the Australian would not be caught.

With seven km left, O?Grady led Flecha?s group by 1:00. He entered the
Roubaix velodrome and rode a jubilant lap and a half to claim the biggest road victory of his career. Flecha rode away from Wesemann in the last half lap to take second, leaving the German to claim the last place on the podium.

Today?s ride was a landmark one. Aside from being the first Paris-Roubaix win for a
British Commonwealth rider, it is the first victory for an English-speaking rider since Sean Kelly did the trick in 1987. O?Grady?s win is the first for an Australian. The race returns O?Grady to his roots on the track, where he and Graeme Brown won an Olympic gold medal in the men?s
Madison at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Not all of the landmarks were happy. Today?s race was the final professional one for Lars Michaelsen, O?Grady?s teammate. The Dane worked hard for defending champion Cancellara and O?Grady and was one of the first to greet O?Grady after the race. Michaelsen was a hard-working classics specialist whom CSC will miss?but not much. He will take a job with Riis Cycling, so expect him to continue contributing to CSC.

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