With John Degenkolb returning to form in the Tour of Flanders, Argos-Shimano hoped to see their German captain in the top 10 of yesterday's Paris-Roubaix. However, both he and teammate Ramon Sinkeldam spent energy early in the race which they lacked in the crucial part of the race.

John Degenkolb had a very strong debut on the French cobbles when he ended up 19th in the Paris-Roubaix in his first year as a professional in 2011. With a top 10 in the Tour of Flanders already in his pocket, the German had plenty of confidence prior to yesterday's race.

However, he failed to live up to expectations, and when the crucial 13-man move went up the road on the Mons-en-Pevele sector the German was not in the mix. Instead, he ended up in the second big chasing group and had to settle for 28th after beating his companions in the sprint in the Roubaix velodrome.

The German felt that he had to power to be a main protagonist but an early waste of energy meant that he lacked the needed power in the decisive phase of the race.

“I felt ok today,” he said. “The cobbles went fine and I had the feeling that I would be able to ride a good final. But I got a bike change at a crucial moment and to get back in the bunch cost me too much energy. In a race like this you need all your energy and that meant the end of the race for me. In the end I sprinted to a 28th place finish. Yes, I can say that I hoped for more.”

Sinkeldam on the attack

The team's best finisher was winner of the 2011 edition of the U23 version of the race, Ramon Sinkeldam. He finished 25th 12 seconds ahead of his German captain. The Dutchman felt that he too had the strength to be in the mix but another waste of energy took out the Dutch team's second option.

“I was so good today and felt really strong,” Sinkeldam explained “I attacked just before Mons-en-Pevele and the bunch caught us. But as soon as they overtook us I had a terrible position. In moments like this you need to sit in the front and that was not the case, and it was over for me. I am really fed-up about this as the whole day went really well and I was very alert but in of the most important moments I wasn’t there.”

Bad start

The team had started its race on the back foot as it was not part of a dangerous 13-man move early in the race. With most favourite teams all present in the front, the team faced a long day of pace-setting in the bunch if the gap was not closed down and so the team had to spend plenty of forces early in the race. Another waste of energy for the Dutch outfit.

“The start was not so good, and we missed the early break of 13, so we were forced to help with the chase,” a disappointed sports director Marc Reef explained. “Tom Stamsnijder and Will Clarke were chasing with two other teams.  As soon as the break was caught, another 4 guys escaped without any of us. All the guys rode in the front of the bunch and were very alert. Everything went well and we were able to follow the plan until the first cobbled section."

"Just before Mons-en-Pevele, Ramon Sinkeldam attacked, the bunch countered and after that he had trouble following," he continued. "From that point our guys were a bit tired and that was the moment in which we lost focus. The guys were so tired in fact that they didn’t think about the team anymore and were too busy handling the cobble sections and following the bunch. In the end they couldn’t follow the final break and ended up in the bunch. Not what we had hoped for.”

The team now turns its attention to the Ardennes classics in which the team is usually not as strong as it is in the cobbled classics.