"The harder the race, the better it is for me in the final" - Mathieu van der Poel thrives in quickest ever Paris-Roubaix

For the first time in his career Mathieu van der Poel can call himself a Paris-Roubaix winner. In the fastest-ever edition of the race, the Dutchman thrived and he's revealed his belief that the harder a race becomes the more likely he is to win.

“I have learned my lesson from last year and last week (at the Tour of Flanders). Sunday was very strange again. There was no early break," the 28-year-old explained following the race. "We raced from start to finish. That was really crazy. But I like it. In recent years we have gone all out from start to finish. To me, that's not bad, actually. The harder the race, the better it is for me in the final. Especially in a race like Paris-Roubaix, where it is difficult to make a difference."

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The first man to win Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix in the same year since Cyrille Van Haewaert in 1908, van der Poel has successfully secured his place in history and taken his tally of monument wins to four. "The power output I was able to deliver in the last ten miles is something I was unable to do in the past," he says. "I am definitely stronger than in the past seasons.”

"I have adapted my training a bit and I feel good about that,” he explains. "I myself have asked to ride fewer races, so that I can be 100% in the races that I do ride. That is also a bit of modern cycling, I think. This is hands down my best spring classic. We need to celebrate and realize that this may never happen again. We really need to enjoy this and celebrate.”

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