"It's just phenomenal the acceleration he has" - Mathieu van der Poel's teammate confesses he was taken aback by his decisive attack in Paris-Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix 2024 was a big show from Alpecin-Deceuninck and particularly their main star Mathieu van der Poel who won the race with breathtaking 60-kilometer solo. Gianni Vermeersch was one of those who allowed MVDP to launch his engines and later continued to neutralize any chase behind, opening a three-minute gap behind his leader.

Vermeersch, who finished sixth himself, was riding in front when Van der Poel made his decisive attack. "Yes, that attack by Mathieu… I was riding in front, because I had said that I would set the pace as high as possible from there. I knew that attack was coming, but not exactly where," he tells WielerRevue. "I thought the pace was quite high, but the speed at which Mathieu flew past... Then you know straight away: there is little chance that anyone will close the gap."

Vermeersch wasn't really surprised either: "I wasn't really shocked, no. I've seen him pull off similar punches in training too. It's just phenomenal the acceleration he has. That video went viral and I still see it pop up on Instagram sometimes."

After Van der Poel had started his almost sixty kilometer long solo, Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen were able to sit back a bit in the chasing groups that formed behind. "No, it's not that those guys were frustrated. Mads Pedersen and Stefan Küng are smart and experienced enough to realize that they would do the same if they had been in that situation."

Philipsen finished second, Vermeersch sixth. "Paris-Roubaix 2024 is without a doubt one of the highlights of my career. I was already eleventh in 2023. OK, but eleventh or tenth is still a big difference. This year I came sixth and that made the euphoria of the first two places even a little bit more intense for me. One of the best moments is when I fall into Jasper and Mathieu's arms on the track. That photo is not hanging above my bed, but will get a nice place somewhere in the house."