2021 has propelled the Paris Roubaix, the most iconic one-day race in professional cycling into the stratosphere. It’s been a brilliant year for spectators and for Italian cycling as Bahrain Victorious rider Sonny Colbrelli sealed another Italian win with a narrow sprint finish in the Roubaix velodrome. Stealing ahead of Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Soudal) and another race favourite, Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Fenix, he captured a legendary win that would have been equally deserved by each of the three. The atrocious wet weather saw the famous cobble sections covered in mud and every corner and surface was slippery. The riders finished the race caked in a layer of mud and this years Paris Roubaix resembled a cyclo cross race where bike handling skills were essential, but so was a massive dose of luck, to avoid the numerous crashes and punctures which saw the chances of strong race favourites obliterated.
With an uncharacteristic late season date for the 2021 edition due to Covid-19 postponement, the October schedule made it the ‘cherry on top’, virtually wrapping up the professional racing season for this year. Veteran rider Mitch Docker chose to end his professional racing career with this race and on Saturday, the first ever women’s Paris Roubaix Femme was an historic milestone that set the scene for the men’s race on Sunday. While the women faced a damp and slippy course, the men were met with rain and soaking and slippery cobbles. Even when a cobble section could be completed without a flat tyre or a crash, mud coated tyres meant that turns and leaning into corners was dangerous.
Breakaway groups and riders ahead of the peloton couldn’t rely on team car support. Cars couldn’t even pass by the peloton so any riders out front caught with a flat tyre or caught in a crash essentially faced “game over” with their chances to regain their position squashed. Australia, Simon Clarke of Qhubeka NextHash was caught in an early crash and later said he believed that he broke his wrist but still finished in a respectable 53rd place alongside fellow Aussie and BikeExchange rider Luke Durbridge. Heinrich Haussler of Bahrain Victorious was the best placed Australian, finishing in 10th. Harry Sweeny of Lotto Soudal finished in 39th (10 minutes down) and Richard Stannard of BikeExchange was about 22 minutes down from the winner in 81st place.
Mitch Docker of Team EF Education First was an uncertain starter following his broken elbow in the Benelux Tour and set an indoor training schedule to prepare for his final professional career race. Following a crash early in the race, Docker was later seen pulling out of the race after the Arenburg section. While we spotted Docker after the race fresh and clean again, there was no information available on his withdrawal. From the 174 starters, 70 recorded a DNF and 10 further riders missed the cut-of time leaving only 94 riders completing the 2021 edition of the Hell of the North.
In sector 12 the controversial INEOS Grenadier rider Gianni Moscon escaped forward and a lead of over a minute with 30 kilometers until the finish which saw his chances of a win open up as twitter also erupted with voices of discontent. A flat tyre and bike change saw Moscon loose some of his lead until a he then crashed. The gap narrowed as Moscon tried to fight off Van der Poel, Colbrelli and Vermeersch. The Trio eventually caught-up and then dropped Moscon and worked together to keep their lead. Caked in mud, the trio entered the velodrome for the lap and a half and a fatigued sprint finish which saw Colbrelli bite through and beat Vermeersch and Van der Poel.