Media bow to van der Poel and Pogacar: "The best classics rider in the world vs. the best rider in the world—end of story."

Paris-Roubaix lived up to all cycling fans' hopes: drama, joy, a battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, outsiders who kept dreaming, and ultimately, a man-to-man battle towards the Vélodrome. The national and international cycling media also had much to say about this Hell of the North edition.

We start in the Netherlands, where Van der Poel was put on a pedestal. "A flawless hat-trick," they noted in De Telegraaf. Cycling journalist Hans Ruggenberg sided with the Dutchman, who decided to continue after Tadej Pogacar crashed. "Immediately, there were rumors that van der Poel displayed poor sportsmanship by not waiting. A ridiculous thought, and with the warm embrace that Pogi gave van der Poel after his second place, the Slovenian superstar showed that he did not blame the winner."

Algemeen Dagblad notes that Van der Poel's third Paris-Roubaix victory brings his total to eight Monuments, putting him in the top 6. With nine wins, Costante Girardengo, Fausto Coppi, and Sean Kelly are the next targets. With 19 victories, Eddy Merckx is still far ahead. The AD newspaper also calls Marianne 'phenomenal,' Daniel Dwarswaard said in the podcast In Het Wiel: "I enjoyed it to the fullest, but the crazy thing is that you almost start to get a little bit used to it. That's pretty unbelievable because this is not normal at all; this is out of the ordinary!"

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Pogacar, Van der Poel and Pedersen on the podium in Roubaix

In Belgium, they saw van der Poel and Pogacar dominate

"Van der Poel pulls off a stunt with third Roubaix in a row," Het Laatste Nieuws headlines on Monday. The Belgian newspaper heavily criticizes van der Poel's bidon thrower but writes: "In the battle of the Monuments, the score is even again. Van der Poel won his third Paris-Roubaix in a row after a mighty duel with Pogacar and is now just eight victories behind his Slovenian rival in the Monuments. Of course, the Slovenian might put his counter back up to nine in two weeks' time in Liège."

Cycling specialist Wim Vos concludes in Het Nieuwsblad that Van der Poel and Pogacar are incredibly evenly matched. "Nothing characterized this edition more than the direct duel between Van der Poel and Pogacar just after the Slovenian's crash. We were treated to a game of seconds played out at the very highest level for kilometers on end. More than two minutes ahead of everyone else, the two demonstrated that they were leagues above the rest and how evenly matched they were in these classics. They rode three Monuments, and in each race, they shared the two leading roles."

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International media were amazed by van der Poel and Pogacar

L'Equipe opened with a large photo of the two embracing at the Vélodrome. 'In the north, there were the giants,' or 'The giants of the North.' "In the duel between two top-level champions, perfection made the difference,' according to the French analysis. 'The best cyclist in the world in the classics against the best cyclist in the world, end of story. And now we have proof that Pogacar's weight is not a problem and that he can measure up to van der Poel on the cobblestones of the North. The fact that the duel was not decided at Carrefour de l'Arbre or the Vélodrome is precisely the cruel beauty of the competition."

And that is also the opinion at La Gazzetta dello Sport, although the Italians also pay tribute to van der Poel. "The Dutch phenomenon combines his exceptional athletic skills with an ability to ride a bike that no one else in the peloton has mastered—the man who whispers to the stones. Thanks to this extraordinary ability, he is the only one who has not given up on the superiority of Tadej Pogacar: he knows how to wait, he does not lose his wheel, and he even manages to beat him with a combination of head and legs, a strength that goes hand in hand with extraordinary technical ability."

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Van der Poel 'emperor of cobblestones'

Finally, in Spain, Marca named Van der Poel 'the Emperor of the Cobbles.' "The Dutchman, invincible in the mud and dust, put in a memorable performance in an edition marked by mistakes, especially those of Tadej Pogacar. Van der Poel once again made the Hell of the North his own in a day full of emotion, epic, and drama. Despite his setback, Pogacar clarified that his ambition knows no limits: his courage and tenacity were worthy of a champion." Or as they say at AS: "The battle continues: Van der Poel is evenly matched against Pogacar."

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