I raced Volta Catalunya and the only thing that got me through to the last day was Paris Roubaix. Catalunya was such a hard race, I got worse every day, but I kept my goal in mind. I knew the race would help me get into the shape I want to be in for Roubaix. I won the junior edition of Roubaix in 2012 so it’s a race that’s very special to me.
As a junior, I was really successful without training much. When I got to under 23 level and I struggled for the first two years, I learnt that you can’t rely on talent alone, you have to work hard. At this level, you have more disappointments than triumphs, so you have to find the positives in situations. Roubaix is the biggest race of the year for me and I love it and that’s what got me through Catalunya which was really hard for me.
When I won the world championship TT title in juniors, I took everyone by surprise. The Danish coaches had my training files and they saw I wasn’t training as much as I should have. One of the other Danish guys was the favourite so I surprised them to win the title. After that, I told them my main goal would be Paris Roubaix the next year. They rolled their eyes and told me I needed to train more. I didn’t. But when I have a goal, I have this ability to really focus on it. When I get to the start line, I am 20% better because all I have is that goal in my mind. That was Paris Roubaix juniors. Throughout the winter the race was on my mind.
© Tim De Waele
When we got to race day, the first 40 kilometres were without cobbles so I just sat at the back of the peloton, rolling through as easy as possible. Then I thought I need to move up now and as I tried, I crashed. When I get back to the peloton, it was 7 kilometres before the first cobble section. When I tried to move up, there was a huge crash everywhere – riders all across the road.
I went around in the gutter to avoid everyone and get to the front. I was in position 10 when the cobbles started. It was one of those days where you feel amazing. When the race opened up, 4 riders got away and I attacked and rode across to them. When we got to Carrefour de L’Arbre, I attacked and rode home solo and won by one minute. I got my small cobblestone which is the trophy you get as a junior.
There is so much chaos. It’s not like any other race. The fight for positioning is so hard. If you’re a good bike handler and can manoeuvre well in the peloton usually, it’s not enough for this race.
My first Roubaix in the professional ranks last year went well. My director came to my room the night before the race and told me I would have to work for the team from the start. These days in Roubaix, the breakaway can stay away from the start, like when Matt Hayman won.
Everyone wanted to be in the breakaway last year but in the end, the speed was so high no break got away. I used all my energy in the first 130 km so when we got to Arenberg, I was about to die. I started recovering after sitting in a nice group for 20 kilometres. Suddenly the power came back, and I started doing turns. I spoke to Lars Bak, another Dane, and he said we’re now riding for a top 50. The two of us were the leading Danish riders on the road and I thought I had to beat him to be the first Danish guy. I sat on his wheel in the sprint and took him. I had a nice top 50 in my first Roubaix which isn’t bad.
© Tim De Waele
For everyone reading this who will never get to experience Paris Roubaix, I would like to paint you a picture. It is war. If you’re not in the top 20, you can’t see where you’re going. There are dust clouds, riders everywhere, crashes and mechanicals all the time. You see riders standing with wheels in their hands. There is so much chaos. It’s not like any other race. The fight for positioning is so hard. If you’re a good bike handler and can manoeuvre well in the peloton usually, it’s not enough for this race. You need to be strong as well. The whole race is a big big power effort. In Roubaix, it’s hard the whole way through. You’re on the pedals all the time. The whole way through, you have to push.
It’s easy to be star struck when you get to the World Tour and suddenly you’re next to Peter Sagan or Greg van Avemaert but in the end you get used to it and you learn that you can’t just give them a wheel, it’s a fight and you’re there to do a job. I remember when I did Strade Bianche last year. It was my first World Tour race and I was so nervous. All the big stars were there and it’s turning out to be a huge race now. After a few races, you get used to it and you and your team are a priority, you have to get to the front. That’s it.
The first time I saw Michael Valgren, I was so star struck. I ran over to ask for his signature. Haha, I’m joking. He would love for that to be true. But actually, I have many Danish friends like Michael who I’ve been riding with since we’ve been kids. Because you’re friends, you think he can get the wheel, he’s my friend, but you can’t because we’re competitors, we’re not teammates even though we’re friends.
This year I want to be in a good condition for the race. I hope I get to the cobbles fresh and fight with everything I have. I hope to be in the final and play a role. You need everything to go perfectly in a race like that. Anything can happen. If I play a role in the final, that will be a success for me.
Last modified: Jan 20, 2020
