John Degenkolb Wins Paris-Roubaix

13 April 2015 02:07

Giant Alpecin's John Degenkolb has won the Paris-Roubaix race.

The riders rolled out of Compeigne for the start of the 113th edition of a race over 253 kilometres which is known as the 'Hell of the North', probably due to its twenty seven secteurs of cobbles.

Sean De Bie of Lotto Soudal, Gregory Rast (Trek Factory Racing), British rider Adam Blythe (Orica-GreenEdge), Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling), Pierre-Luc Perichon (Bretange-Seche), Tim Declercq (Topsport-Vlaanderen), Frederik Backaert (Wanty Groupe Gobert) and Ralf Matzka (Bora Argon 18) made the first break and took a lead of nine minutes with 171kms still to ride.

In the Forest of Arenberg and Geraint Thomas of Team Sky punctured but the Welshman was soon back in the peloton which was held up by a train with 85kms to go and saw ridiculous scenes of some riders trying to get across before the train came whilst the barriers were down and clearly in breach of the UCI rule 2.3.034.

The peloton which had split was allowed to catch back up before they started on Secteur 18 with a gap of 5.28 to the eight out front, after Sean De Bie dropped back.

Geraint Thomas crashed on a bend with 81.3kms left but got a new bike and was able to continue on a sunny day, Onto the Warlaing and the eight leaders has a lead of 4.04 as the pelotons started to form echelons, A first group of fifteen riders including five riders from Etixx Quick Step and Vanmarcke, Ian Stannard, Boom, Oss, Sagan, Breschel and Degenkolb got within 3.28 of the leaders with 64kms to go.

The lead group which had dropped to seven riders as Perichon fell back, went over the Orchies secteur with a lead of 2.40.over a peloton which no longer contained Geraint Thomas.

Daniel Oss went into a ditch before Peter Sagan launched a new attack with just over fifty kilometres left.

Matti Breschel and Johan Van Summeren crashed on secteur eleven as the escapers started on the 2800m Mons-en-Pévèle secteur with a lead of 1.39 over a reduced peloton of less than forty riders.

Lars Bak of Lotto Soudal went down whilst Arnaud DeMare was forced to change his bike as only Rast, Gougeard, Saramotins, Declercq and Frederik Backaert were left up front with 35 kilometres left and a lead of 1.11.

Through Templeuve and Jens Debusschere attacked in a group of Quinizato, Wynants and Romain Sinkeldam of Giant Alpecin as did Sir Bradley Wiggins with thirty two kilometres left.

Debusschere left his group and got up to Vandenbergh, Stybar and Wiggins who were forty seconds behinds the leaders and thirty seconds ahead of the peloton.

The peloton ensured Wiggins attacks did not succeed and they were briught back as the escapers which now numbered four took on secteur six.- the Cysoing – Bourghelle with a lead of twenty seconds.

LottoNL Jumbo's Sep Vanmarcke bridged over to the four leaders with 22.2kms, so Alexis Gougeard tried another attack but only stayed away for less than a kilometre before being caught.

Jurgen Roelandts and an Astana rider slipped clear just before the riders started on the five-star Carrefour de l'Arbre. Roelandts's pusbed on and took a 24 second lead.

The two kilometre long Carrefour de l'Arbre had big crowds on either side of the road. The cobbles were rought so many riders chose to ride in the gutter.

Roelandts was caught with 13.9kms to go and Yves Lampaert was next to attack with BMC's Greg Van Avermaet in his wheel. John Degenkolb was chasing them down and with 7.2kms left, the German looking to be the first German winner since 1896 was ten seconds behind.

Onto the Willems à Hem secteur and Degenkolb caught Lampaert and Van Avermaet as they made their way into Roubaix in North Eastern France, some ten kilometres from the city of Lille.

Peter Sagan needed a bike change as Zdenek Stybar of Etixx Quick Step tried to bridge to the front three who had a lead of eleven seconds with four kilometres left.

Bradley Wiggins stormed after the escapers with 2.9kms to go but Stybar had joined the escapers before they approached the final secteur of cobbles.

Off the cobbles and into the velodrome and seven riders but no Wiggins took the bell lap.

John Degenkolb, who won Milan-San Remo this year, led out the sprint on the high banking of the velodrome and won in 5.49.51 ahead of Zdenek Stybar and Greg Van Avermaet, followed by Boom, Elmiger, Keukeleire, Lampaert, Luke Rowe of Team Sky, Debusschere and Alexander Kristoff in tenth.

The chasing group with Sir Bradley Wiggins in the middle of the pack finished thirty seconds down.

"This is the race I have always dreamed of winning," said Degenkolb. "It is unbelievable I have had to work hard for it. My team worked all day and I knew I had to invest something and I was not afraid to fail. and that was the key.

"When you are the fastest guy no-one wants to work with you, so I had to do this myself.

"I am so happy and proud and this is a victory for the whole team."

Source: DSG