Tom Boonen on Van der Poel Roubaix rumor: "I've seen that happen 15 times and no one ever gained an advantage"

Mathieu van der Poel will line up as the defending champion at Paris-Roubaix this Sunday. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck won last year’s edition after switching bikes just before hitting the cobblestones. But according to Tom Boonen, that strategy doesn't offer much of an advantage. “I've seen riders do that and never make it back to the front,” says the three-time Belgian winner.

Boonen, well-seasoned in the northern French classic, isn’t a fan of the tactic. “I’ve seen it happen 15 times in Roubaix and no one ever benefited from it,” he said on the podcast Wielerclub Wattage. “Riders who try that all think they’ll save energy in the first 100 kilometers by riding a faster-rolling bike.”

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Boonen: "Rivals will keep the race moving"

The former rider explains why he sees it that way. “You don’t want to switch bikes too early, because you want to benefit from that faster-rolling bike for as long as possible. But you also don’t want to switch too late, because then you’ll never make it back to the front in time for the first cobblestone section. So much stress just to save 15 watts,” Boonen says, shaking his head.

And that’s not all. “The rivals will be watching when Van der Poel makes his bike switch. They’ll keep the race moving and make sure Van der Poel suffers to get back,” he predicts.

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