"It’s some sadistic obstacle course" - Eye-opening account of Paris-Roubaix 2025 shines new light on life in the breakaway at the 'Hell of the North'

Whilst the thrilling battle for the win between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar took most of the headlines at Paris-Roubaix 2025, each and every rider that took part can leave the race with an interesting story to tell. For former Irish national champion Rory Townsend, who spent a large part of the day in the breakaway, his account is especially eye-opening.

“It was a seriously hard fight for the break,” the 29-year-old, who was joined the lead group by Kim Heiduk, Oier Lazkano, Markus Hoelgaard, Jonas Rutsch, Max Walker, Jasper De Buyst and Abram Stockman, said in post-race quotes collected by Sticky Bottle. “It wasn’t the standard breakaway where everyone sits up (in the bunch). We were still fighting for a good 20 or 30 minutes, and there were some absolute trucks in that move as well. It was a hard fight.”

With Townsend something of a breakaway specialist, the Irishman took it upon himself to lead the troops. “I kept saying to the guys ‘look, we just need to make it to Arenberg and we’re in with a chance’, that kind of thing. I was trying to get everybody focused on this idea," he explains. "In the end, I think three or four of us stayed ahead to be in the front at Arenberg.”

As it turned out however, even though Townsend and a select group kept themselves clear of the chase heading onto the Arenberg, they could not hold out much longer as the aforementioned Van der Poel and Pogacar began to launch their big attacks. “I look up and I see Mathieu kicking off again,” the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team man said of the attacks. “And I was like ‘come on, let’s give it a break’. I was excited to see how far I’d make it. It’s just frustrating that, in the end, the opportunity was taken a little bit out of my hands."

“I’m not saying it would have changed anything in the end. I won’t bore you with excuses, but I’m struggling with injuries and a few little niggles. But just to have been part of the race for a little bit longer, it would have been really nice," he adds. "But there’s always next year.”

With this being his second experience of the iconic French cobbles, Townsend, who finished 108th on debut in 2024, improved on that result, this time crossing the line in 76th. “It’s funny coming back here the second time around,” he assesses. “Flanders was a real eye-opener, that was a very special event. I think Roubaix, has that uniqueness. I can’t help but think it’s some sadistic obstacle course and a bike race."

“For me, this is the nicest finish of any race. I think it’s super, super special," Townsend concludes. "I’m talking as somebody who hasn’t finished on the Champs-Élysées or anything like that. But this is really amazing, there’s such a unique atmosphere.”