Former cyclocross world champion Lars Boom led an impressive showing by the Rabobank team at Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix spring classic in France. Boom, who started the grueling 257.5km race on his Giant Defy Advanced SL and finished on the TCX Advanced SL cyclocross bike, finished sixth, his first top-10 in the cobblestone race known as the The Hell of the North.

Joining Boom in the top-10 was his teammate Maarten Wynants, who finished tenth on his Defy Advanced SL.

On a day that saw dry conditions and fast, aggressive racing, the Rabobank team executed its plan to near perfection. Boom showed great form in the latter stages of the race, but an untimely flat tire forced the Dutchman to claw his way back into position at a crucial time.

With eventual winner Tom Boonen a minute ahead, Boom had been planning to attack the three-man chase group he was riding in. Once he regained contact with that group after his flat tire, he launched his attack. But after nearly six hours in the saddle he couldn’t hold them off. He entered the velodrome with the chasers and rolled across the line sixth.

Still, with a 12th place last year and a career-best sixth this year, Boom showed great progress in his bid to someday win the Queen of the Classics.