Heiduk leads team home at memorable Roubaix

Kim Heiduk and Filippo Ganna led the INEOS Grenadiers home on a memorable and demanding day at Paris-Roubaix.

Once again The Hell of the North proved to be an incredible challenge for both riders and equipment, with a host of contenders all encountering issues across the 258.3 kilometres.

Ganna put in a committed ride but suffered a pair of punctures at key points during the race. The Italian had worked hard to bridge back to a promising position as he returned to the lead group following the Arenberg sector. Sadly as soon as he regained contact, a puncture with 82km to go distanced him once more.

Ben Turner and Heiduk worked hard to help the subsequent chase group regain momentum, with a tantalising gap of around a minute to close on the leaders. However Ganna would puncture again and crash with 50km to go – taking him out of contention for a top result. In the end Heiduk would lead the team home in 21st place, with Ganna crossing the line in 25th.

The Monument proved to be a box office spectacle, with Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) besting Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates – XRG) in a two-up final sprint.

Earlier both Turner and Josh Tarling were caught up in a crash whilst in the lead split in the main peloton. Turner was able to chase back by the end of sector 23 to ensure Ganna had support, including a huge turn heading into the race’s final phase.