John Degenkolb – Reflecting on Roubaix

The rattling of bones and bikes as riders fly across the cobbles and adoring fans cheer them on at the side of the road; there is nothing quite like the special buzz and atmosphere that is The Hell of the North. That couldn’t be clearer for one man in the peloton – John Degenkolb.

We caught up with the 2015 Paris-Roubaix winner the day after the race to reflect on how things unfolded in what was the fastest edition of the race ever.

Coming in fresh to a race that he holds dear

“Tired and sore”, John says as he sits down on the chair, with that distinctive and jovial laugh, for the start of our conversation.

When you think of Paris-Roubaix in the modern era of cycling, then John is one of the names that constantly comes to the fore, having built up a very special relationship with the event.

“It’s a race that I think has formed my career, and I’ve been able to achieve some great things there with the team. I still really enjoy it, even after all these years, I still get that excited feeling before the start. It’s crazy to think that after 16 years in the peloton, the cobbles of Roubaix make me feel the same way.”

Last year John couldn’t take part in the event due to a hard crash at the Ronde van Vlaanderen the week before.

“For me it was special to even be there on the starting line for the race. I think it’s a bit underestimated how the crash in Flanders last year could have ended my career. I’m super thankful for all the help I received in that difficult period from the team, my family, the doctors who took care of the surgery – because it was really a masterclass from everyone to get me back in the peloton.

“This year, we decided to skip Flanders. Not necessarily to mitigate any crash risk, but to be able to choose the right training sessions and come in as fresh as possible. You can see how much harder the races are getting, and as I’m also getting older, I’m recovering slower too.”

Recon then race day – flag drop and show time

Thursday saw the squad tackle the cobbles on the recon, where for some it was their first time riding over the bone-shaking stones. It’s an important moment for the riders to get re-acquainted for how to ride on the cobbles, and for someone like John, his experience is invaluable.

“I shared many stories with the whole team in the days before the race. It’s always important to talk about things, and light up that fire in everyone’s stomachs, as if you want to perform in the race, you need to be 100 percent ready and switched on for it.”

So with the recon behind them, the guys lined-up nice and early on Sunday morning to get the race underway, in what was going to be a full-gas day of racing.

“The race was on from the start and with the tailwind it was super fast all day, it was incredible.”

The team were sharp from the start though and had five riders in the front peloton when things split at 190 kilometres to go, and although it quickly regrouped, the intent and focus was there.

Then at 130 kilometres remaining the first proper split happened, with John, Pavel Bittner and Dillon Corkery in the front group of around 40 riders. While some bad luck for a few of the other guys saw the likes of Frits Biesterbos caught out and having to spend the day in chasing groups.

At around 100 kilometres to go, Pavel crashed out of the front group.

“It was unfortunate because I think Pavel was riding well and he felt good, and with both of us there later it might have helped. It was a tough crash at a horrible moment when the speed in the group was really high so that then killed his race pretty much.”

From there, the front group split even further, and John found himself at the head of the race as they charged onto the famous Trouée d’Arenberg. A few hundred metres onto the cobbles John could feel something wasn’t right.

“Quite early on Arenberg I could feel that I had a front flat, but the only way to solve that problem on that sector is to keep riding if you can and then change it at the end. I lost quite a lot of time there but that’s the dynamic of the race.

“I ended up with Van der Poel and Politt in quite a big group. The two of them were strong enough to just make it to the next group again, but at that moment they went I wasn’t, but that’s fair enough.

“From there, it was just about fighting and riding it home to the velodrome in Roubaix.”

Riding the cobbles at 50 km/h

As we’ve mentioned, Sunday’s edition of the race was the fastest ever and that speed of course made for a challenging day pushing the pedals, but it also made things more difficult when going over the cobbles; with a large portion of the peloton having some type of issue throughout the day.

“I had the feeling that there were more problems in the peloton this year, especially with the big guys. I think that all of them at some point had at least one issue.

“We all put in a crazy amount of effort as teams to get the right setup, with the recons, testing and so on. But a day like Sunday shows that these things can happen. I think a lot of it was also down to just how high the speed was.

“Due to the speed, you’re already on your limit so much and everyone around you is too, that you can’t really change or choose your line on the cobbles compared to if it was a bit slower. You basically go where you go to make sure you stay upright, and of course by doing that it brings more risk of a mechanical or flat if you can’t then avoid some of these really nasty big cobblestones.”

In the end, John grouped up with Frits who then came across the line in Roubaix in what can be described as the main peloton battling for a top 30 place.

Each and every rider has their own story to tell from Roubaix, some more chaotic than others, but this was our day out at the Hell of the North with our Men’s program. And for John, he’s looking forward now to a short period of no races before building up for the next part of the season.