"I don't know a lot about this race but I am happy like this" - Alberto Bettiol enjoys lack of pressure ahead of Paris-Roubaix

EF Education-EasyPost is a team that is not at the moment at the top of the favourites charts at Paris-Roubaix, but is led by a dangerous rider in Alberto Bettiol. The Italian was in doubt to be part of the race has he had stomach issues inbetween monuments, but departs as the American team's main card into the Hell of the North.

“I know that there is a velodrome in Roubaix, I know you have to go through a forest but then I don’t really know a lot about this race," Bettiol admits in an interview with GCN. "But I am happy like this, I don’t want to know more, because I trust this team. I am healthy and I don’t need to do a lot in this week, I just needed to recover and be healthy. The shape is here so I don’t need to stress myself a lot, let’s see on Sunday, it is a bike race.”

Bettiol has seen a stunning return to form this spring, winning Milano-Torino in style, finishing fifth at Milano-Sanremo and then until the very last meter of the Tour of Flanders, in place to finish on the podium. Ultimately he only crossed the line in ninth place but that took away nothing from his strong performance which saw him work together with Dylan Teuns for large kilometers in chase of Mathieu van der Poel.

“Finally I was able to show the team that I was able to be at the high level of cycling after a few years, that’s the most important thing,” the Italian smiles. “Ok, I lost the podium by a few metres on Sunday but thinking how I was three or four years ago, trying to fight against my problems, now I am finally here I can only be happy.”

He is excited to keep his good run of form going and chase a result in Roubaix. Alongside him are the likes of Stefan Bissegger and Jonas Rutsch who can also fight for a result in such bumpy terrain, but Bettiol is despite his 30 years of age, a debutant in the French monument.

“Maybe I am even more excited to do it for the first time in the race. I am not worried about it, tomorrow night (Saturday night, ed.) we will have our final debrief. I will know everything I need to know. I have good legs, I have a good team, that’s it, you don’t need to know everything," he concluded.