<figure ><img title="2015 Milano-Sanremo podium" src="http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/04/2015-Milano-Sanremo-podium-320x213.jpg"/><p>John Degenkolb (right) and Alexander Kristoff finished 1-2 at Milano-Sanremo last month. Photo: Tim De Waele | <a href="http://www.tdwsport.com" target="_blank">TDWsport.com</a></p></figure><p>ROUBAIX, France (AFP) — John Degenkolb’s victory at Paris-Roubaix was perhaps more significant than just his historic monument double.</p>
<p>The 26-year-old German rider from Giant-Alpecin added on Sunday the Roubaix title to his Milano-Sanremo success last month, becoming only the third man to win those two prestigious monuments in the same year.</p>
<p>Coming a week after Norwegian Alexander Kristoff’s (Katusha) success at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), there was a definite feeling of the passing of a baton over the cobbles.</p>
<p>For the last decade, the two major cobbled classics — Roubaix and Flanders — had been dominated by two men: Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.</p>
<p>Prior to this year, when both missed the two races due to injury, they had won 13 of the last 20 editions of the two one-day classics.</p>
<p>Some might say that Degenkolb and Kristoff won’t truly replace the others until they beat them in the races themselves, but last year Degenkolb out-sprinted Cancellara to take second in Roubaix behind Niki Terpstra.</p>
<p>And in that same year, Kristoff had out-sprinted the Swiss master Cancellara to win Milano-Sanremo — before this year being pipped to the post by Degenkolb.</p>
<p>Last year, Boonen was beaten by Kristoff in Flanders and Degenkolb at Gent-Wevelgem, and has not won a cobbled classic since his stunning 2012, when he won all four: E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Flanders, and Roubaix.</p>
<p>That was a year when Boonen was practically unbeatable, winning a host of other races, including the Tour of Qatar, the World Ports Classic, and Paris-Brussels.</p>
<p>Since then, however, his only success on the cobbles has been the semi-classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last year, and many believe his best days are behind him.</p>
<p>In his place, and perhaps that of Cancellara too, Kristoff and Degenkolb are filling the gap.</p>
<h2>Sprinter-puncheurs</h2>
<p>Both started out as sprinters, but ones who lack the pure straight-line speed of a Marcel Kittel (Giant) or Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step), yet can keep pace with the puncheurs if there is a lumpy run-in to the finish or a slight incline in the home straight.</p>
<p>They have also now both started to distinguish themselves as one-day classics specialists, proving as adept at Milan-Sanremo, the longest one-day race on the calendar at almost 300km, as they are on the brutal cobbles in Flanders and in the north of France.</p>
<p>Degenkolb, though, believes there are other young riders also coming through to take over the torch.</p>
<p>“We are pretty similar, there will be also [other] races where we race again against each other,” he said about Kristoff, who is a year older at 27.</p>
<p>“When you are the same type of rider, you always meet each other again. But it’s not only Kristoff and me, a lot of riders played a big role [at Paris-Roubaix].</p>
<p>“Every race is new and different. When you look to [the other] riders, there are lot of young riders now.</p>
<p>“There was one in the breakaway at the end, a second year pro [Yves Lampaert] who’s still really young. So [that’s] very impressive.”</p>
<p>The German himself denied he is now the new star of the cobbles and said he wants to face Cancellara next year.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that I am a hero. I want to be the greatest this year but I don’t think I am a hero now,” he said.</p>
<p>“Cycling is changing, definitely, and a new generation are on the trigger.</p>
<p>“I’m actually still quite sad that Fabian was not there in this race.</p>
<p>“It would’ve been really nice to have a battle with him. I hope he’s coming back and we can race against each other.</p>
<p>“I really appreciate him as a rider, he’s a strong road warrior.</p>
<p>“A lot of young riders are also growing, getting experience, getting mentally stronger.</p>
<p>“That’s also what it’s about in these races. You need these years, no one can come here their first year and get the victory — it took me five years.”</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/news/degenkolb-kristoff-lead-pelotons-changing-of-the-guard_366391">Degenkolb,Kristoff lead peloton’s changing of the guard</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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<p>The 26-year-old German rider from Giant-Alpecin added on Sunday the Roubaix title to his Milano-Sanremo success last month, becoming only the third man to win those two prestigious monuments in the same year.</p>
<p>Coming a week after Norwegian Alexander Kristoff’s (Katusha) success at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), there was a definite feeling of the passing of a baton over the cobbles.</p>
<p>For the last decade, the two major cobbled classics — Roubaix and Flanders — had been dominated by two men: Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.</p>
<p>Prior to this year, when both missed the two races due to injury, they had won 13 of the last 20 editions of the two one-day classics.</p>
<p>Some might say that Degenkolb and Kristoff won’t truly replace the others until they beat them in the races themselves, but last year Degenkolb out-sprinted Cancellara to take second in Roubaix behind Niki Terpstra.</p>
<p>And in that same year, Kristoff had out-sprinted the Swiss master Cancellara to win Milano-Sanremo — before this year being pipped to the post by Degenkolb.</p>
<p>Last year, Boonen was beaten by Kristoff in Flanders and Degenkolb at Gent-Wevelgem, and has not won a cobbled classic since his stunning 2012, when he won all four: E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Flanders, and Roubaix.</p>
<p>That was a year when Boonen was practically unbeatable, winning a host of other races, including the Tour of Qatar, the World Ports Classic, and Paris-Brussels.</p>
<p>Since then, however, his only success on the cobbles has been the semi-classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last year, and many believe his best days are behind him.</p>
<p>In his place, and perhaps that of Cancellara too, Kristoff and Degenkolb are filling the gap.</p>
<h2>Sprinter-puncheurs</h2>
<p>Both started out as sprinters, but ones who lack the pure straight-line speed of a Marcel Kittel (Giant) or Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step), yet can keep pace with the puncheurs if there is a lumpy run-in to the finish or a slight incline in the home straight.</p>
<p>They have also now both started to distinguish themselves as one-day classics specialists, proving as adept at Milan-Sanremo, the longest one-day race on the calendar at almost 300km, as they are on the brutal cobbles in Flanders and in the north of France.</p>
<p>Degenkolb, though, believes there are other young riders also coming through to take over the torch.</p>
<p>“We are pretty similar, there will be also [other] races where we race again against each other,” he said about Kristoff, who is a year older at 27.</p>
<p>“When you are the same type of rider, you always meet each other again. But it’s not only Kristoff and me, a lot of riders played a big role [at Paris-Roubaix].</p>
<p>“Every race is new and different. When you look to [the other] riders, there are lot of young riders now.</p>
<p>“There was one in the breakaway at the end, a second year pro [Yves Lampaert] who’s still really young. So [that’s] very impressive.”</p>
<p>The German himself denied he is now the new star of the cobbles and said he wants to face Cancellara next year.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that I am a hero. I want to be the greatest this year but I don’t think I am a hero now,” he said.</p>
<p>“Cycling is changing, definitely, and a new generation are on the trigger.</p>
<p>“I’m actually still quite sad that Fabian was not there in this race.</p>
<p>“It would’ve been really nice to have a battle with him. I hope he’s coming back and we can race against each other.</p>
<p>“I really appreciate him as a rider, he’s a strong road warrior.</p>
<p>“A lot of young riders are also growing, getting experience, getting mentally stronger.</p>
<p>“That’s also what it’s about in these races. You need these years, no one can come here their first year and get the victory — it took me five years.”</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/news/degenkolb-kristoff-lead-pelotons-changing-of-the-guard_366391">Degenkolb,Kristoff lead peloton’s changing of the guard</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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