Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start-Up Nation) put on a show on Sunday. On his way to battle in the velodrome, he crashed with 20 kilometers to go and finished in ninth overall. That ninth place was the best Canadian result since Steve Bauer's frustrating centimeter's close second in 1990.
"I cannot help but think of what could have happened if I had not fallen at the end. It was a really special race today. In those conditions, it was a really tough race and I was there with the strongest of the peloton in a monument. I am very proud of myself."
Boivin was about twenty seconds behind his fall. His teammate, Tom Van Asbroeck joined him for support, then the pursuers caught them and they both finished 1 minute 16 seconds behind the winner Sonny Colbrelli.
"I followed well, I'm proud of my race, but also of the whole team. In addition to Vanmarcke, Tom (Van Aesbroeck) stayed in front and was a key for us throughout the race.
I knew I had amazing legs after the World Championships. The result is not as good as it could have been, but I'm going to gain a lot of confidence from the last two weekends heading into next year. It looked more like a cyclo-cross race than a road bike! In the end, we were all at the limit, I think. Even Wout Van Aert's group, which was 30 seconds away, was unable to get in on us. It was a really demanding day.
I was a little scared and I think everyone else was. Conditions like this are extremely dangerous. It dissipated during the race and I was able to put that aside. I was in great shape and had a lot of confidence. I knew that few people could let go of me today.
I will go into the offseason with a lot of confidence in my abilities and an even greater motivation to prepare myself and come back with ambition in the spring. The whole team will be extremely motivated and I think we can have a lot of fun in these races next year."
-Guillaume Boivin. ISR Ninth place 1:16. Post-race: He suffered a serious bruised wrist from his fall.
The Canadians:
"Hats off to him! I knew he was in good shape after the worlds, but from there to making the top-10 at Paris-Roubaix, it's a very impressive performance in difficult conditions. You have to have the legs, but you also have to stay on the bike and position yourself well. It's all in his honor and I'm very happy for him."
-Hugo Houle. Astana-Premier Tech DNF
-Benjamim Perry. Astana-Premier Tech DNF
"I thought I had stopped 30 times, but my head would not. I did 150km on my own, 50 of which I went without food. The last 5km, I cried more than during the last two years of my life."
-Tom Wirtgen. 22-year old Dutchman rides for Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB. Outside the time limit.
"I followed only van der Poel in the finale and in the end I had a super sprint. I was at the limit in the finale. It was super difficult because I had to pay attention for the crashes from the first sectors and then there's always the stress to be in position on the cobbles. This year is my year, I'm very happy."
-Sonny Colbrelli wins his debut PR. First Italian to win since Andrea Tafi in 1999.
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