No Monumental farewell for Alexander Kristoff after a concussion at his last Roubaix: "It’s a shame to finish in the car"

Somewhere deep inside, Alexander Kristoff must've hoped that in his last time at Paris-Roubaix, he might break the curse of the Hell of the North and finally score a top result in his fifteenth attempt. However no fairy tale was awaiting the 37-year-old Norwegian who crashed hard quite early on in the race and later abandoned with suspicion of concussion. Ninth place from 2013 will thus remain his career high at the French Monument.

"I fell on my head," Kristoff says via the social media of Uno-X Mobility. "Then I started riding in the wrong direction. I was a bit mixed up and maybe had a little concussion. I didn’t know which direction to ride. At one point I came across other riders. Then I thought: I have to turn around."

The former winner of Milano-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, among others, continued on for a while, but got off the bike in the next supply zone. "I had to stop. I also didn't have much strength in my leg, because my knee had been hit. It did loosen up a bit, but then I was already cycling at a big disadvantage."

Kristoff, who finished fourth in Gent-Wevelgem this year, recently announced that he plans to retire as a pro after the current season. "It was probably my last Monument and therefore also my last Roubaix. It’s a shame to finish the race in the car. Will I continue for another year? I don’t really feel like riding here again," he concluded with a laugh.