“I was still able to do a good race and I’m really happy about that” - John Degenkolb able to salvage strong result at Paris-Roubaix after poorly timed puncture

After animating the race before an unfortunate crash at Paris-Roubaix last year, John Degenkolb was once again at the fore at this year’s edition of the race, but was once again the victim of misfortune, as he suffered a poorly timed puncture on the key cobbled sector of the Trouée d’Arenberg.

Similarly to 2023, the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rider was able to fight his way back into contention though, as he battled his way to an 11th place finish (after Tim van Dijke was relegated), as he came across the line in the second group on the road, four minutes and 47 seconds down on the winner Mathieu van der Poel.

Speaking to his team after the race, Degenkolb said “even though the circumstances weren’t great at all in the end, with a puncture at possibly the worst moment for me, I was still able to do a good race and I’m really happy about that. Paris-Roubaix is flowing through my veins. Like always, it’s the most brutal and roughest race you can imagine. Nothing compares to this race”.