Paris-Roubaix, the hell that exposes the shortcomings of the Spanish: "We are not used to it"

• Van der Poel-Van Aert The phenomenon of the prodigies that were born from the mud

Josean Fernández Matxin

, a perceptive scout, was impressed with

's skill in a cyclocross event.

The 17-year-old boy flew between obstacles with amazing ease.

The mud, cradle of the heir of

.

The beginnings of the Slovenian are the paradigm of the new cycling, led by hardened boys on terrain muddy by rain and snow.

They are the figures of this season of dazzling classics.

Today, an appointment with the cobblestones of

, a martyrdom for most, a splendid showcase for experts on rough terrain, such as the Dutchman

(unbeatable on the Pavés de Flanders, four-time world champion in cyclocross), the British

(once) or the Belgian

(three world titles), who in this course is diminished by the Covid.

Another who is aiming high is the British

(22 years old), a rookie who has already surprised on the stones.

Pidcok's best squire at Ineos does not go unnoticed because of his power and his 1.94 meter height.

The Hell of the North and the Tour of Flanders are the unfinished business of the Spaniards, traditionally focused on stage trials.

The Paris-Roubaix, launched in 1896, has never had a Spanish winner.

The only ones who have been on the podium were

(third in 2005) and

(second in 1958 and third in 1960).

For this Sunday, the best options are treasured by

.

"The races are different"

The tremendous race that ends at the Roubaix velodrome is reserved for trained mud riders and experts in one-day explosive exercises.

For the Spanish teams, the classics and cyclocross are secondary challenges, unlike what happens with the teams from Belgium, the Netherlands or France.

The mud school has made the difference in the first part of the season.

The most outstanding have been those who competed in the winter months.

While others were in the preseason, they were in their physical prime.

Pascual Momparler

, the Spanish road and cyclocross coach, argues that Van der Poel and the riders of his generation shine because they benefit from a change in trend.

''Now, the races are different.

Before, it went at a slower pace and accelerated in the final part, when I connected the television.

Now, the tests are practically issued from the start.

Everyone wants to be seen, there is no relaxation.

To always be ahead you have to have a great background and a lot of technique, characteristics that are achieved with cyclocross.

In addition, in recent years, the organizers are including more and more sections of cobblestone, dirt or sterrato''.

"The coexistence between road and cyclocross is positive," adds Momparler, promoter of a cyclocross World Cup event that will be organized in Benidorm in 2023.

, president of the Spanish Federation, points out along the same lines: "In our country, the teams are not used to combining asphalt, gravel and track, but it has been shown that mixing these specialties is productive."

Felipe Orts

, the most relevant Spaniard in cyclocross (Burgos-BH), affirms: «Van Aert and Van der Poel win because they are super classes, but also because they have been trained in cyclocross and that gives them a great mastery of the bicycle .

They move with great ease within the peloton and know how to sense the good cut.

They are physical wonders and very competitive, since they were little they are challenging each other, if one dares with something, the other does the same.

They imitate.

They are ambitious."

Spaniard

(Nesta-MMR), 26th in the cyclocross world ranking, agrees that working out in the mud provides a solid base in preseason: ''Cyclocross brings a performance bonus to online events.

Winters become long with many training series and intensity is lost.

On the other hand, in those cold months the cyclocross events are held.

Participating in them provides a competitive background''.

Lucía González

(Nesta-MMR), the best Spanish runner, considers that the bonus of cyclocross lies in its explosiveness: ''These races give you spark, running is not the same as training.

It removes carbon deposits, gives you great command of the bike and develops your reflexes, because there are many unforeseen events.

All this allows you to be aware of the key moments of the race.''

This plus of activity is what today the riders trained in cyclocross intend to take advantage of the Paris-Roubaix, the most superlative classic, as they already did in the

(Van del Poel first), in

(Van der Poel, first; Pidcock, fourth; Turner, eighth), in

(Van Aert, first), in

(Van der Poel, third; Van Aert, eighth), in

(Van der Poel , fourth) or at

(Van Aert, first).

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more