STORIES abound within the Canberra cycling community of the sheer passion Mathew Hayman had for the sport in his teens.

According to some, he did a fair job of racing the school bus, often to the cheers and delight of all those on board, hoping he’d win his own version of the Tour de Bus.

That background, in less than perfect conditions, may have contributed to what will go down as one of the greatest performances ever by a Canberra sportsperson.

Six weeks after breaking his arm and 10 days short of his 38th birthday, Mathew Hayman has won the toughest one-day race in world cycling. His preparation had been limited at times to the home trainer.

The Paris-Roubaix is not for the faint hearted; it is 257 kilometres of hell on a bike. The cobblestones alone can shake a bike to its core. This year, seven riders were hospitalised due to crashes.

Imagine the pain of riding with an injury on the rocky surface? That’s exactly what Mathew Hayman was putting his body through.

Watching the race, he appeared to drop off the lead, only to catch up several times. He lost momentum while trying to avoid contact with another rider. It resembled a roller derby on bikes.

But each time he worked his way back into the lead group. At 14.5 kilometres he rejoined the lead. Even then it was almost pre-determined by many that he couldn’t win. He was a “domestique” after all, a cyclist who helps others win, not the one likely to win a fight with Tom Boonen who was odds-on favourite having won the race four times before.

Hayman though, in his 15th attempt, kept his calm and determination, as the lead pack headed towards the velodrome finish. Surely it was time to dare to dream!

He wasn’t a sprinter, yet here he was in a dogfight with Boonen.

Boonen the sentimental favourite had plenty of crowd support, but Hayman was not to be denied as he surged to the front in the sprint finish to win the greatest race of his life.

It was something he had thought about for a long time leading up to this very day. So much so that he couldn’t believe he had done it. He had won!

The official results tell the true story: Mathew Hayman is the winner of the 114th edition of the Paris-Roubaix race in 5 hours 55.53 seconds. What a champion!