At the end of the toughest cobblestone classic race of the spring, the last men to reach the finish line, though a few minutes behind the time cut-off, were.

Of course, the 2023 race was no different: 135 finishers, 37 retired, and in between, three finished on the Roubaix velodrome but outside the time cut.

Karl-Patrick Lauck (Bingoal WB), who finished 138th, 14:17 behind the 26:18 shortened time behind solo winner Mathieu Van der Pol, was the last one in the post-race standings. His teammate Dorian de Mehe finished four minutes ahead of him, while Ineos Grenadiers neo-pro Josh Tarling finished in 136th place, 6 minutes 28 seconds behind the time limit.

The junior-turned-pro Brit had an unforgettable day in his debut Paris-Roubaix, as the fresh 19-year-old, the youngest competitor in 86 years, left Compiègne in the morning, dressed in his new kit, taped fingers and excited to tackle the cobbles.

6 hours.

Six hours later, after a fall and two punctures, he rushed into the velodrome, covered in dirt and dust, his jersey white with salt from sweat.

When asked how he would describe his Paris-Roubaix debut, Turling replied, "It was long."

"I crashed. I was leading the first two sectors and I crashed with Luke. I got back into the lead group with [Casper] Asgreen and then I had two punctures, and I rode alone for about 120km, so it was just a long day."

"I was the last one," he added. If I didn't make it here, my girlfriend would yell at me. ......" He added. It's just Paris-Roubaix, right? It's worth it."

Tarling said he had been getting tips from team leader Filippo Ganna and road captain Luke Rowe in the morning for the race.

Having done "recons, sportives, etc." in addition to the junior Paris-Roubaix the past two seasons, he needed guidance for his first senior Paris-Roubaix, even though he tasted the cobbles for the first time as a pro at the E3 Saxo Classic last month.

"I scouted with Ganna. ...... I was scared and hanging on," Tarling said just before the start. 'Then I scouted with Luke, and I was scared.'

"So I basically had to listen to everything he said and do it, and it was 100% worth it. Just being around them makes me feel more calm and like I can do my job."

As he, his Ineos Grenadiers teammates, and the rest of the peloton set out on the road to Roubaix, Tarling and Lowe were the pacemakers at the front of the peloton. The two, one an experienced old-timer and the other a Roubaix novice, would soon find themselves on the wrong side of Roubaix.

With 150 km to go, Tarling slipped and hit Rowe as they passed the first three cobblestone sections of the day. Jumbo Visma picked up the pace, and the two made a frantic pursuit.

"It was super cool," Tarling said. "It was nice to lead the first sector with Luke. It was good to lead the first couple of sectors with Luke. Unfortunately, I crashed on the right off-camber. And two punctures in a few more sectors.

"With a crash and two punctures, you've done Paris-Roubaix, right?

Turling concluded that despite the carnage and suffering, it was worth it just to finish the northern hellhole. He would return to the cobblestones whenever the team sent him, he said.

"The crowd was the biggest I've ever seen and it was 100% worth it to be here. We're tired, but we can always sleep tonight, right? [35] [36] "As long as they keep asking to go to these races, I'll keep saying yes. I'm trying to get as much experience as possible. This race and Strade are two of my favorite races, and hopefully next year I'll be at both."