Van Der Poel's Paris-Roubaix Masterclass And Delight For Kopecky | GCN Racing News Show

Dan is back with another round up of the week's latest cycling racing news and highlights. He shares his thoughts on Mathieu van der Poel's record breaking 47.8 km/h average speed, and Lotte Kopecky's dramatic finish-line win at Paris-Roubaix, and updates on the key news from Scheldeprijs and Tour of The Basque Country.
00:00 Welcome the the GCN Racing News Show
00:27 This week in the world of racing
01:16 Paris-Roubaix Men’s Race Recap
08:07 Paris-Roubaix Femmes Race Recap
10:30 Scheldeprijs Notes
11:20 Tour of the Basque Country
14:00 2024 results so far
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[@gcnracing]

What a weekend of racing! Was this the outcome you expected? 🏁

[@AlexRochette]

Obviously! 🌈🌈🙂

[@leangrypoulet7523]

Dan, you talk about Alpecin tearing up the race and some riders leaving it too late to get into any breakaways etc. Frankly I'm not sure if VDP needed his team and I'm not sure any other rider could have got the better of him, no matter when they started attacking. He's imperious and clearly able to do it all on his tod against all riders and all teams.

[@tasty_fish]

Us Brits can only dream of roads as smooth as the pavé of Paris-Roubaix

[@gcnracing]

indeed, the pavé is like a snooker table in comparison to the UK roads!

[@chrisridesbicycles]

The Belgies are pretty good too. I drove through potholes that I could park my Golf in on the way to Flanders. I will never complain again about roads here in Germany.

[@JonCannings]

​@@chrisridesbicyclesI always found it funny that crossing into Belgium from The Netherlands, the roads seemed terrible!

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@JonCannings You are absolutely right Jon. And don‘t get me started about the cobbled roads, the Italians did them better when they were still called Romans. 😂

[@onyva3256]

I was recently visiting family in the south of England (supposedly the wealthy part) and my first thought was ‘I would not want to ride a bike on these roads’. Cars were driving slaloms to miss the craters.

[@flatman1986]

My wife just asked me 'What is nerdy Hugh Jackman talking about?' 🤣🤣

[@mstrasser]

First Roubaix rider to go from Winner to spectator for the fight for second too!

[@sohi2rydes]

When Laurence Pithie crashed, straight fall on the cobbles and bounced once, I was in disbelief when he got up and started to check his bike. Seems New zealanders are built tough, just like ozzies. He must be feeling the fall after the race when adrenaline had worn off.

[@JonCannings]

What a rider he is turning into!

[@DanielLloyd1]

I was the same! Genuinely didn't think he had a chance of getting up from that without a broken bone. Dan

[@alpsalish]

A lot of riders have gotten up from worse and aren't Aussie or New Zealanders...

[@beneyckmans20]

I had to rewatch that when I was watching the race, I couldn’t believe he bounced like that shaked it off and went again, Good lad!

[@andreaonyoutube9560]

He literally bounced back 😆😆😆 6:39

[@gabkoost]

48kph for 260km with tons of pavé is absolute insanity.

[@christopherauger8143]

Alpecin-Deuceuninck the new kings of the classics?!?

[@JonCannings]

It seems so!

[@Ksen-pg7se]

Baby-Quickstep is now the new Quickstep.

[@joshurkmans5232]

Or the new Festina equipe

[@Ksen-pg7se]

@@joshurkmans5232 don't be such a klein mens😂

[@leangrypoulet7523]

Hard to put into words just how good VDP is. Just incredible what he did in this race and indeed has been doing in this classics season. And Kopecky is really proving to be a rising star as well, her classics Palmarès growing nicely. Both make watching cycle racing so enjoyable.

[@marccarter1350]

Ask his Doctor, or Lance Armstrong lol, they will give you the words

[@leangrypoulet7523]

@@marccarter1350 You could well be right. We know they were almost all 'doing it' in the past, perhaps equally so now, but the fact remains that if that's the case, whether doped or clean, MVDP was still 3mins faster than the equally likely (or not) doped riders who came in in 2nd, 3rd, 4th places etc.

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Great emotions, big loving hug all riders, keep up be strong everybody & love cycling, the most exciting adventures above all ❤🎉❤

[@Nonkel_Jef]

Can’t overstate how good Mathieu’s bike handling skills are. I once saw him at a mountain bike event and he managed to gain time on the world champion during a technical descent

[@kt9493]

That's crazy. Thanks for sharing. 🙋‍♂️

[@sgulden6276]

Almost unbelievable.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

Almost. I guess we have seen this before. Once again, the media embraces super natural numbers so they get to tell a nice story

[@kevingregoire1042]

Love the oceans eleven musical intro

[@venusfooltrap7371]

Lemond might call MVDP's recent dominant form 'unbelievable'.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

Exactly

[@livnic2000]

In his interview in French after the race MvDP said he will be at Liege unless something happens before that

[@samdeluca1334]

Would love to get hold of his power data!

[@gcnracing]

We would love to have half of his power!

[@cb6866]

Thanks Dan and crew....why do people throw stuff at MVDP ?? Not the first time either !

[@supercoder7]

Been waiting for this episode! Can we please have these more often, especially covering major events more quickly like the injuries at tour of basque country.

[@fabrialarcon7402]

Jasper P. also used the blue part of the velodrome to pass Mads & Nils on the final...

[@sohi2rydes]

These long range (~50k) solo attacks are starting a new era in pro cycling. Tadej has done this atleast twice and so has MVDP. The idea would have been laughed at just a few years back if brought up in the team meeting.

[@paulsolon6229]

Yes and no. Here mvp has tailwind. A big one. W o that wind no such success here Alone and up front your car is rt there. Every drink and food is yours, w no probs and no wait, and w a tiny rest sticky bottle for 2 secs….

[@user-uc5um3io2j]

Lotte really had to fight for it. Well done to all the ladies.

[@garetthartman5014]

dont forget the dude that got like 65th. beat Fabian Cancellars time from 2013 lol. NO one is DOPING LOL

[@S0ulinth3machin3]

the "stats" don't tell the full story of Paris Roubaix (the men's). The tailwinds/crosswinds and the riding of Alpecin in the first half of the race set the stage.

[@stringbean585]

A.J August of Ineos, not "August Jenson".

[@gcnracing]

Oh damn. August Jensen is an ex pro. I'm getting old! Dan

[@sohi2rydes]

I was about to point this out. :)

[@SweetLike]

Yup came here to say this too. Remember this kid. He may have been the youngest rider in this race but you’ll be seeing him more and more.

[@fretstrummr]

AJ August might have been officially OTL, but his average speed was faster than the winning rides of Colbrelli, Gilbert, Sagan, Hayman, Degenkolb, and Terpstra.

[@SweetLike]

@@fretstrummr that is insanity. Super impressive considering he’s only 18 😮

[@AlexRochette]

Super happy for MvdP! Can you please explain why he is so good in long range attacks but is not considered a top TTer? Could he become a time trial specialist if he wanted to?

[@gcnracing]

Hi! Thanks for the comment and question, he would likely be a good TT'er if he focussed his efforts there too. However, the long range attack after some hard efforts is something that makes him so special, his ability to recover so quickly is incredible!

[@samdeluca1334]

I thought similar 🤔 do you think he could do a similar job in the mountains that wout did for Jonas if he focused on that? Obviously alpecin don't have a gc contender so makes no sense but just curious!

[@JonCannings]

​@@samdeluca1334yep, he could certainly ride on a limit to help a team leader. Before peeling off, that's if he hasn't already dropped everyone!

[@Ksen-pg7se]

I think he has reach a new level of fitness and endurance after moving to Spain and doing a lot more volume in training. And getting through the Tour last year also seemed to do him good(like his father always said it would). In his long solo moves a few years ago he would usually lose time towards the end and sometimes hold on by just a few seconds but now the distance doesn't seem to affect him much. In Flanders I think it was the cold rain and maybe a small hunger flat more than the race itself that made him so f---ed in the last kilometers.

[@AlexRochette]

Thank you for the thoughtful answer.

[@cycle_365]

Pithie getting back on his bike is standard kiwi mentality - we all grow up hearing the legendary stories of Colin Meads playing an All Blacks match with a broken arm, and Buck Shelford getting his ‘sack’ torn during an All Blacks match.

[@jacolovesbeer]

Is MVP's Bike equal to the aeroroad you can buy now. There was sections his bike looked too smooth. I know his bike skills are good but he has definitely one of the best bike for one day races. Canyon must be smiling at the moment.

[@gregorybertrand645]

I really hope whoever is doing the graphic design for these GCN T-shirts is getting paid the big bucks because they are stellar.

[@gcnracing]

🤩

[@garetthartman5014]

This truly is "unbelievable" or too good to be true.

[@bikeyclown4669]

Has anyone else seen the video of the lady throwing her hat at Van der Poel's bike during Paris-Roubaix? I saw it on X. It appeared to be an attempt to cause a mechanical failure or a crash.

[@sandervanelslander9964]

When I saw Vermeersch waiting for Pithie, I thought: Is he hosting a job interview?

[@user-uc5um3io2j]

'Nutrition' gives you wings.

[@phil4455]

Whilst an outstanding sporting performance, it was to inevitable with MvdP. Once again the ladies race provided a more exciting watch

[@israel_started_it_ALL_in_1948]

What a boss. Legend grows

[@pinnaclewd]

Incredible performance proving the only person who can compete on pure horsepower is WvA .....Just a shame we did not see that.

[@jean-pierrebarre4056]

Women's Paris-Roubaix : I'm puzzled by the fact that Balsamo stayed seated during the sprint!!

[@fretstrummr]

Not true that Ayuso was the youngest winner of a one week world tour stage race in decades...Pogacar won the tour of California in 2019 at 20 years old.

[@gcnracing]

Sorry, I meant to say one of the 'Big Seven' - Paris Nice, Tirreno, Catalunya, Basque, Romandie, Dauphine and Suisse. Dan

[@kestralrider313]

Dan, gread vid. As a former track racer, I expect anyone who does a race on a track should know the rules ahead of time and no one in a track race that I've been in has or would try to pass below the black line. If I were a roadie doing PR, I'd have studied up the rules of track racing beforehand. one stat that I'd be interested in knowing how many previous monuments or classics were won by both the men's and women's world champions?

[@paulsolon6229]

Mvp Greatness But at liege pogacar will be there

[@hernanhernandez3861]

No curse of the rainbows here...

[@JonCannings]

They are proving the curse wrong!

[@johnsenior478]

There’s a reason there are speed limits for cars on certain roads in certain places. Cycling is now the fastest it’s ever been. Handlebars are the narrowest they’ve ever been. Winning has become more critical than it’s ever been given that some teams are just an extension of the political/ sports washing aims of countries or the ego of super rich individuals neither of whom have any interest in a team that doesn’t win regularly. Riders are coming very quickly into the pro peleton - maybe without the judgement and skills needed. The UCI continue to show complete contempt for rider safety. In theory all race routes are open to some kind of vetting. The corner at Itzulia was an accident waiting to happen and the teams affected should be suing the UCI and the organisers. Cycling is dangerous enough and knowing all the factors I’ve listed there is an onus on them to provide marshals, signage and protection when and where the route presents a real danger. I could, like most fans, go on and on.

[@zimboy777]

the women are providing the exciting racing in the classics this year :) - i'm sure more than a few are wondering about the men???!!!

[@qualm43]

These injuries coming out are nuts lol.

[@fggfyygg]

Whilst highly impressive the men’s race was a snooze fest in the end. The women’s race was a far better spectacle as it turned out.

[@paulsolon6229]

No. We want to see the best win

[@vilmarojas693]

this will be a career blow to vinegards fitness, that collapse lung is a worry. .pogacar is the main favorite for TDF and roglic is the main rival.

[@paulsolon6229]

Speculation

[@JuanEstrella-Martinez]

I would have described Kopecky's victory as a masterclass as well 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lucreymond3976]

There is a problem with the title it 47 km/h not 48

[@cesc1495]

47.8km/h

[@a.campos891]

I can't help thinking about biological and mechanical doping when watching this.

[@xtrailz]

Is that you, Lance? how is the weather in Colorado?

[@marccarter1350]

I have no what new substances there all on, but it's really strong. When the final placed ride Fabian Cancellaras wining time, I think I will watch another sport for a while. It's a repeat of cycling 1990's again.

[@johnsenior478]

Re Ineos…recruitment and organisation. They didn’t look to replace Froome and they have never recovered from the tragic death of Nicolas Portal who clearly had a bigger influence than he’s credited with. And once every team had access to marginal gains Brailsfords tainted leadership looked less and less impressive. This season looks like they’re rebuilding the organisation and the Tours are yet to come …biggest error among many was giving TP freedom to ride MTB/ CX. Ratcliffe will like the Olympic Medals but he’s not MVDP - and even he has limited his MTB and CX with one outcome being his best form ever. If next year doesn’t produce big wins I think Ratcliffe will want to offload them.

[@paulsolon6229]

As great as mvp has been pogacar is slightly better in monuments, slightly faster

[@stephenlawson9877]

Bikes are too fast now they can’t react fast enough rally cars were in the past till people died so they made them slower

[@ryanphelan6861]

I found it really boring like a trade with tadej ....so many favorites out ...jk little satire towards double standard of tadej vs rest of peloton. Also vdp is getting greedy too ....let's appreciate two best cyclist I've seen ever, Fabian, nibali, Sean Kelly, lemond, Gilbert, Sagan all legends none in sane galaxy if matheu and tadej lets appreciate something we will never see again. Like complaining about ronaldo and messi in prunes. Yeah others could have won champions League or golden boot or balloon d'or but that's on others to get better I want to see the elite humanly possible. So while fawning or mathieu and rightfully so how about less cintrarion nonsense about tadej whoa not even in prime like Mathieu. Reason they are close talent recognizes talent

[@Nosh_Feratu]

the usual anticipation and thrill of the Arenberg run (one of cyclings golden moments since 1968) became a relative bore by comparison. . .the changes effectively neutralised the entire section.. how sad.

[@JonCannings]

The race was already in pieces by then. Such a high pace was set

[@Nosh_Feratu]

@@JonCannings in pieces perhaps because of the changes at Arenberg, that may have been the strategy, who knows? Either way, its always been a real highlight in every Roubaix as far back as I can remember (80s), the tension builds and builds up to that point then its a major heart in the mouth moment....this year was really disappointing whichever way you slice it Jon.

[@mariusilerd9581]

It looked like a grand fondo version if Roubaix during Arenberg this year

[@whatwelearned]

I'm sorry but Kopecky (and others on SD Works) are beyond suspicious.

[@apolloniusbeitsman5444]

And mvdp isn't? 😂😂

[@whatwelearned]

@@apolloniusbeitsman5444 Possibly. He didn't suddenly go from decent to invincible at 26 when joining a team of other suspiciously, suddenly great riders. The mens equivalent is more like someone on Visma

[@karelh8858]

@@whatwelearned It's not like Kopecky came out of nowhere, she was always a big talent. She came 5th in the 2017 Ronde in the same time as the winner, at the age of 21. It took her 6 more years of steady improvement to get that first Ronde last year and to where she is now. How is that suddenly going from decent to invincible?

[@whatwelearned]

@@karelh8858 She WAS decent, yes, but hadn't won anything other than the belgian RR/TT until she was 26. Then she moved to SD Works and is now coming 2nd in GTs, beating Vos in sprints, and riding away from everyone not named Vollering (because, shocker, Vollering is also sus as hell)

[@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255]

I agree I am sorry to say. Far too masculine which points to testosterone abuse. At the awards ceremonies and presentations over winter she looked like a bloke in dress.

[@user-kx1lz8xz1m]

Disc brakes caused the Spain crash. They lock up the wheels too easily. That was a basic corner and there was too much braking power for the road bikes

[@barrycorney3665]

Nonsense.... the road surface on the corner was rippled by tree roots below as noted and reported by Visma in January while training (didn't stop their "skeletor" blowing it bizarrely) Organisers don't give a sh*t that's the real problem... The guy leading the peloton through threw his arm in the air in disgust on the exit oblivious to the carnage about to unfold, and the breakaway that was 2 and a half minutes ahead came a cropper there despite just being 4 riders- Burgaudeau left the road Remco style in the same place and made it back on at the NEXT culvert/boulder pile that looked identical to the crash site (less one boulder). The three riders still on the road had clearly hauled on the anchors because Burgaudeau was AHEAD of them ON THE GRASS...

[@user-kx1lz8xz1m]

@@barrycorney3665 cover story so we have to continue to buy "upgrades"

[@WerdnaLiten]

Brakes don't operate on their own......It's usually user error.....road riders aren't as skilled as off-road riders.

[@theoceansswitch]

Firstly, this string of 'fastest edition ever' we're seeing this year is making me increasingly uncomfortable. I know about advances in tech and training etc...but isn't that what we always get told? Secondly, these 40-80km unopposed breaks are obviously impressive, but they sure are boring when it's what you expected to happen anyway, and it's the same riders all the time. Dullest Roubaix I've seen in years. Felt like a foregone conclusion before the start, and sure enough it played out exactly as we thought, with other teams using ridiculous tactics and more or less rolling over for Alpecin.

[@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158]

Big MVDP fan but speeds of 48klms an hour (consistently) on that terrain....sorry.....just not buying it...wish I was seeing a bunch sprinter turn into an utter beast.... That is the equivalent of Cavendish/Bennett/Caleb Ewan... I don't know what miracle they've found at Alpecin and it ain't hair products...

[@johnandrews3568]

Average speeds faster than the Armstrong era. Nothing to see here, folks.

[@ic8658]

Technology, nutrition and science account for most of the gains. But you and I both know it's a tainted sport. That said, I assume if one person is cheating, most are. Still makes for compelling spectating!

[@johnandrews3568]

@@ic8658 I really question the training/tech/food justification. Marginal at best. Doped to the gills but they all are. FWIW when LA era riders started setting ave speed records, 'pundits' said it was down to bike tech, training methods and nutrition... heard it all before.

[@philipegoulet448]

​@@johnandrews3568Why did every single other sport undergo the same change in performance then? i think the evidence strongly suggests it is true; it is almost universal.

[@justridingalongthewatchtower]

That's such a worn out and ignorant comment. If you honestly think 20-yrs of science and tech improvement only adds up to advancements that are "marginal at best", then you really don't understand how much has changed. Dudes were racing without helmets and in baggy jerseys around 2000. Power meters, blood lactate/glucose monitoring, aero frames, wheels, stems, bars, helmets, skin suits, internally routed cables, wider tires/lower rolling resistance, much greater understanding of sleep science, altitude training, nutritional science, recovery technology, wind-tunnel testing.... and on and on... but yeah, they should be riding the same speed as the peloton from 20yrs ago, that makes total sense. Explain how in the Lance era it was only the older established riders that were winning grand tours, and in this era we have riders at 19-20 winning tours and world titles. This is probably the cleanest era we've had in a while, where pure raw talent is finally able to break through, which is generally only possible in a fairly level playing field. MVDP, Tadej, Wout, Remco, etc all have incredible talent going back deep into their junior years of racing - where they are in their careers now tracks pretty accurately. Lance went from one day racer to the best climber in the world - completely different story line. Chalking it all up to doping is just lazy commentary.

[@johnandrews3568]

@@justridingalongthewatchtower lol

[@thewagchannel8986]

Yep! A joke!

[@jussisuomalainen369]

I wish you'd stop spoiling the results in your headlines. Some of us don't have the opportunity to watch the race. Otherwise I really appreciate what you do!

[@joshurkmans5232]

New system Armstrong ? ? ? ? ?

[@aerickvesereu1796]

We all know this guy is getting drugs no one has ever heard of. Just like every other record breaking athletes like Ronaldo or Kipchoge. No one will ever convince me otherwise.

[@WerdnaLiten]

How long have you been watching cycling? MvdP has been producing performances since he was junior.......

[@aerickvesereu1796]

@WerdnaLiten Then he has been doping for a long time.

[@crypto_que]

Totally not doping. He's doing this all natural. There's absolutely no incentive for pro riders to use PEDs, not money or sponsorship or selling products.

[@jackal6234]

They should change the design of world champ jersey, its looks like a LGBT lol

[@cbandyxxx]

Thanks for the mph 👍

[@gcnracing]

@Stefan_W. ah yes, the well known measurement! 😂 🍩 per 🦅

[@wigglytoes8211]

So we're supposed to believe that today's undoped riders are going faster than the doped to the gills riders of yesteryear? Logic - it's just a concept.