The
Alpecin-Deceuninck rider did not take part in the Basque race and so avoided this disastrous fall, but only a week before he was also absent from Dwars door Vlaanderen where another high-speed crash ended Wout van Aert and Jasper Stuyven's season, as well as injuring among others Mads Pedersen and Biniam Girmay. Crashes of such level seem to occur more and more often, as teams become more aware of the importance of positioning, which leads to the whole peloton taking it up another notch when it comes to speed and risks in key moments.
“As in every classic, there are dangerous points. In Liège-Bastogne-Liège, for example, the descent before the Redoute is one of the most dangerous descents we have," the Dutchman already warns. "We are still racing on open roads. It's hard to change everything. You can change a certain point, but there will always be falls. Like I said, it's often the riders themselves. And sometimes you just have to be lucky.”
However, on van der Poel's mind currently is
Paris-Roubaix, where he will attempt to defend his title. Last year he has won with teammate
Jasper Philipsen in second place, and the team will try to replicate the same success. “I think we can create a situation like last year. We both benefit from that. Our strength is that we can both win in different ways. So we are a good duo. But you also have to have a portion of luck. Last year we actually stayed out of trouble for the entire race," he continued.
"We had no flat tires or any breakdowns. That is and remains very important in Roubaix.I don't expect that. Like I said, he already did more than enough in Roubaix last year. It's also not about getting anything back. I did what I did in San Remo because it was the best possible option in that situation. I know he would have done the same. It's not like I do something like that to get something back.”
However the World Champion admits that he does not feel the pressure to win this Sunday, as he has already conquered his main goal for the spring. “For me it was already a special year in the rainbow jersey. I can only be very satisfied with my performance so far. Winning the Tour of Flanders was the main goal. What's to come this year is all a bonus. But of course it would be very cool to win Roubaix again," he concludes.
