“I had to finish”: Joe Pidcock shows grit as last man home at brutal Paris-Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix is known as one of the most unforgiving races in cycling, and Joe Pidcock proved just how much resilience it demands. The 23-year-old, riding for Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, was the final rider to cross the line in the 2024 edition, trailing winner Mathieu van der Poel by 53 minutes and 40 seconds. Yet the sheer act of finishing was a victory in itself.

When asked by Cycling Weekly what it felt like to roll into the iconic Roubaix velodrome completely alone, Pidcock didn’t sugar-coat it.

"About as fun as that sounds."

The young Brit admitted his form wasn’t ideal heading into the race, but he was determined not to quit.

"I didn't come with the best shape but I had to finish," he explained. "It didn't matter how long it took. I thought it would be dark by the time I got here."

Despite fading from the bunch early, Pidcock kept turning the pedals, spending nearly half the race riding solo over the punishing cobbled sectors, an experience that tested his physical and mental limits.

"Before the cobbles, I almost got caught in three crashes in a row," he said when asked about when his race was over. "When [Wout] van Aert crashed he was so close to me, I think he touched me, when he came down. After that I wasn't risking my life for it, I already didn't have the legs."

Yet with nothing to gain in the standings and no teammates around, Pidcock refused to climb off, motivated by the knowledge that simply finishing Roubaix is something most riders never get the chance to do.

"I might not get to ride it again, so of course I've got to finish," Pidcock said. "So many people don't get the opportunity to ride here, to ride something like this."

"People actually want to finish this one more than most races."

His journey through the northern French countryside was long and lonely, but not without memorable moments, particularly the legendary Forest of Arenberg.

"I was really excited for it before," Pidcock said. "I'm not here because of my legs, I'm here because guys crashed and weren't able to come. I was excited, I did it last year [the U23], it was really fun. There were some mechanical problems then."

"Arenberg was still pretty cool, proper walls of noise... There were still people [out there], but everyone was going home already."