The Quebecer Guillaume Boivin offered quite a show on Sunday during the classic Paris-Roubaix presented in abominable conditions. In good shape to fight for victory, the cyclist from the Israel Start-Up Nation formation fell on the wet pavement less than 20 kilometers from the finish and finally finished in ninth place.
“I can’t help but think about what could have happened if I hadn’t fallen at the end,” said Guillaume Boivin in an interview with Sportcom before going to the hospital to have his left wrist examined, which he fears has fractured on the sequence.
The incident occurred while Boivin was alongside Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Italian Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious) and Belgian Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Soudal).
A trio which finally disputed the victory in the sprint on the track of the Vélodrome stadium and which saw Colbrelli triumph at the end of the incredible course of 257.7 kilometers. Vermeersch took second, followed very closely by Van der Poel.
The Italian Gianni Moscon (Ineos-Grenadiers), who was alone in the lead for a good while on Sunday, had to settle for the fourth rung (plus-44 seconds). He was caught with 15 kilometers to go at Carrefour de l’Arbre after suffering a puncture and falling.
“It was a really special race today. In these conditions, it was really a tough race and I was there with the strongest of the peloton in a monument. I am very proud of myself. »
Guillaume Boivin’s ninth place represents the best Canadian result in Paris-Roubaix since that of Steve Bauer in 1990, where he finished second by a few centimeters.
Boivin was about twenty seconds behind after his fall. His teammate Tom Van Asbroeck came to join him to lend a hand, then the members of Israel Start-Up Nation were finally taken over by a group of chasers to finish 1 minute 16 seconds behind the winner.
“I knew I had amazing legs after the World Championships,” said Guillaume Boivin. The result is not as good as it could have been, but I will take a lot of confidence from the last two weekends in view of next year. »
On arrival, the Quebecer collapsed, completely exhausted after an effort of more than 6 hours in atrocious conditions.
“It looked more like a cyclo-cross race than a road bike! At the end, we were all on the edge, I think. Even Wout Van Aert’s group, which was 30 seconds away, was unable to come back to us. It was a really demanding day. »
Exemplary work
Proudly sporting the Canadian champion’s jersey for only a few weeks, Guillaume Boivin made sure to be in full view at the 118th edition of this monument, in which he took part for the first time since 2013. The more the race progressed, the less the he maple leaf was visible on the Quebecer’s new uniform because of all the mud that covered the cyclist.
From the first cobbled section, Boivin had a puncture and the change of wheel forced him to fall behind his opponents. He had to pedal for 50 kilometers to be able to find the chasing group with the help of his teammate Sep Vanmarcke.
“From that moment, on my side, I said to myself that I had to go all in. I felt really good and I wanted to stay aggressive,” commented Guillaume Boivin.
Gradually, Boivin resisted the various attacks and hung on. He slipped past one of the favorites in Mathieu Van der Poel, who tried to escape on a few occasions.
“I followed well, I’m proud of my race, but also of the whole team. In addition to Vanmarcke, Tom (Van Aesbroeck) stayed ahead and was key for us throughout the race. »
Van Asbroeck was the eighth rider to cross the finish line. Also in action, Quebecer Hugo Houle (Astana-Premier Tech) did not finish the race. He chose to set foot after 220 kilometers.
“From the start, when we attacked the first cobblestones, I was positioned behind. I was a little worried about how it was going to go in the rain. I finally decided to quit because I was far behind. I had had enough for the day and I had seen enough of the pavement! I had suffered enough and I didn’t see the point of continuing. »
The athlete from Sainte-Perpétue also took the opportunity to throw flowers to his compatriot who, according to him, delivered one of the best Canadian performances in recent years.
“Hats off to him! I knew he was in good shape after the worlds, but from there to do top 10 in Paris-Roubaix, it’s a very impressive performance in difficult conditions. You have to have the legs, but you also have to stay on the bike and position yourself well. It’s all in his honor and I’m very happy for him. »
fear and trust
Guillaume Boivin admits that he also felt some fears on the starting line before undertaking Paris-Roubaix. Nothing, however, to make him lose his confidence, he who was convinced that he had everything he needed to stand out during the day.
“I was a little scared and I think everyone was. Conditions like that are extremely dangerous. It dissipated during the race and I was able to put it aside. I was in great shape and had a lot of confidence. I knew that few people could let go of me today. »
This remarkable end to the season brings its share of motivation for the Montrealer, who wants to quickly come back in force.
“I will go into the off-season with a lot of confidence in my abilities and an even greater motivation to prepare and come back with ambition in the spring. The whole team will be extremely motivated and I think we can have a lot of fun at these races next year,” he concluded.
Ranking of the 118th edition of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic :
1. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA / Bahrain), the 257.7 km in 6 h 01:57.
2. Florian Vermeersch (BEL/LOT) mt
3. Mathieu van der Poel (NED/ALP) mt
4. Gianni Moscon (ITA/INE) at 44.
5. Yves Lampaert (BEL/DEC) 1:16.
6. Christophe Laporte (FRA/COF) 1:16.
7. Wout van Aert (BEL/JUM) 1:16.
8. Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL/ISR) 1:16.
9. Guillaume Boivin (CAN/ISR) 1:16.
10. Heinrich Haussler (AUS/BAH) 1:16.
11. Jonas Rutsch (GER/EF1) 1:16.
12. Max Walscheid (GER/QHU) 3:17.
13. Anthony Turgis (FRA/TOT) 3:17.
14. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/UAE) 4:40.
15. Sebastian Langeveld (NED/EF1) 4:45.
