For a brief moment on Sunday afternoon, it looked as if Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) might have thrown away his chance of winning Paris-Roubaix. He’d come into the famous Roubaix velodrome in the lead group of three and was clearly the strongest sprinter of the bunch. But some cat-and-mouse tactics allowed two chasers to catch on just before the sprint, and another chase group was just seconds behind.
And then when Zdenek Stybar (QuickStep Floors) wound up his sprint, Van Avermaet was boxed in, unable to match the Czech rider’s initial acceleration.
Thankfully for Van Avermaet and his legion of fans, the Belgian was able to extract himself from difficulty before sprinting past Stybar to win by a couple of bike lengths.
It was a fitting result – the strongest rider won after working hard to forge the lead group and ensure it stayed away. And all that after chasing back from an ill-timed mechanical earlier in the race.
See below for a great gallery of images from Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, courtesy of the ever-terrific Kristof Ramon and Ashley & Jered Gruber.
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- Mitch Docker (Orica-Scott) crashed horribly in last year’s Paris-Roubaix but wasn’t deterred from starting the race again in 2017.
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- John Degenkolb’s hands are taped and ready for the cobbles. Note the splint on his left index finger, protecting the digit that was almost severed when he and his teammates were hit by a car at a January 2016 training camp.
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- Paris-Roubaix and Tom Boonen. It’s a combination that’s provided so much entertainment since 2002. Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix was Boonen’s last ever race as a pro.
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- Mathew Hayman’s son has a message for the world.
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- There was nearly 100km of racing before the riders hit the first of 29 cobbled sectors.
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- Last year’s winner Mat Hayman tears through the dust.
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- Greg Van Avermaet had a mechanical issue with a little more than 100km to go, and needed a bike change.
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- The pre-race favourite had a tough chase on his hands before hitting the most infamous of the day’s sectors in Arenberg.
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- Matteo Trentin and Peter Sagan led the peloton out of the forest after what was a rather uneventful sector (as uneventful as is possible while hurtling along super-rough cobbles at 50km/h+).
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- Docker went on to finish 91st in his return to Roubaix, some 20 minutes behind the winner.
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- Crashes are a part of bike racing, and particularly at Paris-Roubaix.
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- World champion Peter Sagan had another day to forget.
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- He went on the attack twice but suffered punctures on both occasions.
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- Of course punctures are a big part of Paris-Roubaix, given the rough terrain.
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- Daniel Oss rode very strongly, getting in several moves off the front …
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- … including a late solo move. Oss’ efforts took some of the pressure off his team leader Greg Van Avermaet.
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- When he wasn’t chasing back from mechanicals or winding up the pace, Van Avermaet was conserving energy in the bunch.
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- Andre Greipel had a strong ride on Sunday, eventually finishing seventh.
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- A lead group formed late in proceedings, with Greg Van Avermaet in the box seat.
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- Behind the Van Avermaet group, Tom Boonen and John Degenkolb were forced to try and chase.
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- Van Avermaet attacked the lead group on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, the final of three five-star cobble sectors.
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- Only Zdenek Stybar and Sebastian Langeveld (not pictured) could follow Van Avermaet’s acceleration.
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- The leading trio reached the velodrome together …
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- … but the game of cat-and-mouse that ensued allowed Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Gianni Moscon (Sky) and to catch back on.
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- Van Avermaet made sure the joining riders weren’t likely to beat him in the sprint.
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- Stybar started his sprint first, and while Van Avermaet was boxed in slightly, he was able to come around …
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- … to take the win — his first in a Monument.
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- Zdenek Stybar was thoroughly disappointed with second.
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- In his final race as a pro, Tom Boonen finished 13th.
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- Hayman finished in the Boonen group, in 11th place.
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- Finishing a close fourth in his dream race left Jasper Stuyven overwhelmed at the finish.
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- Paris-Roubaix takes its toll on the riders.
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- Greg Van Avermaet, winner of the 2017 Paris-Roubaix.