The Paris-Roubaix is underway, and already there have been mechanical issues for some of the top riders.
Early Troubles on the Cobbles
Wout Van Aert, Pedersen and Abrahamsen each experienced early mechanicals on the first cobbled sector of the day. Van Aert had Owain Doull coming back for him. There was also a bike change for Abrahamsen. A UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider also had an issue.
Per Strand Hagenes suffered a puncture and dropped out of the front peloton. Titouan Fontaine also had a mechanical. Kasper Asgreen, a former Tour of Flanders winner, suffered a front puncture.
Lampaert also had issues and was out the back on the Briaste sector as the head of the bunch left that sector. Toon Aerts was among the riders stopping with issues.
UAE Attempts to Dominate
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal-Quickstep were leading the peloton. Antonio Morgado led the peloton, with Pogačar right up at the front with Florian Vermeersch. Mikkel Bjerg was driving the pace on the front of the peloton for UAE.
Bjerg was going flat out on the front of the peloton as the team of the world champion were destroying the peloton. UAE have complete control of the peloton. Molano led the peloton and Teunissen was caught.
Pogačar was in fourth wheel as UAE Team Emirates-XRG led the peloton.
The pace eased a bit and more teams came to the front of what was left of the peloton.
Positioning and Group Dynamics
Ganna was at the back with Tibor Del Grosso and Marco Haller as Morgado was dropped. Brennan brought Van Aert to the front alongside UAE, Decathlon and Alpecin.
There was a bit of crosswind on this sector. Pogačar was in second wheel, and Van der Poel in about seventh wheel. Van Aert, Pedersen and Ganna were all poorly placed with Ganna right at the back of the peloton.
Van Aert used Doull to get back in on this sector. Pedersen rejoined William Blume Levy at the back of the peloton after negotiating a few stopped cars who were servicing riders. Pedersen is back in the peloton.
Race Landscape
The riders are surrounded by the yellow flowers of the Oil Seed Rape fields. The first four star sector of the day saw UAE controlling the race really well with their Colombian sprinter, Molano. The first time this sector has been used in 11 years with the max elevation of 81 metres peaked here.
Sector 27 is done and very dusted. The dust cloud is huge. Arnaud De Lie is out of the back.
- Mechanical issues for Van Aert, Pedersen, and Abrahamsen
- UAE Team Emirates-XRG leading the peloton
- Pogačar well-positioned
Lots of Visma and Ineos riders are in the second group that are over 30″ down. Molano and Oliveira are in that group as well after doing their job for UAE.
Groups are all over the road with Kubis being one of the riders caught out.
So much wasted energy for the former world champion.