In the Roubaix Velodrome riders collapsed on the grass after surviving the Hell of the North, the joy of finishing Paris-Roubaix just about equalling the lactic acid and pain in their legs and battered bodies.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Mathieu van der Poel won alone and got to raise the cobblestone trophy but everyone who crossed the finish line had 'won' their own personal battle and could somehow savour a personal success.
There were tears, family moments, hugs of celebration and consolation on both Saturday and Sunday. From our privileged position in the track centre, Cyclingnews could see why Paris-Roubaix is such a special race to ride, to finish and to witness.
Latest Videos From
We saw the moment Ferrand-Prévot hugged Marianne Vos, almost with a sense of guilt after she was supposed to work for the Dutch woman but then won the race.
Chloé Dygert once again fought immense pain after making a huge effort and collapsed to the ground. She explained that a digestion problem had wrecked her race but she still made it to the velodrome, finishing an impressive eighth.
"I've just got to be thankful that I’m still racing my bike," the 28-year-old American said, putting things into perspective and referring to her crash at the 2020 World Championships in the individual time trial.
"I’m a little sick, I have stomach issues. It started on the road, I got some bloating problems, but all good."
All the Unibet Tietema Rockets riders finished the men's race on their Monument debut after receiving a wild card invitation. Lukáš Kubiš was hoping for more than 46th place and apologised to his team but only four teams saw all their riders reach Roubaix.
Q36.5's Joey Pidcock was the last rider to finish the men's race, almost 54 minutes behind Van der Poel. He missed the time cut of 27:28 but crossed the finish line. In Roubaix, OTL (outside the time limit) on the results is a badge of honour, not a disappointment.
Biniam Girmay made his Paris-Roubaix debut as he continues to make history for African cycling. He was never in the thick of the action but finished 15th, in the chase group that included Filippo Ganna. It's the best result ever for a male African rider in this race, bettering Robbie Hunter's 31st in 2004.
Like everyone, Girmay was happily conflicted between the pain of Paris-Roubaix and the emotions of finishing in the velodrome.
"It's beautiful, beautiful," he said with a genuine smile.
"I don't have any problems, so that helps me to enjoy the race a lot. No punctures, no crashes, no bad luck, so just riding my bike, enjoying every cobblestone."
Yet he had plenty of pain.
"I have pain everywhere but it's a beautiful race," he laughed.
"But it's a beautiful feeling. In every sector, there were a lot of fans and everybody was shouting. That gives you a lot of energy to ride the bike. I liked the Carrefour de l'Abre sector the best. It was full gas, with a lot of fans."
As a Classics rider, Paris-Roubaix could suit Girmay but he was not convinced. When the pain eases and only his good memories remain, he may change his mind.
"We will see after a year how it feels. But I think I have the feeling for this race. I can't say this is a race for me, because it's completely a different race, but it's beautiful."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Spring Classics coverage. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from all the Cobbled Classics from Opening Weekend to Paris-Roubaix. Find out more
