The hell of the North was this time the hell of the dust, of the fans, of the rush.

Not even six months ago, it was from the mud and the cold.

It is the mystique of Paris-Roubaix, which experienced its 119th edition, the fastest ever seen (45.8 km/h), on an Easter Sunday that crowned

Dylan Van Baarle

, brutal power, another Dutchman to reign in the classics.

The North of France Monument is about strength, but also about fortune and tactics.

It was an attack with 20 kilometers to go, when the Ineos runner was already postulating himself as the most powerful of an unforeseen quartet that had surprised the favorites.

Because it was not the day of

Van Aert

or

Van der Poel

, all the spotlight on a couple for history that this time had to give up.

Because Van Baarle, also the most astute, knew how to give his life at the right moment and they did not see him until the André Pétrieux velodrome, where he arrived with a brown face from the dust and with the emotion of one who enters the legend, with more a minute and a half ahead.

The Dutchman, the seventh in the history of the Roubaix, is consecrated as one of the great classics, despite the fact that it was still difficult to place him in the favorite pools.

He second a few days ago in the Tour of Flanders, where he stole the podium from

Pogacar

, with the Slovenian's anger included.

Also second behind

Alaphillipe

in the last world championship, his last win was a year ago in Via Flanders.

These days there were rumors of him signing for Jumbo for next year, although it was the Ineos Grenadier with which he made history, the team that wanted victory since leaving Compiegne.

The team that has signed a spring to remember.

Because it was a crazy and broken race from early on, when the British team wanted to blow everything up with the fans.

Along the way he lost what seemed to be his greatest asset, a

Filipo Ganna

who punctured twice.

So Van Baarle and

Ben Turner

were his men.

Mohoric

Before the moment of truth, a trio of brave men seemed to jump all bets.

Matej Mohoric

, the third Slovenian phenomenon, the suicide bomber who took Milan-San Remo a few weeks ago, was

in the breakaway of the day , accompanied by

Devrient and Pichon

.

With doubts behind, they had almost two and a half minutes, with 70 kilometers to go.

But then Van Aert said enough is enough.

He tidied up, selected the best (of the favourites, only

Asgreen

and Ganna were not there, eliminated earlier due to different circumstances) and they set off to hunt, despite the efforts of a very brave Mohoric.

Van Aert punctured, Mohoric punctured and there was no trace of Van der Poel's fang.

It is a strange sign that

Poulidor

's grandson did not go out to play, to put bombs on the cobblestones, to jump off the bench as he likes.

In those doubts, the quartet was formed, again with Devrient and Mohoric, accompanied by

Lampaert -he

starred in a very hard fall later, when hitting with the hands of a spectator- and the final winner.

When it became known that only misfortune could defeat Van Baarle, Van der Poel's weakness was confirmed, as he was unable to compete with his companions in the sprint at the completely empty velodrome.

The Flanders winner finished ninth, well behind his great rival.

He could not win Van Aert, but signed a second place that enhances him.

Because the Belgian arrived with just enough to Roubaix, fresh from the covid infection that had kept him in the dry dock for the last two weeks.

He had recognized that he was running to help his companions, although his competitive spirit shone again.

Stefan Küng

completed the podium

.

Iván García Cortina

was the best Spaniard, 25th.

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