PARIS - ROUBAIX 2022 CONTENDERS
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It was on, then it was off, then it was on again, and we’re hoping it’s still on. Wout van Aert vs Mathieu van der Poel has been shaping up to be the most iconic Classics rivalry since Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen. The back issues caused by van der Poel’s crash at the Tokyo Games in August had appeared to have resolved themselves towards the end of the road season, with third place at Paris-Roubaix and a solid eighth place at the Worlds in Leuven. But a patchy cross season in mid-February saw the Dutchman’s Alpecin team talking about how he was still testing out his back and undergoing rehabilitation. Would he ever be the same again?
Thankfully for Classics fans, and VDP himself of course, the answer appears to be yes. His recent win at the Tour of Flanders puts that beyond doubt.
It wasn’t his first win of the season either – five days previously he had scooped stage four
