It was an emotional afternoon for veteran John Degenkolb. He put in a surprisingly strong performance at his favourite race, Paris-Roubaix. In the sector that the organisers dedicated to him near the hamlet of Hornaing, fans and family cheered him on. "Dege" remained in the reduced leading group until well into the finale - and yet struggled to hold back tears of disappointment at the finish, stirred up by the applause of the spectators, who honoured a special performance by a special rider. Eight years after his victory in the "Hell of the North", Degenkolb crashed in the Carrefour de l'Arbre, a good 16 kilometres before the finish. His bad luck: In the battle with Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen for the lane on the narrow strip next to the cobblestones, there was suddenly no more room for the German. He crashed on his shoulder, his bike was no longer fit to ride - Degenkolb had to wait for help during the decisive moments of the race.
Luck and bad luck, a few centimetres, big emotions: These seconds were a dramatic demonstration of what cycling has to offer week after week, race day after race day. A few athletes stand out. Once again, van Aert and van der Poel were in a duel - and the Dutchman rode away behind a right-hand bend on the way to Roubaix. He showed enormous strength. But Wout van Aert also had a flat tyre. "Of course it's bad luck, but that's part of the race," said van der Poel, who had previously been unable to shake off his rival in several attacks.
Is it these little things that make the really big stories possible? The competitor's tyre that went along with every attack; a wobbly manoeuvre in which the eventual winner struggles to stay upright while a rival loses his balance? Or is it on a day like 9 April 2023 that genius, the great champion, is what makes an athlete like this better than all the other really good ones? "I had one of my best days on the bike," said Mathieu van der Poel after winning in the Roubaix velodrome. And that's saying something. Because three weeks earlier, he had already prevailed in the "Classicissima" from Milan to San Remo, with the fame of the cyclo-cross world champion still fresh in his mind. He escaped his rivals on the descent from the Poggio to the finish on the Ligurian coast. "I don't think there are many riders who can get to San Remo on their own," he said afterwards, conveying his confidence in a rather reserved manner.
Stage for the best - and surprises
The days of the monuments, the traditional classic one-day races, are days of the big favourites - exceptions prove the rule. The Belgian men's classics team Soudal - Quick Step lost its well-known strength during the season. Following injuries to Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen, the normally dominant squad had little to play for on the cobbled parcours. Their honour was saved by Remco Evenepoel, who finished first, just like last year in Liège.
Another victory for the rider who is the subject of constant rumours of a change of rider, despite a current four-year contract. A delicate matter for team boss Lefevere. It is said that if the patron of the Belgian team were to let his outstanding rider go, Lefevere would immediately face legal action from his sponsors. The team caused a furore at the end of the season when the management held out the prospect of a merger with their colleagues from Jumbo-Visma. The deal fell through and Soudal - Quick Step will be hoping for a better Classics season in 2024.
Canadian Alison Jackson managed a completely different, clearly positive surprise in the Paris velodrome. "When we did a lap on this cycling track before the race, I was dreaming of winning. But dreams are often just dreams," said Jackson, who broke away with an early breakaway group and won the sprint. "It feels unreal to actually do it in real life," said the blatant outsider. Her joy was so immense that she got off her bike after the finish and performed a little dance in the style of the social media platform TikTok.
There were also many festival days for the greats. In the women's race, it was Demi Vollering from the Netherlands. She rode to the finish alone at the Amstel Gold Race, distanced the very strong German Liane Lippert at the wall in Huy - and then beat Elisa Longo Borghini at the finish line at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "You don't often get the chance to win three races in a row," said the Dutchwoman after her third victory in Liège.
Another triple triumph was achieved by a rider who still seems like an apparition on many days. Tadej Pogacar won the Tour of Lombardy for the third time in a row. Six months earlier, he had shared the attention of the public with a woman from Belgium. Lotte Kopecky, also a rider from the Dutch team SD Worx, saved the honour of her home country at the Tour of Flanders. She triumphed on her own and, like Pogacar before her, pulled away on the Oude Kwaremont with pure power. Pogacar's victory was all the more remarkable as he left Mathieu van der Poel no chance. "Pogi" also proved to be a rider like no other in 2023. Someone who is always one of the favourites in the classics, but who can also win any tour. Or could he?
