When a rider is asked how they found Paris-Roubaix, the usual response is to wince and construct a sentence that includes the words ‘full gas’ and ‘empty’ - they're not meant to say it was no big deal. Oliver Naesen, however, doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.
"Everyone says after Roubaix that they’re smashed, totally destroyed, but I never had this feeling," the Belgian tells Cyclingnews, now with two editions under his belt - 57th last year after an untimely puncture, and 13th this year.
"After Amstel [Gold Race] and other races I’m really smashed. And Flanders – I prefer it because it’s on my home roads but it feels harder. At Roubaix I was 13th and frustrated, but at Flanders I was like 22nd and finished empty. It’s strange, but I think Roubaix really suits me.”
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Naesen, who turned pro with Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise in 2015 before debuting at WorldTour level this season with IAM Cycling, was arguably the breakthrough Belgian rider of the season. After Roubaix and a decent enough spring, he made his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France and went from strength to strength in the second half of the season, winning the Bretagne Ouest France Classic, finishing second overall behind Niki Terpstra at the Eneco Tour, and second at the Tour de l'Eurometropole after a controversial sprint from Dylan Groenewegen.
"I’m super happy with it," he says of his 2016 season. "I wondered how I would survive the step up to WorldTour races. I thought I was going to improve a little bit, but not like it went. I was a little bit surprised, actually. I knew it was going to be better than the year before but I didn’t know it would be that much better."
A top 15 in Paris-Roubaix this early in a career would be taken gladly by most, but Naesen explains that, feeling so strong and comfortable on what is a hellish occasion for most, it was a day of frustration. The front group formed early and, despite a chase group that included Peter Sagan and Fabian Cancellara, circumstances conspired to ensure the race never came back together, costing Naesen what he feels could have been a top-five finish.
A late rise
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