"Philippe was not at all ready," Française des Jeux team director Martial Gayant told La Dernière Heure who deemed his protege had nothing to gain on the cobbled roads of northern France.
"In the end, you get doubt and even fear. I've seen it with other riders, they wind up not wanting to come to certain races. As a 'puncher', Paris-Roubaix does not suit his style. With age and experience, it will become a race more to his taste," explained Gayant.
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