Mathew Hayman wins Paris-Roubaix
A Sensation in the Making
The 37-year old ORICA-GreenEDGE veteran Mathew Hayman, who was riding his 15th Paris-Roubaix, made all the right decisions in a race where more things can go wrong than right. The first decision was to jump into a break that formed after about 70 kilometers of racing. Hayman then stayed in the lead group all day establishing the foundation for his victory. "I didn't have to surge to get in position before the cobbled sectors, I just had to make sure I saved as much energy as possible while being in the front group," Hayman said after the race. "Everybody that has ridden Paris-Roubaix knows it's one of those rare races where being in an early break can get a rider a good result." When some of the big pre-race favorites caught up with the lead group, Hayman was in position to let the others work, "They knew I was in the breakaway during large parts of the race. I was able to just sit there and save energy," the ORICA GreenEDGE rider commented after the race.
The Strongest Rider Wins
In a thrilling final, where all the riders in the lead group took their chances in attacks, Hayman proved to be the smartest, making his decisive move with less than two kilometers to go. Only pre-race favorite Tom Boonen was able to follow the Australian into the Roubaix Velodrome. On the last lap, however, the chasers closed the gap. When that happened, Hayman used the speed coming from up the banking to launch the sprint. Despite the efforts of passing him, not even the strong sprinting Tom Boonen had enough left in his tank to match Hayman's final surge. "I had the feeling that everybody was pretty tired, so I decided to hit out and go for it," the 37-year old commented on his sprint. Hayman proved again that at Paris-Roubaix, the strongest rider wins.
The New Foil: Smooth on the Cobbles
Mathew Hayman won Paris-Roubaix on a SCOTT Foil Team Issue. While the first edition of the Foil had a reputation of being super stiff yet not very comfortable, the engineers at SCOTT invested a lot of time in order to improve the comfort of the new Foil. The comfort values of the new Foil are now on a similar level as those of the Addict. It is therefore no surprise to see a big rider like Hayman who has a history in track racing choosing the Foil for his Roubaix campaign. The aerodynamic advantage of the Foil might even have been the tip on the scale during these final meters on the Roubaix cycling track.
Offering a Choice to the Professionals
While some bike manufacturers request the riders to use specific models for Roubaix, SCOTT focuses on providing the riders a choice that matches their personal preferences. Aside from Team ORICA-GreenEDGE, SCOTT Sports is also the official bike sponsor of Team IAM Cycling. Of the 16 riders in total, 11 professionals went for the SCOTT Solace model which offers the highest vertical compliance and therefore comfort. Three riders chose the Addict and two riders opted for the SCOTT Foil which both offer slightly less comfort than the Solace.
