"It’s not like Tadej Pogacar crashed due to bad luck" - Alpecin boss explains how Mathieu van der Poel was never going to wait in dramatic Paris-Roubaix finale

Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar wrote a thrilling 3rd chapter of the their Monument battles in 2025 on Sunday afternoon at Paris-Roubaix. This time though, rather than a moment of brilliance that decided the day, it was a mistake, as Pogacar crashed out on a cobbled sector, leaving Van der Poel solo at the head of the race.

As seen already this year, a mid-race crash is by no means curtains for Pogacar's hopes of victory. At Strade Bianche, the Slovenian did something similar was leading with Tom Pidcock, only to remount, chase back on and end up winning solo. Unlike in that situation however, where Pidcock actually waited for the world champion, Van der Poel did not wait at Paris-Roubaix.

“It was a split-second moment, but we can safely say it was a miscalculation by Pogacar," assessed Alpecin-Deceuninck team boss Christoph Roodhooft after the race, in quotes collected by Wieler Revue. “Waiting wasn’t really an option either — it took quite a while before Pogacar got back on his bike. I feel sorry for him, but the mistake was his own. It’s not like he crashed due to bad luck or external factors.”

And Roodhooft is in little doubt that the crash didn't change the destined end result of Van der Poel taking Paris-Roubaix victory for a third successive year. “Mathieu looked strong right from the start, but what you see on TV isn’t always the full picture. Today, though, his appearance really did reflect how he was feeling — he was truly on top form,” he analyses happily. “Over the past few days, it became clear he was feeling much better. You could see it — and he said as much during the team presentation. That dip was definitely serious, but all in all, he was in much better shape than he was at Flanders.”

There was one other moment of contention, when a person at the roadside threw a bidon right into Van der Poel's face, almost throwing the Dutchman off his bike. “That’s something for the authorities to deal with first and foremost,” said a furious Roodhooft on the matter. “You’d hope there’s some kind of social control to prevent idiots from doing things like this. It’s dangerous — it could have caused him to crash. You really have to ask what’s wrong with someone who would even think of doing that.”

And as for future Van der Poel racing, his team boss is certain. “No — it’s confirmed that he’s wrapping up his spring season now,” concluded Roodhooft.