Colbrelli doesn't forgive. He defeats Van der Poel and wins Roubaix.

Rain and mud transformed the riders into statues of land. The three leaders enter the velodrome with mud masks and their eyes providentially protected by large glasses. Colbrelli is cautious, the tension is sky-high. He was the one who accelerated sharply when Van der Poel caught up with Moscon, also to see how much the Dutchman had. A sprint on the track after 260 kilometers done in that way is more of a war for survival than a lottery and so they prepare to live it. Vermeersch who don't know who he is, but on the approach to the velodrome he tried to attack.

Indigestible World Cup

The World Cup had gone against him. Colbrelli was convinced he could have his say, but the fall in unison of Trentin and Ballerini had made the whole weight of the race fall on his shoulders. And at this stage of the season, if you reply to one shot, it doesn't mean you have enough to reply to the second oneBut Sonny enjoys it when it rains, and who knows if this morning, looking at the sky and the wet asphalt, he thought of a happy omen. The fact is that when Van der Poel accelerates and sets his sights on Moscon, he passes him and tries to attackPerhaps he didn't realize that the Trentino rider in front of him first had a puncture and then crashed.

«Gianni was heroic up front – he says – he was alone a lot, but we did a good job behind. From a certain point onwards I decided to follow only Van der PoelI didn't know the Lotto rider, but Mathieu came back from behind and for me he's the one who only does extraordinary things. I worked well with him and I was also lucky not to have any punctures or breakdownsI almost fell a couple of times, but I was very focused on staying upright. Then I gave everything I had left to win."

The faith of the phenomenon

Van der Poel has never raced the Roubaix, but because of his way of thinking, he knows how to go fast on the cobblestones and how to dance in the mudHe'll win. He won Flanders. He's the cyclocross world champion. And if he hadn't fallen because of that stupid mistake, maybe he'd be an Olympic mountain bike champion by now. When he opens the throttle to drop Van Aert and get back on Colbrelli and his escape companions, the words from the day before resonate in my head.

"Can I win the Roubaix? I think so. At the World Championships I wasn't far from the best and I wasn't in top form. We saw the cobblestones dry the other day, but It would be nice if it rained. It would become more dangerous and slippery and it would be a matter of staying upright., but in races like Roubaix you have to be careful about everything."

Who knows if when Colbrelli dares to put the wheel in front of him, The Dutchman begins to think he's in deep trouble.. Maybe not. Phenomena never think they can lose. And when that happens, they remain on the ground for a long time wondering how it was possible.

Sprint to the limit

Luckily, the track is dry. And when the three enter it, the roar that hits them shakes them insideAfter kilometers and hours with few people on the edge and in some places the rattling of chains louder than the chattering of teeth, that amusement park effect produces adrenaline rushes.

«This time too I followed Van der Poel – says Colbrelli – but suddenly the sprint was launched by the Lotto rider (Vermeersch is 22 years old and so unknown that even his name will remain a mystery until the podium, ed.) It was no longer about being fast. It was about pushing hard. And I was really at the limit and in the end I conquered this legend.I really did a great sprint, then my world fell apart. I'm speechless. I can't believe I won Roubaixx. I want to dedicate it to my family, to the whole team and to my fans. It's been a fantastic season for me so far».

The world on top of you

Sonny collapses. Maybe he would like to take a lap of honor, maybe his mind can't make sense of it.So he stops at the point furthest from the masseurs, who start running. It's quite a slog for the photographers, too. He gets off his bike and lifts it up, his Orange Reacto. Then he collapses on the grass and cries. He cries like in Trento, where he found Davide Cassani embracing himThis time he's alone and he has no peace. This is what happens when life evens the score and you stand there stunned, crying more than when it hit you and left you breathless.

"It's my season," he says, "but it was still super difficult. I'm happy. It was my first Roubaix and I still can't believe I won it. This morning I couldn't think of a victoryI started without any pressure, I just wanted to have fun in a race I've always dreamed of. I felt good and better kilometer after kilometer. So I wanted to try to seize my chance, maybe attacking a little earlier. Looking at past editions I learned that it was a good time to try…».

The third hymn

The legendary stone is now in his hands, while the Mameli Anthem continues and the weight of cycling's most beautiful trophy is starting to become decidedly unbearable. It's the third time this year that those notes are played for him, because after Imola there was TrentoAnd now in that velodrome where they still get emotional over Ballerini and cheer for Moser, the name on the fans' lips is that of Sonny ColbrelliVan der Poel struggles to come to terms with it. That's how things happen to phenomena. He and Van Aert have the task of reflecting carefully on the opportunity to always go to the maximum, when then you miss out (in his case) on the Tour of Flanders, the World Championships, and now Roubaix. Sonny Colbrelli won it. And let's be clear, we're perfectly fine with that.