Talking points from Paris-Roubaix 2024 weekend: Pfeiffer Georgi’s podium reaction, Laurence Pithie’s Classics persistence and how interfering fans must stop before the worst happens

Cyclist
Talking points from Paris-Roubaix 2024 weekend: Pfeiffer Georgi’s podium reaction, Laurence Pithie’s Classics persistence and how interfering fans must stop before the worst happens

Paris-Roubaix weekend produced a double rainbow delight, as Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the famous gigantic cobblestones for their mantlepieces, no doubt already buckling under the weight of their palmarès.

The two races played out very differently. Kopecky reached the finale of the Velodrome André-Pétrieux as part of a six-woman group all vying for victory after 148.5km of tough racing. Despite being briefly boxing in, she utilised her experience on the track to power over the top of the group, crossing the line ahead of a teary Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL).

Meanwhile Van der Poel launched a solo attack 59km from the finish line that, par for the course in races he’s participated in recently, no one could follow. It was a dream result for the Alpecin-Deceuninck squad as they replicated last year’s results with Jasper Philipsen winning the sprint for second place. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) came third.

There was much talk about the ‘chicane’ too on the approach to the Trouée d’Arenberg. Fortunately, this was navigated without incident, mostly due to the slower speed it tried to enforce and a result of the smaller groups undertaking the sharp corner at any one time.

Pfeiffer Georgi’s delight at reaching the podium

Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) worked her way into the leading group at Paris-Roubaix Femmes and arrived at the velodrome with five competitors in tow for a sprint finish. Her reaction to finishing third at Paris-Roubaix Femmes was priceless. Keeping an eye on the big screen replay after crossing the line, unsure of her result, she was seen suddenly breaking out into a smile and exuding sheer joy, clasping her hands over her mouth in disbelief.

Georgi had pipped none other than the legendary Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) to a podium place at the Queen of the Classics. It was a delightful moment fortunately picked up by TV cameras that showed just how much this result and this iconic race means.

I can’t wait to see how the rest of her season unfolds.

Laurence Pithie is persistent in the Classics

Laurence Pithie’s (Groupama-FDJ) season has been an enthralling watch, winning the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in January. Consistency was key for the Pithie at Milan-San Remo and Brugge-De Panne, placing 15^th in both. Even during Gent-Wevelgem he was seen at the head of the race with Van der Poel and Pedersen. It was only on the final ascent of the Kemmelberg that he was distanced.

At Paris-Roubaix, Pithie was once again in the mix and in a chasing group comprised of Philipsen, Pedersen, Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) and teammate Stefan Küng. Despite bouncing off the ground in a hard crash going into a corner 30km from the line, he battled on to finish seventh in a phenomenal performance from the young 21-year-old.

His story will be an entertaining one to follow as he gains more opportunities with Groupama-FDJ this year, and he is set to join Bora-Hansgrohe next season.

Last man in the velodrome

I hate seeing riders battling on to the finish line over brutal cobblestones, potentially having the day from hell during A Sunday in Hell, only to be registered as out of the time limit on the results sheet. But no matter what the standings say, they made it. They finished 260km of punishment.

It’s a remarkable display of tenacity on the hardest one-day race on the calendar, and every rider that finishes has a different story to tell. Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Cyrus Monk punctured in the first cobbled sector, double-punctured in the Trouée d’Arenberg and soldiered on to be the last man to enter the velodrome. The final rider’s story is always one I like paying attention too, much like the lanterne rouge in Grand Tours.

Speaking after the race, Monk said: ‘[It’s] like The Hunger Games. Everyone at home just wants to watch us suffer. Every sector is like a cannon going off and someone gets killed. For me, that was the first sector. There were 29 sectors of hell after that.’

Fans need to control themselves

While Van der Poel was surging on to another Monument victory, viewers noticed a woman allegedly throwing a cap towards his wheels in the final 42km of Paris-Roubaix. If that really was the case, then it’s incomprehensible to me how someone could do this to another human being. It’s not just disrespectful but incredibly dangerous and they should face the appropriate consequences. Adam Hansen, president of the CPA, said they would take action against the perpetrator as in Flanders.

This is not the first time Van der Poel has faced physical negativity from spectators recently. People allegedly threw beer and urine at the rider during a cyclo-cross race in December. VFT reported police had identified a man they believe responsible for throwing beer at Van der Poel on Oude Kwaremont during Ronde van Vlaanderen.

When the World Champion fortunately arrived at the Paris-Roubaix finish unscathed, he was so far ahead that he managed to lean back and watch the sprint for podium positions play out. It’s amazing to look at.

We now must wait a whole year for the reappearance of the best weekend on the cycling calendar. Will Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) be back to challenge Van der Poel, or will Alpecin-Deceuninck make it three years on the bounce? Will Vos claim one of the only races she is yet to win so far? Only time will tell.

The post Talking points from Paris-Roubaix 2024 weekend: Pfeiffer Georgi’s podium reaction, Laurence Pithie’s Classics persistence and how interfering fans must stop before the worst happens appeared first on Cyclist.