"Honestly, I didn't hear or see him apologise, but to see that picture means a lot to me" - John Degenkolb reveals turmoil of emotions after Roubaix incident with van der Poel
Cycling
John Degenkolb won Paris-Roubaix back in 2015. Ever since he had not been able to break in to the Top10 ever again, and struggled as a new generation emerged and took over the cobbled classics.
Yesterday he found himself in position to win, but saw his chances terminated with a dramatic crash.
The German however bounced back in incredible fashion, effective responding directly to the attacks of Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, and entering the final 20 kilometers in a position to win the race. It was his best performance in years, but it ended in disaster. At Carrefour de l'Arbre, the final five-star sector, the leader of Team DSM collided with Mathieu van der Poel and hit the deck.
“If you come this far and are even in a position to fight for the win, then this fall is of course very disappointing. But that's the course," he told after the race. “I think we all touched each other. I also saw the photo in which he came to me when I was crying on the floor. Honestly, I didn't hear or see him apologise, but to see that picture means a lot to me. I'm glad he apologised. As I said, as long as something like that doesn't happen on purpose, it's a racing incident."
The moment was one of the hardest but in Roubaix crashes frequently take out even the strongest of contenders. It's a race where managing to stay upright isn't for everyone, and as was the case with Wout van Aert in the very same sector, he was taken out of contention for the win for a mishap. Degenkolb managed to get up and still roll across the line in a seventh place, but it was little consolation as he broke down in tears afterwards. Race winner van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen both apologized to him afterwards.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
- The Erola Jons incident was not isolated. She felt she could do that because that's how everyone treats Tadej. Remember when he said "If I say wait 2 mins do you show the middle finger and walk off angry?" about the supposed fan who did exactly that? There's nothing wrong with the nurses and doctors asking him to give autographs... but do the surgery first
Rafionain-Glas01-11-2026 - Perhaps he has what Mark Cavendish had, the Epstein-Barr Virus. It caused him severe and unexplained chronic fatigue. I hope he gets better.
parisbound0001-11-2026 - How can medical staff act like that? pretty disgraceful! the guys down and they're near seeing him off ;/
leedorney01-11-2026 - I think that this is exactly what Jonas needs at this point in his career. It's something that could revive his passion for winning, and he's physically more than capable of winning one of those races as well.
santiagobenites01-11-2026 - What a great race! Couldn't look away. Can't wait for the eurosRafionain-Glas01-11-2026
- I think other competitors also had great Tours, so it wasn't that Ferrand-Prévot necessarily failed in some way - it's more likely that the other top riders lifted their game and maybe also a bit of luck with no crashes, etc. It's the Tour de France after all. It's not meant to be easy to defend your title (the few exceptions like Pogacar prove the rule).Pogboom01-11-2026
- maybe we should put our cv at the end of each comment post ... same rights for all of us!Ketterechts01-11-2026
- hahah literally all it is. Glad im not the only one noticing, essentially this is just a blog as it is now. Run buy boys from their bedroom hehe Their very subjective aswell, people on twitter even said their pure visma fanboys, if you listen to Ruben silva guy pre TDF this year all he said turned out to be wrong and constantly fail to realize visma isnt where they was before roster wice or means to contest even RBH or Lidl anymore, ,very biased ppl and when you run ''news articles that way its problematic..miguel01-11-2026
- The new joke of the year in 2027: "If both guys (Pogi and Seixas) finish upright on their bikes and both don't get sick for some reason, I think Paul will fight Tadej to the end and will possibly beat him in 2027 at the Tour, yes, I just said that." ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans01-11-2026
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Cheering @johndegenkolb on right until the line 💙🗣️ #KeepChallenging #ParisRoubaix
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