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It is just before 3 p.m. on Easter Sunday when Filippo Colombo (25) enters the infamous Arenberg forest at 60 km/h. The hassle? Gigantic. The cobbles? Miserable. The consequence? «After about 100 meters my front wheel exploded. I continued on the rims, wanted to brake. But for me, other drivers and I fell over them,” Colombo said.
The Ticino hits the pavés with full force, breaking his left elbow in the process. “The bone had moved about three centimeters. I immediately knew what had happened.” But that’s not all. Colombo looks back and sees other riders racing towards him. “I fled into the woods next to the track.”
The race is over for Colombo. His first Paris-Roubaix, his first journey through the hell of the north – it ends in the hospital. “My arm hurt a lot, I got an injection and a tablet in the ambulance. Two other drivers were also in the vehicle, it was a painful day for them as well. After returning to Switzerland, Colombo underwent surgery on Monday afternoon. How long will he be out is still unclear.
“Like Russian Roulette”
One thing is certain: the mountain biker pays a high price for his journey on the road bike – he also rode the Tour of Flanders a week earlier. “In hindsight I probably would have done better without Paris-Roubaix. Because now I’m going to miss the start of the World Cup in the mountain bike season.” This will take place in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) from May 12 to 14.
Last season, Colombo broke into the world mountain biking elite with two wins after becoming a two-time relay world champion at a young age. “It hurts more than the physical pain. I don’t have to blame myself, the fall could have happened to anyone. But in the end, Paris-Roubaix is like Russian roulette, it’s a very dangerous race.”
Küng wants to shine in the Giro
Stefan Küng (29), by far the strongest Swiss Classique fighter, knows that too. But he is spared falling, after the 3rd place last year he is fifth this time. “I wanted more, but it’s a good result. At the end I was completely drained and I had no energy left.” In fact, Mathieu van der Poel (28, Ho) and Wout van Aert (28, Be) are a notch above everyone else – in the end Van der Poel wins solo as van Aert suffers a puncture 15km from the finish.
Küng’s next big target is the Giro d’Italia (May 6-28). He has not contested this race for six years. Why is he driving it? Also because, unlike the Tour de France, it includes two time trials instead of one – the first right at the start of the tour.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
