The prestigious Paris-Roubaix cycling race ended with a great victory for Mathieu Van Der Poel and Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck. Jumbo-Visma received €16,800 for Wout Van Aert’s second-place finish and Christophe Laporte’s tenth-place finish. Trek-Segafredo followed with €8,000, Groupama-FDJ with €3,200, Ineos-Grenadiers and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty with €1,700 each, while Team DSM, UAE-Team Emirates, Cofidis, Lotto-Dstny, Uno-X, TotalEnergies, and Israel Premier Tech also earned cash prizes. The remaining teams, however, did not receive any monetary rewards. Van Der Poel’s historic win saw him break the record for the highest average speed ever achieved in the 120 editions of the Paris-Roubaix, with a speed of 46.841 km/h. Additionally, he became just the fourth cyclist in history to win both the Milán – San Remo and Paris – Roubaix races in the same year. The previous riders to accomplish this feat were Cyrille Van Hauwaert in 1908, Sean Kelly in 1986, and John Degenkolb in 2015. However, the race was not without its share of accidents, with several riders experiencing crashes. The worst of these was Dylan Van Baarle of Jumbo-Visma, who was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a fractured hand and right shoulder, as well as severe abrasions on his face. The team confirmed that Van Baarle would not be participating in the Amstel Gold Race scheduled for the following Sunday. Another cyclist involved in a crash was Peter Sagan of TotalEnergies, who was also transported to the hospital with a concussion. Sagan did not suffer any fractures and was kept in the hospital for further tests. Despite these accidents, the Paris-Roubaix remains a highly anticipated cycling event, drawing in audiences from all over the world. The race is known for its grueling course and difficult cobbled sections, which pose a significant challenge to even the most experienced cyclists. As such, the race is widely considered to be one of the greatest tests of a cyclist’s endurance and skill.
