Tim Merlier came as an outsider for Paris-Roubaix, whilst Mathieu van der Poel lead the charge for Alpecin-Fenix and ended up in a modest ninth place, as many of the team's resources were burned early on before the cobbled sectors.
Merlier also didn't have a great experience, in what aptly named the 'Hell of the North', as a bad crash saw him get deep injuries in an elbow: "It happened at Carrefour de l'Arbre, there was a hole and I wanted to overtake the rider in front of me, but he just avoided a hole. My handlebars doubled, I made a somersault and fell sharply," Merlier told Sporza.
As a result, he reports that "a large wound opened on my elbow, which was bleeding profusely and full of stones. You could even see a muscle. After the race they had to completely clean my elbow with an operation."
"In retrospect, I should have gotten into an ambulance, but the pain was not too bad. The blood was terrifying. And as a rider you want to reach the finish. It wasn't that far anymore. After two flat tires I had already fought hard and I also thought of my grandmother [who passed away shortly before the race]. That motivated me to keep on biting," Merlier pointed out.
"I quickly realized that a place in the top 15 was too ambitious with one arm. I made it to Roubaix by slaloming and with the help of colleagues." Eventually, the Belgian sprinter made it to the finish in 40th spoth, just a few behind those of the first main peloton which arrived at the velodrome.
"With a view to the Giro d'Italia, I would go on an altitude training camp, but I will postpone that for a while, to thoroughly repair my elbow. They put me under anesthesia last night. Today I felt a bit limp as a result.... The coming days will be dominated by recuperation. I will soon be able to cycle again, but the question is how that wound will react," he concluded.
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