Belgian champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) cheered the crowd on by winning the sprint ahead of Dutchwoman and former world champion Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar).

Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poele won the men’s event.

After four and a quarter hours of effort in which he ended up at the end of his reserves as rare in his cycling career, Baril wrote these words to Sportcom in response to a post-race interview request.

I’ll send you a voicemail shortly … I’m having a hard time living right now , texted in Quebecer, taking care to add funny emojis to enhance his message. Three hours later, he personally commented on his insane day when he burned 3500 calories according to his collected data.

The racing atmosphere is really cool! The fans screamed, smelled beer and they knew our names explains Baril, who relied on Tifosi’s support to inspire him, because he was part of an Italian team.

The athlete from Rouyn-Noranda does not evaluate this long breakaway as a personal highlight, but as proof that he has done the job expected of him. And it can be seen in his words.

My sports director has a lot of trust in me and it means a lot to me! He told me: You are very strong and there, everyone knows.I put on a great performance, but I didn’t feel like someone else. I’m the same runner and I’m happy because I gained confidence. I reached my goal of being on the breakaway and I am proud of the team. That’s really what’s important.

Baril is considered his team’s climber and almost backwards he showed himself in the Belgian cobbles this week.

It wasn’t made for me physically and it was very technical. I haven’t made these careers yet, but my manager convinced me to support my teammates revealed the 24 -year -old athlete is only in the fourth race of his career in the cobblestones.

When we did the reconnaissance of the course, I said to myself: “On Sunday I’m going to race, but then I’m never going to want to do it again. Quebecer continues, laughing and confirming that he is not in Paris-Roubaix to focus on the Ardennes and races in Spain next month.

The career film

Olivia Baril joined forces with Clara Honsinger (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), Sofie Van Rooijen (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Maria Martins (Le Col-Wahoo) at the start of the race and they maintained a gap of under 4 minutes . Van Rooijen and Martins were knocked out 85 miles from the line and the two North Americans continued their run. The pair were accompanied by three riders with 56 kilometers left and after 15 kilometers Honsinger had no reserve to keep up.

My sporting director told me to go ahead and my job was to be a breakaway, so I went ahead. Every time we climb a wall (cobblestone climb) I tell myself I will fall, but I am not falling!

No longer in the lead, in Taaienberg, 35 kilometers away, Baril was overtaken by a peloton of favorites. Quebecer caught his breath in this group that was slow in arranging the hunt at first.

I was trying to help my teammate Silvia (Persico, 11th) and when I saw the main peloton split in two, I made an effort to help her. says one who was finally ejected from his peloton on the Kruisberg / Hotond ascent, where Dutchman Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar) went on the attack.

The latter returned in charge at Paterberg 13 kilometers from the finish line and then Chantal Van den Broeke (SD Worx) made the attack that would decide the podium two kilometers later.

Van Vleuten chased hard to get back at him with Lotte Kopecky, tied to his wheel. Two against one, SD Worx perfectly controlled their lead and fixed the sprint in favor of Kopecky, who signed his second win of the season after raising his arms to Strade Bianche.