Paris- Roubaix Mons- en- Pévèle, France
3 OCTOBER 2021
It is just about possible to recognise Belgian champion Wout van Aert as he rides over the Mons- en- Pévèle sector of pavé with 50km to go of the men’s edition of Paris- Roubaix. The Jumbo-Visma rider’s body, face and Cervélo bike are completely caked in mud at this point of the race - it was the first time that Roubaix had been run in the wet since 2002. Behind, EF-Nippo’s Sebastian Langeveld grimly hangs on, his once- pink jersey now faded to a black and brown mess. At this point of the Hell of the North, the winning move has gone up the road, with Gianni Moscon out in front, stalked by eventual winner Sonny Colbrelli, Mathieu van der Poel and Florian Vermeersch. However, more so than in any other race, there is an impetus to keep riding hard, because there are so many unknown possibilities at play; someone could puncture, crash, or all of them could puncture and crash. That determination to stay in the game is clear on Van Aert’s face, although he would eventually finish 11th.