Martin Wynants "immediately feared the worst" when seeing Wout van Aert's rear wheel puncture but "it was already too late"

It was such a shame that Paris-Roubaix would be decided by a piece of bad luck. But was it totally down to luck? After all, Sonny Colbrelli won the Hell of the North racing on two flats in 2021. Jumbo-Visma sports director Maarten Wynants however, has no regrets.

"We did ride tubeless," he explained in the immediate aftermath of the race. "With the same setting as Alpecin-Deceuninck. Wout was also able to continue for a while, but at a certain moment, you have to make a difficult choice. I saw his rear wheel slip a bit in the corner and immediately feared the worst."

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As we all know, the decision was made and Wout van Aert was forced to watch as Mathieu van der Poel accelerated away from him and on his way to a famous victory. "When Wout called it in his earpiece, it was already too late," Wynants laments.

"We knew there was another mechanic at the end of the lane, but replacing a rear wheel just takes a long time. Those few lost seconds were crucial," he continues. "We baked a nice big cake, but there is no icing on it. Although we must not forget that Wout's least result was a 4th place. Those five victories do not expire into nothing either. It just wasn't supposed to be yesterday."

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