Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez): “It’s like a dream”

April 12 ^th 2026 - 18:45

Having taken the win at Paris-Roubaix Femmes Hauts-de-France in dramatic style by less than a wheel’s margin, 25 year-old German rider Franziska Koch commented: "It’s kind of hard to believe. I’ve been dreaming about it, I’ve been hoping that it would work out, but Roubaix is a race where everything can happen. In the end it worked out. It’s like a dream."

"We did a really good race with the team. The positioning was really key in the beginning - it’s like a war going into the cobbled sectors. We were fully committed and I managed to stay out of trouble. We wanted to make the race hard after Mons-en-Pevele and I ended up in the perfect move. Facing two riders of the same team is challenge on one hand and a benefit in the other because it’s not on you to work. I tried to get rid of them but I couldn’t, so I had to gamble on the sprint."

"I could feel her (Marianne Vos) coming in the corner and I was wary she could benefit from the angle of the track, but I just thought: ‘I have to win!’ The first edition, I got seventh, so I knew from then on this is a race I like, a race that I wanted to win one day. That day is today! I think I’m in a really good place right now. I’m really happy and I’m in the top shape of my career. I’m part of a fantastic team where every rider elevates each other."

"Marianne is the goat, the greatest of all time and such a nice person as well. I remember that years ago, in the Tour de France, I chased for 100 km because Lorena [Wiebes] was my teammate and I had to pull for the sprint. And at the end of the stage, Marianne came to pat me on the back and say ‘good job’, and I was like ‘oh my god!’ To race on the same level as her is really nice and to hear her say I’m a strong rider is a huge compliment for me."