In the corner of the press zone in the middle of the Roubaix velodrome after all the riders had finished was a man in a motorbike jacket, looking like he had just ridden Paris-Roubaix himself.
That man wasn't just a random motorbike pilot or a photographer, nor an itinerant who had wandered into the wrong section, it was Sir Bradley Wiggins.
The former Tour de France winner had spent the day on the back of a motorbike for Eurosport/GCN coverage, and described his experience as "harder than doing it on a bike".
"It was really tough out there, I mean you can really appreciate how hard it is for the riders from that point of view.
"It's the first time I've seen it from this side of the motorbike, from Paris-Roubaix anyway. I appreciate how hard it is. Fair play to the riders, it was incredible."
"It was like typical Dave Brailsford, to hell with tradition and do something not from the textbook and break the mould really," Wiggins said. "They did that on the section where nobody would expect that to work. They had everyone there, and they all sacrificed their chances for everyone. Luke Rowe gave his wheel to [Filippo] Ganna, Ganna did his job for [Michał] Kwiatkowski, he did his job for the team.
"They really deserved it today, better than anyone. They rode more like a team than anyone today."
"There has been a shift in traditions, especially this race," Wiggins said. Normally the first 100k the break goes, and everyone waits until the first sectors, but Ineos threw the textbook out the window."
Wiggins explained that the huge change in form came after the team had gone through a bit of "a lull in the last few years, a bit of disappointment".
"They've also had to learn a different way of racing, and it has taken them a few years to do that," he said.
"The guys that are doing well here in these classics, are all the guys that are supporting the big guys in the grand tours. In the past they had a classics squad, like with [Ian] Stannard, that would stop after here and have a break and then do the Vuelta [a España], but they seem to have one team that can cover all aspects of cycling at the moment, which I guess is what the sport is about."
The team's future is bright, too, with young riders like Ben Turner, who impressed on Sunday, and Brabantse Pijl winner Magnus Sheffield. Don't forget Tom Pidcock, either.
"Turner today was incredible, to see him up there," Wiggins said. "Just getting dropped before Carrefour de l'Arbe, and after having a big fall too. And to see him up there in the Tour of Flanders too two weeks ago, it really bodes well for the future."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
