As always there are stories to be told throughout the peloton following Paris-Roubaix. Tales of joy, tales of heartbreak and in former runner-up at the Hell of the North, Florian Vermeersch's case a tale of being good but not good enough.
“Unfortunately we missed the move on the Haveluy sector. As a team we maybe made a mistake there," Vermeersch laments on the official website of the Lotto Dstny team. "But I’m quite happy with my race today. I did everything to return to the front and eventually, we came quite close to the head of the race."
Sadly for Vermeersch, just as it looked as if he could get back into race-winning contention, the front of the race ignited once more. "When I heard they were attacking, I realized it would be really difficult," recalls the 24-year-old Belgian. "I felt strong today and a top ten would have been nice but I have to settle with this result.”
Nevertheless, a 12th-placed finish at Paris-Roubaix is a very impressive race and when put alongside a 12th-placed finish at the Tour of Flanders the week prior, Vermeersch has a lot to be happy about from the spring Classic block of racing.