Pavel Bittner about the importance of finishing Paris-Roubaix: "I want to deserve the famous shower at the velodrome"

The young Pavel Bittner is one of the rising young talents at the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. While he's yet to make a big name for himself, the fast Czech already showed he has the grasp for classics-like racing, finishing second at the Belgian GP Criquielion (1.1) or 10th at Nokere Koerse (1.Pro). In his second start at the Paris-Roubaix, he may even get a chance for himself, with John Degenkolb lightly injured from a recon crash, but above all, he wishes to finally finish the Monument, he says in an interview for WeLoveCycling.

Early reports suggested some mud on the cobbled sections, would that be an issue for Bittner? "I'd prefer wet cobbles. Of course, the race itself is dangerous, but it would be easier for me to go for a better result if it was a little more technical. I would probably rather choose mud for myself. Maybe I'll regret it and give a different answer next year," he laughs.

The 21-year-old Czech also returns to the much discussed chicane: "If the organizers wanted more safety, then this is a bad decision, because chicane will make things even worse. A 180 degree turn on such a narrow road before such a difficult and important point of the race, it will be a big mess. I don't think there is anything safer about it."

"Sure, we may approach Arenberg at a lower speed, but that sector will then be all the more difficult," he thinks. "But maybe they thought it'd have been better if we lay down on the road rather than the cobbles..."

What are Bittner's personal ambitions? "I personally want to give the best performance I can. To be able to arrive at the team bus and know that I did my best, that I was useful as a teammate. And also to deserve the famous shower at the velodrome."