Van der Poel produces dominant performance to win Paris-Roubaix for 2nd straight year

Dutch cycling star Mathieu Van der Poel broke away with 60 kilometers (37 miles) remaining to win the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic for the second straight year with a dominant performance on Sunday.

With his archrival Wout van Aert recovering from multiple injuries sustained at the Dwars door Vlaanderen race in late March, Van der Poel dominated the grueling 260 kilometer (161-mile) trek from its start in Compiègne to Roubaix in northern France.

When he attacked with 60 kilometers to go, his rivals simply could not catch him in dry conditions which made the 29 cobblestone sections less treacherous.

Entering the Velodrome at Roubaix, the world road race champion was around three minutes clear and could milk the applause from the crowd.

“I could never of dreamed of this as a child. I’m a bit lost for words, really, but I’ll just try to enjoy this moment,” Van der Poel said. “My legs felt incredible today.”