Saturday his girlfriend, Sunday himself? Van Baarle takes inspiration from Ferrand-Prévot’s victory: "It's phenomenal what she did"

Three years ago, Dylan van Baarle won Paris-Roubaix. This Saturday, the Dutchman from Visma | Lease a Bike had another reason to celebrate, his girlfriend, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, claimed victory in the women’s edition. Since they both ride for the same team, the Frenchwoman’s win also served as a good omen. Van Baarle is now eagerly looking ahead to Sunday’s finale.

Did Ferrand-Prévot’s win give him extra motivation? “Absolutely. What she did was phenomenal,” he told NOS. What made the win even more special was that Ferrand-Prévot had been sick beforehand and was only supposed to ride in a support role. “I didn’t even get to talk to her all Friday because she was sleeping. We hadn’t really spoken about the race at all. She only decided to ride on Saturday morning.”

Funnily enough, Van Baarle missed most of the key moments of her race. “I was here, when she had that little crash, I was up on the podium, so I missed that. And when she launched her attack, I was just walking over to the massage table, so I ended up watching it there.” How did he experience the solo? “You don’t even want to know,” he laughed. “I watched it with the team soigneur, iPad on my lap, it was pure enjoyment.”

Read more below the photo!

Ferrand-Prévot won Paris-Roubaix in brilliant fashion.

Winning, just like his girlfriend? "I've already done it"

Ferrand-Prévot’s victory has definitely given him hope. The former Dutch national champion is aiming for a strong result, he’s even secretly thinking about a win. “I hope so. I’ve already done it. It’s definitely possible. I’ve had a good week, I didn’t get sick, so that’s a bonus. I’m at the start, and anything can happen in Roubaix,” says the 2022 winner. Back then, racing for INEOS Grenadiers, the classics specialist arrived solo at the velodrome.

This year, he and his entire team are starting with the Gravaa system, the much-talked-about technology that allows tire pressure to be adjusted during the race. According to Van Baarle, it makes “a huge” difference. “You can ride with lower pressure on the cobbles, and higher pressure on the road. Normally, you try to find a compromise so your tires aren’t too soft on the asphalt, but now you really get the best of both worlds. Even with a puncture, you can pump your tire back up. There are just so many advantages.”

His French girlfriend showed on Saturday just how well the system works. “She was super happy with it. She already used it in Flanders, and was really pleased. Last night she said it was ‘amazing,’ so she’s very satisfied.” But Van Baarle also has experience with it. “I used it back in 2023, and I was very impressed. Hopefully I’ll be just as impressed today.”

Read also

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