The cancellation of this season's Paris-Roubaix, scheduled for October 25, was a major disappointment for fans and riders alike.

Jumbo-Visma's Wout Van Aert said he has "special motivation" to perform well in the Tour de Flanders, while Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix) was disappointed to have to wait for his Roubaix debut, Injured Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal) was "disappointed" that the race would not take place, but was able to put a positive spin on the situation, saying that he should be able to defend his title once the race returns to the April calendar in 2021.

"Paris-Roubaix is one of my favorite races, so of course it is a big disappointment," Van Aert said in a video message released by the Jumbo-Visma team, Het Nieuwsblad reported on Friday.

"We have worked hard to have a good run to Roubaix. "This season is one week shorter and only a few goals remain--one of them, of course, is the Tour of Flanders (October 18).

"For me, it's small consolation that I've already achieved some great victories and had a great season," said the winner of this year's Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, who also won two stages in the Tour de France. I also won two stages in the Tour de France." He is motivated to accomplish something in the Tour de Flanders and Ghent-Wevelgem (Sunday).

"I hope that these races will take place as planned, with good measures in place [against the coronavirus]," he said. Roubaix is one of our big goals for 2021."

Another favorite for this year's race, despite never having raced Roubaix, was three-time cyclo-cross world champion Mathieu Van der Pol (Alpecin-Phoenix).

"I was really looking forward to finally finishing the "Hell of the North" for the first time," said Van der Poel according to Het Nieuwsblad, who was scheduled to do a course reconnaissance with his team next Wednesday.

"Paris-Roubaix was of course one of my main goals and it was to be my fifth monument of the season. I will have to wait until 2021 to run this legendary race."

"The cancellation only increases the importance of the upcoming races, Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders respectively. On the other hand, the choice to add Liège-Bastogne-Liège to my program seems to have been the right one," said van der Pol, who finished sixth in Liège last weekend.

2019 Paris-Roubaix winner Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal) said he was disappointed that the race would not take place, but said the bright side is that he will likely be able to try to defend his title next year.

The Belgian rider crashed on the opening stage of the Tour de France, breaking his kneecap and forcing him to abandon the race, but returned to racing two weeks later in the Tour de Luxembourg.

"It's a real shame that Paris-Roubaix was cancelled," Gilbert wrote on Twitter. Let's rendezvous next year on the cobblestones of the "Hell of the North." Let's rendezvous next year on the cobblestones of "hell in the north."