Rabobank rider Maarten Tjallingii scored a podium finish at Sunday's Paris-Roubaix spring classic in northern France. The veteran Dutchman helped power a breakaway group on his Giant TCR Advanced SL, then sprinted to third in the velodrome finish in Roubaix.

Riders faced unseasonably mild conditions in the 109th edition of the 258km race from Compiegne, a suburb of Paris, to the finish in Roubaix. With temperatures pushing past 26 degrees Celsius and the infamous cobblestone sectors dusty and dry, the pace remained high in the race known as “The Hell of the North.” Scores of crashes played a major role in the race’s final outcome.

Tjallingii was part of the first significant break, an eight-man group that escaped before the first pavé section in Troisville. He survived at the front over the 27 sectors of rough cobblestone roads ahead and came into the velodrome finish with a four-man chase group behind the day's winner, Johan van Summeren of Belgium. Tjallingii sprinted to third, scoring the best classics finish of his career.

Also finishing well for Rabobank was 2008 Cyclocross World Champion Lars Boom of The Netherlands. Boom started the day on his TCR Advanced SL and finished, in 12th place, on his TCX Advanced SL, the same bike he has ridden to numerous cyclocross victories.