Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike): “I would have preferred to win!”

April 12 ^th 2026 - 19:26

Finishing a heart-breaking second by the finest of margins in the velodrome, Marianne Vos produced an epic performance at Paris-Roubaix Femmes Hauts-de-France, despite the recent loss of her father.

Vos stated post-race: “I tried to focus as much as possible on the race itself and of course with the team doing such an amazing job and then with Pauline (Ferrand-Prevot) doing such an amazing job, I tried to focus on the task I needed to do. It was fantastic to be there in the break with the two of us and with Franziska (Koch). She did some good attacks, so I knew I had to follow and try to be in the best position as possible for the sprint finish. Of course it's nice to be second and third, but I'm also honest, I would have preferred to to win!”

“To have Pauline in the team it's always a fantastic addition. To have the winner of last year’s race in your team, Pauline is always dedicated, she's always ready. Especially the way she raced today also, just shows how big of a champion she is.”

“In hindsight, probably could have done things differently but also Franziska had great attacks, she was very strong. I’m very thankful for Pauline, all the efforts she did to create a gap, make it bigger and keep pushing. I would have wanted to finish it off, but it is what it is. I wasn’t surprised by Franziska, she is just really, really strong. I think maybe she even surprised herself.”

“Together with my partner we still tried to manage and do what we could, in preparation, and of course it wasn’t ideal. Sometimes you don’t have everything in your hands and you have to deal with circumstances. The team has always been supportive. You just try to do what you can do and work as hard as you can and get ready for the races. That’s what I really like. Cycling has always been a big part of my life. The preparations weren’t the best but this is one of the most beautiful races there is so I wanted to be here.”