"I can't think about Roubaix yet. I'm completely f*cked right now" - Mathieu van der Poel takes hat-trick at the Tour of Flanders after thunderous Koppenberg attack

Mathieu van der Poel has added another brilliant success to his palmares by taking a spectacular victory at the Tour of Flanders this Sunday afternoon, the fifth monument win of his career.

“It was just survival today," reflects a soaked to the skin world champion in his post-race interview. "For me, it was the toughest race I have ridden in these weather conditions. Those last twenty kilometres were with our eyes closed. I was so devastated that I didn't think much. I have to think again about what happened.”

Van der Poel was however, able to use the weather to his advantage with a brutal attack on the wet and slippery cobbles of the Koppenberg that no one could follow and very few could even continue riding rather than being forced to carry their bike. “The rain made the cobblestone climbs difficult. The Kopenberg in particular was sliding and slipping all the way to the top. Then I had created a nice gap, but with the wind it was still far. I rode as hard as I could, but at the end I was way off,” he recalls.

“The team rode fantastic. I said that they had to keep it together until the Koppenberg," he concludes. "I didn't expect to sit alone. The second time I passed through Kwaremont I passed through for the first time. Then I didn't have the right feeling anymore, but I'm glad I found it again. My season has already been a success. I can't think about Roubaix yet. I'm completely fucked right now.”