Terpstra turns his good form into a huge victory at Paris-Roubaix

Here is a link that will show you what it takes to win the Paris-Rouabix. It is a ride by Niki Terpstra on his Strava account and it is his Paris Roubaix winning ride. The numbers are phenomenal and you only have to follow him on a daily basis to see the amount of miles he puts in during the winter to train for such a moment. That said, you didn't need Strava to know that Terpstra had the form, you only needed to look at his most recent results.

In the weeks leading up to Paris-Roubaix, Terpstra prepared by finishing 5th at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on 1 March, winning the Dwars door Vlaanderen on 26 March, taking 2nd at the E3 Harelbeke on 28 March, and finishing 6th at the Tour of Flanders on 6 April.

And so much for those who thought a former track star turned stick-thin GC man like Sir Bradley Wiggins could not hack a power race like the Hell of the North. Wiggins was a part of the final selection before Terpstra made his move and finished with that group in ninth place. Perhaps disappointing to him personally to have come so close and not have taken advantage, but a superb result to mix it with the likes of Cancellara and Boonen and a sign of what he can achieve. He has said he'll be back for more in 2015.

But the day belonged to Terpstra.  While the big money was on Fabian Cancellara winning his fourth Hell of the North title, or on Tom Boonen winning an unprecedented fifth, it was Terpstra who went quietly about building himself as a contender and turning that contention into glory.