"This is close to the level I had during the World Championships in Glasgow" - Mathieu van der Poel on his glorious Roubaix triumph

Mathieu van der Poel led Alpecin-Deceuninck to absolute glory at Paris-Roubaix. The team avoided big mishaps which many rivals didn't, led the peloton at the right times, attacked at the right times and at Mathieu van der Poel on the form of his life. The World Champion talks about his much-loved victory in the Roubaix velodrome.

"I thought it was a good time (to attack with 59Km to go, ed.). The group was quite small and the cooperation was not really good. From that moment on I wanted to make it a hard finale. I think that's where my strength always lies," he shared in words to Wielerflits. "But I didn't expect to end up there alone. But I had a nice gap and knew I had a tailwind most of the time until the finish. So I knew I could keep my lead.”

Van der Poel admitted that he started the race without a specific plan. Ultimately Alpecin swarmed the front before the Trouée d'Arenberg, and from there on when he attacked for the first time, the splits that occurred favoured the Dutch team. Gianni Vermeersch followed the only attack that briefly put the team under pressure, whilst then van der Poel himself was not followed when he attacked; and has Vermeersch and eventual runner-up Jasper Philipsen ride to second place. The gap was big enough that the Dutchman could have a different mentality.

“I also tried to enjoy my victory as much as possible in the final. That didn't work last week in the Tour of Flanders, because I was riding at my limit," he admits. His gap was so large that he managed to regain his senses and go watch the sprint for second place. "However, on Sunday I felt a lot stronger in the final. I really tried to enjoy it then, because it was a special moment. This won't last forever. I really enjoyed Roubaix.”

The spring was already successful with his triumph in Flanders, he had said last week. Now, even more. Van der Poel raced very little but has achieved what he was looking for. Still, he has Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège still in his schedule, where he actually carries good chances of success - mainly in the Dutch classic.

“This is close to the level I had during the World Championships in Glasgow last autumn. Ultimately, it is a shame that a few competitors have disappeared. But even if I have the form I had in Glasgow, it is still super difficult for me to win those two races," he added. "But I just want to try and see how far I can get. It's a race, you never know what's going to happen.”