Greig Leach

Philippe Gilbert (Decenunick-Quick Step) is one of the senior statesmen of the peloton, and one of the more victorious. He has a stated goal of winning all of the Monuments before he retires. Until today, the Hell of the North had eluded him. So it was with great joy that he spread his arms in victory on the legendary velodrome of Roubaix. Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin) had to content himself with a hard fought second place. The trio finished at least thirty seconds ahead of Gilbert's teammate, Yves Lampaert. Gilbert's bold attack with 15 kilometers to race was the moment of victory since it was only Politt who could match the acceleration of the former World Champion. Chapeau, Gilbert!