Ferrand-Prévot and Vos fall just short in emotional Roubaix - 'I wanted her to win for her father'

Ferrand-Prévot had approached the race with a clear purpose. Following the recent death of Vos’ father, Henk, the French rider made a deliberate decision to line up in support of her teammate.

“When I heard that Henk had passed away, I immediately called the team and said I wanted to ride Roubaix for Marianne. To support her and help her in this difficult period,” Ferrand-Prévot said at the press conference. “I knew it was a dream for her to win and I wanted her to win for her father.”

The 34-year-old rider also reflected on her long standing connection with the Vos family. “I have warm memories of the Vos family. When I turned professional at Rabobank, I was 18 and I spent the whole winter in a camper with the Vos family. Henk driving the camper, her mother making bolognese… I have such good memories of them.”

For Ferrand-Prévot, the race also carried a personal note of closure. “Today was also a way for me to say goodbye and thank you to him. That’s why I wanted Marianne to win. It didn’t work out, but we gave everything and I think he would be proud.”

On the road, Team Visma Lease a Bike appeared well positioned to control the outcome. After Mons-en-Pévèle, Ferrand-Prévot initiated the decisive move, with Vos, Koch and Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) joining her at the front. The trio got rid of Vas and distanced the rest and headed towards Roubaix with a clear advantage.

Despite being outnumbered, Koch remained composed throughout the final sectors. The German rider had already felt the race was developing in her favour well before the Velodrome.

“Before the cobbled sectors it was really war, but as a team we were always well positioned and stayed out of trouble. On the cobbles I was always riding in the first ten,” Koch said in the flash interview.

Up front, Koch found herself in the ideal situation. “We wanted to make the race hard. We actually ended up in the perfect group. It’s always a challenge when you have two riders from the same team in front, but on the other hand it was also an advantage because I didn’t have to work anymore.”

That approach paid off in Roubaix. In the sprint, Koch managed to hold off Vos despite late pressure.

“I felt her coming, but luckily I could accelerate a little more,” she said. “This is really hard to believe. I dreamed about this, but it was only a dream. In Paris Roubaix everything can happen.”

For Vos, the result came at the end of an emotionally demanding period. Returning to racing shortly after her father’s death, she came close to turning the day into a symbolic victory, but ultimately lacked the speed in the sprint.

“I’m disappointed that I couldn’t finish it for the team,” Vos said afterwards to Sporza. “It has been a tough period, but I tried to stay as fit as possible. Physically it wasn’t ideal, but I’m very happy that I could start here. The support of the team gave me extra motivation today.”

Reflecting on the finale, Vos acknowledged the decisive moment. “In the sprint I felt that I was lacking and didn’t have the speed to beat Koch. You can always adjust the sprint, but I don’t know if it would have been better. I just couldn’t make enough speed.”