Sick, almost dropped during training, crashed and Roubaix as training? Ferrand-Prévot offers a demoralizing analysis after her victory

You have been sick for two days for those who weren't there and then decide to get on your bike anyway. You don't feel great after not doing much better in the days before. You immediately accelerate, leave the competition behind, and win Paris-Roubaix by a large margin. That is a perfectly normal scenario, right? Pauline Ferrand-Prévot can certainly relate after Saturday because the Frenchwoman from Visma | Lease a Bike spoke some surprising words after her great victory in Hell of the North.

When Ferrand-Prévot is asked the first question about winning her Roubaix debut during the flash interview, she begins: "It was so difficult; I mainly tried to keep up during the first cobblestone sections. Then I fell at Auchy-lez-Orchies a Bersée, which meant I had to chase. Fortunately, we had Marianne (Vos, ed.) in the lead, which was a pretty good situation. When I returned, I decided to attack and found a gap. From there, it was all out to the finish line."

It sounds very straightforward, but not when we hear Ferrand-Prévot repeat that she was ill two days before Paris-Roubaix. "I doubted whether I would participate, but we decided to do it, and in the worst case, I would do my best for Marianne. But fortunately, I started; winning here is unbelievable. My boyfriend (Dylan van Baarle, ed.) won three years ago, so now we have two cobblestones at home. That's very cool. I don't know how to assess this victory; I haven't realized it yet, and I'm just super happy. Maybe tonight I can say that it was my best victory ever."

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Ferrand-Prévot almost was dropped during Roubaix training session

"I want to thank my teammates because they have always believed in me," the winner says, knowing that the women at Visma | Lease a Bike rode an almost perfect race. "We did our first training on the cobblestones on Wednesday, and those girls went so fast that I was nearly dropped off every cobblestone section. I knew this team could do something good, but you also need a bit of luck to make it all come together. It was a great day for us."

She had already finished third in Strade Bianche and second in the Tour of Flanders, so she did not expect to win Paris-Roubaix. "This is a surprise because I was not scheduled for the Tour of Flanders or Roubaix. But I told the team I wanted to try it and good training for the first stage in the Tour de France. That is how I approached these races, but I can only be happy with my return to the road. The Tour de France is the season's most important goal, and I want to be ready for it. We are on the right track and building something strong as a team."

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