Franziska Koch
Franziska Koch, born 13 July 2000 in Mettmann (Germany), is a German road racing cyclist and the 2026 Paris-Roubaix Femmes champion. A powerful Classics specialist and reigning German national road race champion, she stunned the favourites on the cobbles of northern France to claim the biggest win of her career. After many seasons with her first professional team, Picnic PostNL, Koch moved to FDJ United-SUEZ for 2026, where she has stepped out of the support role and into the spotlight. Find Franziska Koch's latest results, stats and race calendar on this page.
Biography of pro cyclist Franziska Koch
For years Franziska Koch was one of the most reliable engines in the women's peloton, a rider whose strength on the cobbles and in the wind made her invaluable to her leaders. In 2026 she finally turned that work into a landmark personal victory.
Her win at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, where she became the first German rider to take the cobbled Monument, confirmed what teammates had long known: given her own chance, Koch can beat the very best.
Early life and cycling background in Germany
Koch grew up in Mettmann, near Düsseldorf, and joined her local club RV Edelweiss Mettmann 1906 as a child in 2010. She was a versatile junior, excelling across disciplines: she took national titles on the track in the omnium and even a national cross-country mountain bike title, while also showing promise on the road. That broad base built the all-round strength and bike-handling that would later define her road racing.
She turned professional in 2019 and developed steadily within the team then known as Sunweb and later Picnic PostNL, learning her trade as a strong, selfless rouleur.
National champion and Classics breakthrough
Koch's first big individual milestones came in her home colours, winning the German national road race title in 2024 and defending it in 2025, the latter after overcoming a three-against-one situation in the closing kilometres. Those wins marked her emergence as a finisher in her own right.
In the spring of 2026 she was outstanding across the cobbled Classics, supporting her leaders while collecting strong results of her own at races such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders. It all came together at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, where she beat Marianne Vos by the narrowest of margins after a long, brutal day on the pavé to win her first UCI Women's WorldTour race, and become the first German winner of the event.
Rider profile: strengths, style and characteristics
Koch is a classic cobbled-Classics rider: strong, durable and at her best when the racing is hard and attritional. She handles rough surfaces superbly, can ride at the front for long periods, and has a fast enough finish to win from a reduced group. Versatile and tactically smart, she has long been valued as one of the most dependable riders in any breakaway or echelon.
Personal life
Raised in Mettmann, Koch came through a multi-discipline grounding in track, mountain bike and road racing before committing to the road full-time. She is known within the peloton as a hard-working, team-first rider whose 2026 success was widely celebrated.
Records and milestones
- Winner, Paris-Roubaix Femmes (2026), first German champion of the race
- German national road race champion (2024, 2025)
- Junior national titles in track omnium and cross-country mountain bike
- Strong Classics results including top placings at Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders
- Professional since 2019 (Sunweb / Picnic PostNL, then FDJ United-SUEZ from 2026)
What's next for Franziska Koch?
With a Monument now on her palmares and a move to FDJ United-SUEZ giving her fresh opportunities, Koch looks set to race more often for herself across the cobbled and one-day Classics. The challenge now is to build on her Roubaix breakthrough and establish herself as a regular contender at the front of the biggest races.
