"That's racing" 🗣 Heartbreak for @johndegenkolb at Paris-Roubaix - the former winner collapsed in tears at the finish line, but was consoled by Mathieu Van der Poel who apologised after the race 🤝 🎥 Go in-car with @TeamDSM 👇 _ 🇫🇷 #ParisRoubaix
"I don’t think anybody was really at fault" - No culprits in John Degenkolb's Paris-Roubaix crash, Fabian Cancellara argues
CyclingTuesday, 11 April 2023 at 14:00
John Degenkolb was reborn at Paris-Roubaix this weekend, but the dream ended in a nightmare as the 2015 winner crashed at Carrefour de l'Arbre. It was a tough watch, but even tougher situation to accept for the Team DSM who ended up finishing 7th. A lot of debate has taken place due to the nature of the crash, in which the German collided with Mathieu van der Poel.
"I was very happy to see him up there fighting for the win again and then I was really sorry to see how his challenge was ended by a crash;" Cancellara said in a column for Cyclingnews. "I don’t think anybody was really at fault, it was just one of those things that can happen at a race like Paris-Roubaix."
The incident took place in the final five-star sector of the race and as the riders in the leading group looked to avoid the cobbles, the two collided as there was no space for all riders. No penalizations were given, and no blame was attributed among the riders - with Alpecin-Deceuninck duo apologizing after the finish, as Degenkolb laid in tears inside the Velodrome.
"Mathieu wanted to try to attack just as Degenkolb was coming up, and they couldn’t avoid it," Cancellara, who has ridden on three occasions to victory over this sector, knows as well as anyone it's rough nature. "Mathieu, on the other hand, almost crashed again when he was by himself in front at Hem, but he managed to stay upright. A few millimetres can make all the difference."
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