As Philipsen mentioned, van der Poel always carries the threat of an early attack, something he proved on Sunday afternoon, mounting the longest men's solo victory at
Paris-Roubaix in 30 years. "You know that the others' hearts sink. I'm glad Mathieu lasted until the finish, I could never have done it to him," Philipsen assesses. "Did I immediately think of second place afterwards? We rode to win and I am extremely proud that we managed to do it again as a team, one and two. It's fantastic, something to be very proud of.”
“At the end I felt the energy leaving my body, but that was the case with everyone," he concludes. “I think there could be a party after this classic campaign. I think we definitely deserve it.”