The 29-year-old Dutch cyclist Dylan van Baarle raced to an incredible victory during yesterday’s cycling classic Paris-Roubaix. Funny detail: he owes that victory partly to Australia’s pro triathlete Cameron Wurf, who put him in a great position thanks to some strong team work with other Team Ineos Grenadiers riders. It wasn’t just Van Baarle who raced for that gold medal; the entire Team Ineos Grenadiers did everything they could to help their leading man.
In a technical race like Paris-Roubaix there are many different tactics that a team could choose. Clearly, Team Ineos’ tactic – soon taking off with an echelon formation – wasn’t what the biggest rivals of Van Baarle had expected. Throw some crashes and punctures in the mix, and the field was soon split apart, giving Van Baarle freedom to move.
On Instagram, Wurf joked: “I can’t believe they let a triathlete lead them onto a cobblestone section.”
A fan of Wurf commented: “If you are not a triathlonfan, and you don’t follow cycling, you may have no idea how incredible it is that Cameron Wurf is able to win Ironman races and also lead Paris-Roubaix over the cobbles…”
