Mud and glory for Italian Colbrelli at thrilling Paris-Roubaix
A mud-spattered Sonny Colbrelli won a three-way cat-and-mouse struggle to claim victory in the epic Paris-Roubaix bike race in dreadful conditions on Sunday. After a 258km slog over cobbles and mud, the Italian and European champion Colbrelli sped into the Roubaix velodrome alongside Florian Vermeersch and hot-favourite Mathieu van der Poel before edging them both right on the line. Plucky 22-year-old Vermeersch launched the sprint late, but Colbrelli, a specialist in the discipline, overtook the Belgian on the line. Already caked in mud, the trio had caught and overtaken lone escapee Gianni Moscon 15km from the line on one of the cobbled mining roads that make this race so special. Ineos rider Moscon had looked good for the win before a flat tyre followed swiftly by a fall ended his brave effort. Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta