Mathieu van der Poel emerges as King of Spring

Dutchman's Monument sweep continues with victory at Paris-Roubaix, reports Tom Davidson

- Tom Davidson

On his third attempt at Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu van der Poel finally claimed the win he seemed destined for, crowning the finest Spring Classics campaign of any rider this season.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider circled the outdoor velodrome on Sunday in disbelief, smiling through a mask of dust and dirt that covered his face.

When he stepped off his bike – having thundered in solo after an untimely Wout van Aert puncture – he raised his hands and placed them on his helmet.

Van der Poel had conquered another Monument in Roubaix, just as he had done at Milan-San Remo a month ago.

In front of the press afterwards, van der Poel spoke with the serenity of a man with the world at his feet. “For sure, this was my strongest Classics season,” he said. “The power output I could do in the last 50km is something I was not able to do in the past.”

According to the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, his newfound strength comes from a shuffling of his race calendar.

This season, he explained, “I wanted to do less races and just be 100% for the races I do.”

His recent one-day record shows the new strategy is paying off – finishing first at Roubaix and San Remo, with a dogged second at the Tour of Flanders.