logo
Mathieu van der Poel overcomes bottle in the face and Tadej Pogacar threat to win dramatic Paris-Roubaix

Mathieu van der Poel overcomes bottle in the face and Tadej Pogacar threat to win dramatic Paris-Roubaix

Independent13-04-2025

Mathieu van der Poel overcame a fierce challenge by world champion and Paris-Roubaix debutant Tadej Pogacar, as well as being hit in the face by a bottle thrown by an idiotic spectator, to claim his third straight victory in the Queen of the Classics.
Pogacar, who was looking to become the first Tour de France winner to also prevail in the 'Hell of the North' since Bernard Hinault in 1981, overcooked a turn with 38km to go and lost his balance on a cobbled section, heading into the crash barriers to leave his rival clear one week after taming the Dutchman at the Tour of Flanders.
Van der Poel did not look back and, although Pogacar threatened to close the 20-second gap, ultimately increased his lead despite a late puncture that required a quick tyre change to snatch his eighth title in a Monument classic after also winning Milan-San Remo (2023 and 2025) and the Tour of Flanders (2020, 2022 and 2024).
The former world champion, who had a bottle thrown at his face by a spectator, is the first rider to win Paris-Roubaix three times in a row since the Italian Francesco Moser (1978-80).
'It means a lot. It is such a hard race and I was really suffering,' Van der Poel said after his victory. 'Too bad Tadej had his mistake in the corner.
'I just had to go for it but it was still quite hard until the finish line. It was really hard, especially with the last two sectors with the headwind, I was really struggling. I am happy to make it to the finish line.'
And despite being beaten by Pogacar a week ago, the Dutchman insisted revenge wasn't on his mind during the race.
'No, not really,' smiled Van der Poel. 'I'm just happy I found my good legs again. But we all know what an incredible champion Tadej is. What he does here in his first Roubaix, it does not surprise me but it is also not normal. He is just an exceptional talent.
'Probably, it would have been the two of us going to the velodrome if he does not make a mistake. So, I guess we will see him back next year to take his revenge.'
Despite his light weight – a big disadvantage on cobbled roads – and a scare on Van der Poel's first offensive move, Pogacar dealt several blows until making a fatal mistake.
Van der Poel's brutal attack 87km from the finish left Pogacar gasping for air and prompted the Slovenian to request his team's assistance for glucose gels.
After recovering, Pogacar accelerated with 71km left as Denmark's Mads Pedersen, another pre-race favourite, suffered an untimely puncture.
Van der Poel again attacked in the cobbled section of Mons-en-Pevele and his own teammate Jasper Philipsen could not follow, leaving the Dutchman and Pogacar in a tight battle.
It fizzled out, however, when Pogacar made his costly mistake on a sharp bend and after a change of bike for the Slovenian in the finale, there was no reason to panic for Van der Poel when he punctured.
Pogacar, however, still became the first Tour champion since Eddy Merckx in 1975 to end up on the Paris-Roubaix podium. Pedersen took third place, completing a podium of road race world champions, with Fred Wright the best Brit in ninth.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

What new City coach Pep Lijnders refused to say out loud at Liverpool says a lot
What new City coach Pep Lijnders refused to say out loud at Liverpool says a lot

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

What new City coach Pep Lijnders refused to say out loud at Liverpool says a lot

After almost 10 years at Liverpool, Pep Lijnders' move to Manchester City has been met with raised eyebrows, yet it seems Pep Guardiola has appointed himself a coach who's not afraid to say how it is Pep Guardiola looks to have appointed an assistant manager who has a wealth of experience in dealing with big personalities in former Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders. Manchester City announced the arrival of Lijnders on Tuesday, as Guardiola looks to shake-up the club's backroom staff ahead of the 2025/26 season. The Dutchman worked with Jurgen Klopp for almost 10 years at the Reds and once discussed just how he deals with being No. 2 to the German – one of football's biggest characters. ‌ After a brief managerial stint at Red Bull Salzburg came to an end in December, Lijnders is now back in the UK and has now taken a position under one of the game's other big personas in Guardiola. Yet the Spaniard can't be said to have hired a 'yes man.' ‌ Back in July 2020, Lijnders claimed that he had a handle on Klopp's powerful and superstar-like temperament, as the duo forged an off-pitch relationship over racquet sport, padel. "Jurgen is fanatical about it – and he's good, too," Lijnders said. "But we never say he's the best out loud – otherwise he starts to walk around like Conor McGregor." Lijnders comments are no doubt respectful to his former boss, despite the likening his unchecked ego to that of former UFC star McGregor. Yet reading between the lines, his remarks show a man who is unafraid to say it how it is. The former Reds coach also appears fearless when it comes to discussing some of Klopp's less attractive attributes in public. Lijnders' comments go some way to show that he's a coach that can keep major characters in check, as demonstrated by his refusal to massage his former boss' ego. The news of Lijnders joining Liverpool 's Premier League title rivals has naturally been controversial amongst Reds fans. Lijnders did briefly leave Liverpool for a spell at Dutch side NEC Nijmegen at the start of 2018 before coming back to Merseyside. ‌ Upon his return he helped turn Liverpool into Premier League champions and aided in delivering the club's sixth European Cup, amongst a plethora of trophies. However, Lijnders' switch to the Citizens comes after he claimed that he would never work as an assistant manager again. 'I owe this club everything,' Lijnders told Liverpool's club's website in February 2024. 'I always said I will finish with Jurgen; the moment I will not assist anyone else, that's the moment I will go and I will manage. That was always the case." ‌ Yet the lure of working at one of the Premier League's biggest clubs, and under a manager like Pep Guardiola, is perhaps too tempting for anyone to turn down, regardless of their feelings toward a former employer. Lijnders now joins City six months after being sacked by Salzburg, where he won just 13 of his 29 games. However, his status as a No. 2 is stellar, with Klopp often eager to praise his former right-hand man. "I have been lucky enough to meet many, many people in football during my time in the game and I don't think I have ever met anyone with the energy and enthusiasm he has for this game," Klopp said about Lijnders in 2023. 'I think I have said in the past, there is nothing he does not know about this sport. His passion for it is remarkable and his enthusiasm in training each day is infectious" Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan
Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

Rhyl Journal

time2 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

The Premier League club have confirmed the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. His arrival makes it four signings in a week for City, who announced deals for £30.5m midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on Tuesday, while left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri joined from Wolves in a £31.3m move on Monday. Those transfers have been finalised in time for the players to be registered for the group stages of the Club World Cup this month. Reijnders arrives at City after impressing in an otherwise disappointing season at Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on qualification for Europe. Welcome to City, Tijjani! 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 He scored 15 goals in the 2024-25 campaign and will bolster Pep Guardiola's midfield options following this summer's departure of Kevin De Bruyne. The Dutchman said: 'I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City. City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. 'Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years. It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. 'This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps. 'I am really looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do.' The deal is sealed ✍️🤩 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 City's latest transfer activity continues an overhaul of the squad that began with the January signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. Further deals are also possible as the club respond to a disappointing season in which they failed to mount a strong Premier League title defence and exited the Champions League before the last 16. Director of football Hugo Viana added: 'We are very happy that Tijjani has joined us and we're excited for him to join Pep's squad. 'Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield, and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.' City will play their first match in the Club World Cup against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on June 18 and have further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus.

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan
Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

South Wales Guardian

time4 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

The Premier League club have confirmed the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. His arrival makes it four signings in a week for City, who announced deals for £30.5m midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on Tuesday, while left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri joined from Wolves in a £31.3m move on Monday. Those transfers have been finalised in time for the players to be registered for the group stages of the Club World Cup this month. Reijnders arrives at City after impressing in an otherwise disappointing season at Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on qualification for Europe. Welcome to City, Tijjani! 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 He scored 15 goals in the 2024-25 campaign and will bolster Pep Guardiola's midfield options following this summer's departure of Kevin De Bruyne. The Dutchman said: 'I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City. City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. 'Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years. It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. 'This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps. 'I am really looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do.' The deal is sealed ✍️🤩 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 City's latest transfer activity continues an overhaul of the squad that began with the January signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. Further deals are also possible as the club respond to a disappointing season in which they failed to mount a strong Premier League title defence and exited the Champions League before the last 16. Director of football Hugo Viana added: 'We are very happy that Tijjani has joined us and we're excited for him to join Pep's squad. 'Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield, and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.' City will play their first match in the Club World Cup against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on June 18 and have further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store