“I don’t know what to feel yet,” said Marianne Vos as she exited the Stab Velodrome, the indoor venue just across the road from the outdoor on track, where a golden opportunity to win Paris-Roubaix Femmes had just slipped through her fingers. Her press conference had taken place well over an hour after the finish of the race, and although she insisted that “tomorrow will be Monday again”, you sense it will take a good while longer to process this one.
Vos was crestfallen at the finish line. The sinking devastation was writ large in eyes that welled with tears. There were smiles, and there were positives and pride to be taken, but the disappointment came in waves, and there were several moments where she struggled to fight back the tears.
This was a gut punch because the race, one that was only created late in her illustrious career and one she’d so dearly love to conquer before it’s all done, was in the palm of her hand. Visma-Lease a Bike had a two-on-one advantage in the finale, Vos joined by teammate and defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot as they took on Franzisca Koch. Even when Vos entered the velodrome with Koch, she was heavily favoured to finish fastest, but the German pulled off one of the big shocks of recent memory.
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And then there was the underlying emotion, which was always going to seep out. Vos’ father died last week, and it was doubtful whether she’d be here at all, let alone in a position to win the race.
“We miss him, calling him, having small WhatsApp messages, or a picture, or whatever. But in a way… you just try and focus on what you have to do,” Vos said.
“I just wanted to try and make the best of the preparation under the circumstances. I was also just very happy to be here because it’s one of the most beautiful races of the season. Even though I knew it might not be the perfect preparation, I just wanted to give everything I had today.
“It’s an in-between feeling, which is a weird feeling. Maybe one day it will be closer to one or another. I don’t know what to feel yet.”
Tactics
The disappointment was tinged with a slight sense of regret in terms of how the race played out tactically.
“If you look back, there’s always things you can do differently. That’s bike racing. You have to make decisions on the…
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