The Prague Post - Tearful Van Aert finally wins Paris-Roubaix cycling Monument

The 31-year-old Van Aert collected one of the the two prestigious cobbled classics after seven previous top-four finishes in either the Tour of Flanders or the 'Hell of the North'.

"It means everything to me. It's been a goal since 2018, when I first did this race," said a tearful Van Aert who dedicated the victory to his former teammate Michael Goolaerts, who died that day aged just 23 after suffering a heart-attack during the race.

"Ever since then, it has been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky," added Van Aert.

"This victory is for Michael, but especially for his family, the staff, all my friends and teammates in the previous team."

"It was a really tough day, and ever since then, in some kind of way, I was unlucky in this race, but it brought me experience," he said.

It was Van Aert's second Monument victory after Milan-San Remo in 2020.

In crossing the line first at the famous velodrome in Roubaix, Van Aert prevented Pogacar from completing a sweep of the five Monument races, and stopped the 27-year-old Slovenian's run of four straight victories in these major classics.

Van Aert had a worrying moment with around 70km left as he suffered a puncture that dropped him out of the lead group, but he fought his way back.

"Even today, when luck was not on my side, I kept believing in it. Finally, the reward is there," said Van Aert.

"Obviously there's no more beautiful way than going to the line with the world champion," added Van Aert.

"He is a true champion, and he gave me such a hard time. Beating him in the sprint 'mano-a-mano' is something really special for me.

"It's such a chaotic race. I think everyone coming to the line has his own story, and that is why it is so beautiful.

"It can be hard, but on a day like this, it is the best race there is."

- Too strong -

In an incident-packed 'Queen of the Classics' race, Belgian Jasper Stuyven took third place 13 seconds back, with pre-race favourite Mathieu van der Poel relegated to fourth at 15sec.

That in itself was a remarkable result for three-time champion Van der Poel, who lost two minutes after suffering two punctures in the crucial 2.3km-long Arenberg forest cobbled sector with just under 100km to race.

Van der Poel was the first to congratulate Van Aert after the race.

The leading pair broke clear with 53km to ride, after which Van Aert worked hard to stick to Pogacar's wheel as the world champion put in several bursts of acceleration over cobbled sectors.

Pogacar, who had won his three previous races this season, was unable to distance Van Aert and so the pair arrived together at the Roubaix velodrome.

Pogacar led out the sprint but Van Aert proved too strong and breezed past to win convincingly.

Van der Poel impressed with his determination to win a record-equalling fourth Paris-Roubaix title, pulling back the majority of his deficit over a 40km stretch.

He had closed to just over 20 seconds behind the leaders when Van Aert and Pogacar broke clear.

Although he joined a group of six chasers, they were unable to close the gap.

Pogacar had his own problems. He suffered a puncture with 120km to ride and needed to change bikes again 50km later. With about 17km to ride he almost fell on the tough Carrefour de l'Arbre cobbled section.

He stayed upright but when it came to the sprint, Van Aert had his number.

J.Simacek--TPP