Renaat Schotte was on a motorbike during Paris-Roubaix and witnessed what the TV viewer missed: "Extraordinary scenes"

"7,000 things were happening at once," the Belgian journalist begins his analysis of Hell on Monday. Schotte seems to think it's a pity that we - as viewers - couldn't see everything he saw. "I desperately need to have a camera shoot some footage from my perspective next year because of what I saw yesterday... It was mind-blowing."

On television, the opening phase on the asphalt roads seemed very calm. That was also how it came across to Schotte. "Back then, it was all very relaxed, with Mathieu van der Poel enthusiastically waving hello from the back of the pack." Tadej Pogacar's opponent also had time to deal with trivial matters. "He would smile when he realized I was fiddling with my phone. Those were the first signs that these men were in a very comfortable position."

However, it quickly became chaotic. Or, as Schotte says: "A madhouse and a crazy race." The Belgian saw the first crash early on. "We were in a corner when they crashed right in front of us on a slippery section. That was the beginning of Stuyven's ordeal. After that, I saw many odd things."

How odd, exactly? Well, pretty odd, as we can gather from the Belgian's words. "I saw a bicycle tumble off the Intermarché-Wanty support car in a tight corner. The whole line of cars then had to go around that obstacle. Extraordinary scenes." Not much later, the next person was on the ground. "A press photographer had fallen off his motorbike due to the slippery conditions.' An Astana mechanic also couldn't escape the chaos. 'He fell flat on his face on the cobblestones when he tried to help the unlucky Ballerini. Mind-blowing slides."

As a result, Schotte needs to catch his breath after a day in Hell, where the vibe was incredible again on Sunday. "My head is still spinning. When you ride on those cobblestone sections, you imagine yourself in a packed soccer stadium as if they were constantly scoring goals. Observing the row upon row of spectators was difficult, but it looked like a festival vibe."

That great ambiance suddenly changed when race leader van der Poel got a bidon thrown at his head. "99.99 percent of the people behave as they should. It's a shame that one idiot spoils it all," says Schotte. The man has since reported himself to the police.

A day full of chaos but with a fantastic climax for Schotte. "I left my motorbike at the entrance to the velodrome and ran to the center of the track to see the finish. When you see van der Poel come to a stop just 20 meters away from you after such an epic race, it is a magical moment," the 56-year-old Belgian concludes his review.