"I did everything I could” — Lewis Askey finishes Paris-Rouabaix in career-best 13th

Lewis Askey of NSN Cycling Team was the highest placed Brit at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. The 24-year-old from Staffordshire rode a smart race to finish 13th, his best finish in 5 attempts at the Hell of the North. Askey explained how his race unfolded on the NSN team website, and how things didn't go so well for teammates Biniam Girmay and Guillaume Boivin.

“It was such a hectic race that I don’t actually know what happened at the start,” said Askey. We had me, Bini (Girmay), and G (Boivin) in the front split… I don’t know if a few people stopped or if there was a crash that caused that, but we didn’t have to spend too much energy to make the front split.

"G did a really really good job of protecting me before the Arenberg, right in the front group, and put me in that good position for basically the whole race, " he added. "I didn’t quite have the legs to follow the best riders. But I was always making sure my positioning was good going into each sector.

While Askey rode a relatively trouble free race compared to some, he didn't completely escape the puncture epidiemic of Roubaix

“Somwhere in the middle of the race, I punctured, and spent quite a lot of energy getting back. I was really on the limit in the last 70k, but I could see the riders around me were also suffering. So I just tried to make sure I went as hard as I could at the start of each sector, and then kind of survived each one. “

While the top 10 places were being decided on the boards of the Velodrome, Askey’s group were arriving in Roubaix, getting ready to sprint for 11th place.

“I think I did the best sprint I could with the legs I had,” the Brit added. “I was third in our group, and every year I keep getting a little bit stronger. I hope that keeps continuing year after year, because it does not take much more to make that front group, and that can completely change the race. Then maybe I can some away with a win or a podium, rather than 10th or 11th.”

The chaos of the Arenberg that claimed so many on Sunday also ended the races of Boivin and Girmay. Boivin crashed hard in the forest, with x-rays confirming a fractured scapula.

Luckily Girmay did not go down or suffer any severe injuries, but a badly timed puncture did see him lose contact with the race leading to a DNF.