Paris-Roubaix winner Mathew Hayman enjoys spectacular rankings rise as plaudits keep coming
MAT Hayman’s extraordinary Paris-Roubaix triumph has delivered an equally spectacular rankings rise — from 950th in the world to No 27.
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MAT Hayman’s extraordinary Paris-Roubaix triumph has delivered an equally spectacular rankings rise — from 950th in the world to No 27.
Hayman’s amazing victory earned the Orica-GreenEDGE domestique 500 rankings points, elevating the veteran to the third highest Australian in the standings behind world No 7 Richie Porte and world No 12 Simon Gerrans.
Revered in the peloton as much for tactical genius as willingness to sacrifice, Hayman’s win continues to draw unqualified plaudits from his peers.
Among the most significant tributes came from former world champion Tom Boonen, who finished second to Hayman on Sunday.
“He (Hayman) played it very well,” Boonen told Cyclingtips.
“In the end, I think a guy like him really deserves a victory like this after a career of helping people out and being in the final of classics a lot but not really getting the big wins.
“When Mathew passed me, he was going so fast I almost killed myself trying to get back on the wheel.
“I think everybody was really tired. I was trying to do the sprint from the front, trying to take the last corner in the lead.
“He (Hayman) passed me there and I need to wait a little bit because Sep. (Vanmarcke) was on the right side, which is normal as there is only one side you can pass on the track.
“I had to wait 30 or 40 metres, and that cost me the victory. Or, at least it cost me the chance to really sprint against him.
“Then I was already too far behind.”
Denied a fifth Paris-Roubaix cobble, Boonen said Hayman’s persistence deserved to be rewarded as the Aussie contested the iconic event for the 16th time with a previous best finish of eighth.
“Like in the past, sometimes riders like him can win Paris-Roubaix,” Boonen said.
“I think that is not a bad thing. We all tried our best and we have to be happy with the results we get.”
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