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ROUBAIX, France (Velo) – There doesn’t seem to be any wear and tear on Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike). Despite being 37 years old, she rode an extremely impressive Paris-Roubaix on Saturday afternoon.
Before the race, it seemed a matter of when and where world champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) would attack. But during the race, Dutch ace Vos controlled every move by Kopecky. That forced the SD Worx team to switch focus on a sprint with ultra-fast Lorena Wiebes.
However controlling every move of the lead group turned out to be impossible and the Visma team capitalized on a solo breakaway by French star Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
In the sprint for third place, Vos was narrowly beaten by Wiebes. Nevertheless, Vos was still present at the podium, standing in front to celebrate the win of Ferrand-Prévot with their teammates.
“All of us were going for it,” Vos said with a big smile at the mixed zone on the inside of the Roubaix velodrome. “People rarely get to see what is done behind the scenes to make this happen. It’s great to celebrate it together.”
Tactics and technology come together
The race turned around from a physical challenge to more of a tactical race at 38km from the finish in Roubaix. “That’s the beauty of cycling. Sometimes you have to try and play the numbers,” Vos said. “Pauline did a fantastic job. We had a short conversation during the race. I said, ‘you need to try.’ She just took the moment.
“She also kept it really well. It’s not easy to stay away. It is really impressive. It’s no surprise to me after what I’ve seen in the winter and also what we’ve seen last week. Also the different terrain that she covers is impressive.”
Just a few moments before Ferrand-Prévot’s attack, Vos had been in a breakaway move with Lotte Kopecky. “If Kopecky goes, you know that you shouldn’t doubt,” she said. “We’ve been away for a bit, but when there are riders behind you also need to know when to go and when to use your effort.
“If Pauline was in front, it was easier to know what to do and make sure the chase doesn’t split up.”
Then, in the final kilometers, Kopecky got dropped from the main group.
When asked how many times she used the Gravaa tire pressure system during the race, Vos was quick to answer. “A lot. On the cobbles it’s possible to reduce the pressure. That’s a big difference,”
Then she was asked if she would advise Wout van Aert to use the system during the men’s race of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. She laughed at the question. “Wout has to make up his own decisions.”
