Paris-Roubaix, Degenkolb attacks van der Poel: “I was pushed in the crash”

There Paris-Roubaix he had already won it, but to return to triumph in the velodrome PetrieuxFor John Degenkolbwould have had enormous significance. After the memorable 2015 season, in which he became the third ever to score the Sanremo-Roubaix double, the German has had a very difficult time, also due to a serious accident in early 2016: during a camp with his team in the south of Spain a car, driven by a woman, ended up on him. Since then he has had problems with the fingers of one hand and his results have plummeted. The high point of the second part of the 34-year-old German’s career was the victory in a stage of the Tour, precisely in Roubaix, in 2018. Then nothing more, until his Easter Sunday 2023, almost perfect.

The fall in the Carrefour de l’Arbre

Almost, because in the Carrefour de l’Arbre, when by now the race for victory was reduced to seven riders, Degenkolb ended up on the ground and saw the perfect race collapse. A skid to the right, in full cobblestone, when Jasper Philipsen was in the lead. Degenkolb looked for a space next to Van der Poel, which also due to a movement of his teammate was forced to widen and close the road. The slow motion images highlighted a slightly wide elbow of the Dutchman. Enough to anger Degenkolb after the race, despite the duo’s apologies Alpecin. “I’m obviously very disappointed” commented the German hotly, “there’s not much to say, except that I’m very disappointed with how the race went at the end. Being in the top positions in such a select group on cobbles means a lot to me today. It was an amazing moment, something I will always remember. When I crashed I was on the right side of the road but, suddenly, there was no more space and I was pushed towards a spectator. I still have to check, but my right shoulder still hurts.” Degenkolb still managed to finish the race in 7th place, 2’35” behind Van der Poel.

Van der Poel’s apology

Van der Poel apologized and justified himself thus, to the microphones of Lean: “I was on the cobblestones and, suddenly, Philipsen wanted to take a detour onto the path near the cobblestones. I had to move because I was to the right of his wheel. Degenkolb was also to his right. I don’t know if I touched it, because it was all hectic, but suddenly it fell to the ground. If it was my mistake, I want to apologize, but I couldn’t go anywhere.” The jury left the order of arrival intact, without giving weight to the possible impropriety of Van der Poel. The regulation leaves a lot of room for interpretation and the gesture of Poulidor’s nephew did not seem unequivocally intended to harm Degenkolb.