel said of his decision to launch into almost a full sprint as he took off in an attempt to make the final harder.
"We were with quite a small group as well, and cooperation wasn't really good in the group," he continued. "I just wanted to make it a hard final from there, and I think that's always my strength, to make it a hard final.
"I didn't expect to be alone from this cobblestone sector, but I had a nice gap. It was also mostly a tailwind to the finish line, so I knew that I could hold it."
From there, the gap to the chase group – Philipsen plus Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates), and Groupama-FDJ pairing Stefan Küng and Laurence Pithie – only increased, hitting 1:30 by Mons-en-Pévèle and 2:40 by Carrefour de l'Arbre.
Behind, all hope of wresting the cobblestone trophy away from Alpecin-Deceuninck was lost. Up front, meanwhile, Van der Poel could soak in the moment and enjoy his sixth Monument victory in a way he hasn't been able to before.
"It definitely isn't normal to win these races," he said later. "I could only dream of this when I was a kid. Also, with this jersey, it makes it even more special, of course. I could've never imagined all the races I win now. I just focussed on cyclo-cross when I was younger.
"It's really amazing, and I really tried to enjoy the last part of the races, which I couldn't do in Flanders because I was really on my limit there. Today I felt better still in the final, so I really tried to enjoy it because it's a special moment and it won't last forever. It's just a really cool day in general."
Van der Poel, who spent some time training in the sun in Spain between his victory at a dismal Tour of Flanders, said that he didn't expect to be solo in front after making his move, perhaps expecting a Pedersen or Küng to be there with him. Not that he was complaining, however.
"I never really make a plan," he said. "You never know if you're going to be in this situation or not with a flat or mechanical, but I did communicate the attack. The team asked me this time to communicate when I was going to attack and I did, so they were aware of it, but I also didn't expect to be alone after one attack.
"But it gives you wings, of course, if you have a nice gap immediately. If you hear on the radio that the gap is increasing all the time, then you have a good chance of making it to the finish line."
'We showed the strength of our team today'
Van der Poel finished off five-and-a-half hours of perfect teamwork by his Alpecin-Deceuninck team. The squad had blown up the race in the crosswinds 150km out, then commanded the front group with Timo Kielich, Edward Planckaert, and Gianni Vermeersch joining Van der Poel and Philipsen in the move.
From there, it was the Arenberg, which proved the big selector, with Van der Poel's attack shedding all but a select group – himself, Philipsen, and the flying Vermeersch included.
After the race-winning attack some 35km later, it was up to Philipsen and Vermeersch to mark any moves behind, the pair sticking like limpets to the wheels of all prospective attackers as their teammate rode off into the distance.
"It's clear to see that everyone in the team was on their best level today and it was a real team performance," Philipsen said in the post-race press conference after a joke about what the team ate for breakfast.
"I think that for sure we showed the strength of our team today," he added. "I think everyone was really committed and in their best shape. The goal was also not to go with a full bunch to the chicane, to get some less stress and also put the others under pressure.
"We showed our strength as a team, but you also need to show the legs in the end and I'm glad we had a guy like Mathieu to finish it off."
Philipsen, who, despite outsprinting Pedersen and Politt to take his second runners-up spot in as many years, admitted that he wasn't on his best day after a long spring Classics campaign, of course, harbours ambitions of his own.
The Belgian super-sprinter and Milan-San Remo champion has developed and risen several levels since joining Alpecin-Deceuninck three years ago. Paris-Roubaix is on his wish list, though for now, he's thrilled to take second in another phenomenal one-two at the most brutal and beautiful race of the spring.
"Yeah, why not?" Philipsen said when asked about his own Roubaix dreams. "It's a race I really love to race. It's a race that motivates me. I really like to ride the cobbles, so why not?
"But today, it's clear there was a guy who was really outstanding, and it was my teammate, so I'm really happy with the team performance."
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