Mathieu van der Poel: 'I don't think the Paris-Roubaix cobbles are meant to be ridden on a road bike'

Mathieu van der Poel admitted that some of the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix are on the limit of what a road bike is capable of as he prepares to defend his title in Sunday’s race.

When asked about the most dangerous part of the race, Van der Poel's reply was revealing of just how tough some sectors en route are.

“For me, I think the cobbles are not meant to be ridden with a road bike to be honest,” he said. “The other ones [sectors] are quite bad but doable, but going into Arenberg at 65 kilometres an hour has nothing to do with skill, it is just hoping the bike holds it.”

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Coming into this year's edition of the Hell of the North, all eyes are on Van der Poel and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team. As the defending champion of the race, and with the team claiming two Monument victories already in 2024, it's hard to look past the Belgium outfit.

When asked if there is anything different about his bike set-up specific to Sunday’s race he replied: “For Roubaix? Of course.”

Even among the cobbled Classics the torture that the pavé in Roubaix puts on riders and equipment is a level above the rest. The cobbles are rougher and the speed higher leaving riders scrambling to find a way to make the 55.7km of cobbles tolerable.

Van der Poel went on to explain that he has learnt a lot regarding equipment set-up for the cobbled races after suffering in last year’s Tour of Flanders, where his tyres ultimately struggled for traction whilst Tadej Pogacar sailed away to take the win.

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Van der Poel admitted that Pogacar's set-up at Flanders last year gave him the upper hand on the cobbles

In an honest recollection, Van der Poel explained: “Last year I struggled a bit actually [in the Tour of Flanders] when Pogačar was riding wider tyres. He was really flying on the cobbles.”

In this year's edition of the Tour of Flanders, Van der Poel put this knowledge to good use, admitting to stopping and lowering his tyre pressures twice during the race.

“I stopped twice to change the tyre pressure because I already saw it was going to rain in the final and I know how slippery cobbles are.”

With the forecast looking uncertain for Sunday’s race, Van der Poel and his teammates might need to employ a similar strategy if they are to navigate the likes of the Arenberg forest and Carrefour de l'Arbre without incident.

Although seemingly keeping his cards close to his chest regarding the specifics of his bike set-up, Van der Poel did reveal that he would be using 32mm tyres and double-wrapped bars in an attempt to tame the 29 sectors of pavé that litter the course from Compiègne to the velodrome in Roubaix.

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32mm tyres might be a common sight within the peloton come Sunday but this is the exception to the norm, much like Roubaix is an exception to other races. Van der Poel admitted to feeling more at home on 28mm tyres for most other races.

“In Roubaix, we ride tyres we normally don’t but for the rest, I don’t adapt too much, I just put double handlebar tape and wider tyres and that’s about it actually.”

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The 32mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres fitted to Van der Poel's bike leave little in the way of tyre clearance.

Taking a closer look at Van der Poel's bike after his pre-race press conference, it was clear to see that he is pushing the limits of his Canyon Aeroad CFR to the max with the 32mm tyres only just fitting behind the cut-away seat tube. If there is rain on Sunday, mud clearance could become a factor.

Time will tell if Van der Poel’s learnings from previous cobbled races will prove pivotal on Sunday.

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