Koch Overpowers Vos and Ferrand-Prévot to Win Paris-Roubaix

Franziska Koch (FDJ United – Suez) prevented double celebrations for Visma-Lease a Bike, uncorking a blistering sprint at the end of Paris-Roubaix Women to prevent Marianne Vos from emulating Wout van Aert’s win in the men’s race.

The German champion went head to head with Vos inside the velodrome and while the latter is a recognized star sprinter, Koch was able to hold off the Dutchwoman and reach the line several inches in front.

Vos was left in tears after defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot sacrificed her chances to help her. The Frenchwoman said before the race that she wanted her teammate to win, likely due to the death of Vos’s father in recent weeks.

However Koch was too strong, sparking off the original breakaway at the end of the the tough Mons-en-Pévèle sector of cobbles with 46km to go. She matched all the moves by Ferrand-Prévot and Vos, and proved best inside the velodrome.

2024 champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) outsprinted US rider Megan Jastrab (UAE Team ADQ) for fourth place, 1’30 back.

Defending champion gives her all for teammate

Early on in the race Rosa Maria Kloser (Canyon SRAM zondacrypto) opened a solid lead and hit the first cobble sector 50 seconds clear of the peloton. She was caught 77km from the finish, with the key move then going 31km later on the five star Mons-en-Pévèle sector.

Koch accelerated towards the end of that stretch of cobbles, being joined by Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), Vos and defending champion Ferrand-Prevot, forming a strong quartet at the front.

Under the pressure of repeated surges by Ferrand-Prévot, the quartet had a minute’s lead 32km from the finish with SD Worx-Protime chasing behind. Koch then distanced Ferrand-Prévot and Vas inside 25km to go but while the latter dropped back to the chase group to try to help them bridge, Ferrand-Prévot was able to return.

She once again found herself fighting back when Koch attacked on the Camphin-en-Pevele sector and, after her return, saw Vos trying in vain to get away on the Carrefour de l’Arbre.

Behind Lotte Kopecky and American rider Megan Jastrab accelerated in pursuit, with a third rider in that group, Lucinda Brand, being unlucky and crashing after she clipped a spectator.

Two against one

Those two chasers were 1’10 back with 10km to go and continued trying to close, but Ferrand-Prévot was sacrificing herself at the front to keep them clear. Koch dropped her for over 2km when she put in a huge attack with 4.5km remaining, but a determined Ferrand-Prévot managed to come back yet again and led the group into the velodrome.

Koch was outnumbered, but remained calm.

“Having two riders of the same team is on the one hand a challenge, on the other hand also a benefit a little bit because the work is not necessarily on you,” she said afterwards. “I tried to get rid of them a little bit but in the end I had to gamble for the sprint.”

Vos launched the gallop but Koch accelerated, holding her off to beat the more acclaimed sprinter in the lunge to the line.

“In the very first edition I got seventh,” she said. “So from the first edition onwards I knew I really liked this race and one day I want to win it.”

She’s done it now and, at 25 years of age, will have further opportunities to repeat the achievement in the years ahead.