At one point Wiebes told Kopecky not to attack: "That’s when I had to bite through"

At the post-race press conference, Lorena Wiebes spoke in detail about her race and the decisive moment. “Pauline came flying from behind, and there had already been a few attacks. We were only two in that group, so in a way, we had to take some risks.”

“If we had a crystal ball... We know Pauline is very strong, but we can’t respond to everything. If I had known she was going to be that strong, of course I would’ve been on her wheel. We did everything we could, also during that phase with Ellen van Dijk up front. She can finish it off with a long solo, and we had to burn through a lot of our team already at that point,” Wiebes explained.

Earlier in the finale, Wiebes didn’t seem to be at her best. “I had a tough moment at one point. I was riding at the front going into a sector, and then Lotte attacked and that really hurt. It was hard to get going again after that, so I told Lotte: please don’t attack when I’m pulling at the front.”

Read more below the photo!

Wiebes: "If only we had a crystal ball"

At the post-race press conference, Lorena Wiebes spoke in detail about her race and the decisive moment. “Pauline came flying from behind, and there had already been a few attacks. We were only two in that group, so in a way, we had to take some risks.”

“If we had a crystal ball... We know Pauline is very strong, but we can’t respond to everything. If I had known she was going to be that strong, of course I would’ve been on her wheel. We did everything we could, also during that phase with Ellen van Dijk up front. She can finish it off with a long solo, and we had to burn through a lot of our team already at that point,” Wiebes explained.

Earlier in the finale, Wiebes didn’t seem to be at her best. “I had a tough moment at one point. I was riding at the front going into a sector, and then Lotte attacked and that really hurt. It was hard to get going again after that, so I told Lotte: please don’t attack when I’m pulling at the front.”

Read more below the video!

Wiebes: "I couldn't justify finishing off the podium"

“By the time we got through the penultimate cobbled sector, it was clear we were racing for second place,” Wiebes continued. “The gap was still quite big, and that’s when we realized it would be tough, we were really riding for second. I had a good day, but in the final I suddenly got some cramps. Still, after everything the team had done, I couldn’t justify finishing fourth and missing the podium.”

What feeling lingers most for Wiebes? “Maybe we had a slightly different meeting beforehand, but we fought with everything we had, and this doesn’t change anything for the other races. It’s easy when you win everything, but that’s just not always possible. You need a big engine for Paris-Roubaix, and we’re still building that. The cobbles still aren’t fun, but I hope to get even better and that my engine keeps growing.”

“I’m happy with what I accomplished, and the Ardennes races are still ahead. Personally, I might sleep a little less tonight than I would’ve if I’d won, but in a few days, I’ll definitely be proud,” Wiebes concluded her cobbled classics campaign

Read also

Kopecky stammers after Paris-Roubaix, in which SD Worx-Protime is expertly floored: "They'd rather see others win"

Why Alpecin-Deceuninck and Van der Poel are a perfect match: "A team without Mathieu? That would be tough!"

LIVE Paris-Roubaix 2025 | Van der Poel, Pogacar, van Aert, Pedersen, an exciting race and some rain?!

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe