Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos will both ride Paris-Roubaix after all this year, Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed on Thursday morning.
The Frenchwoman, a rather surprising winner in 2025, had initially planned to skip Roubaix this spring in favour of training for the Ardennes and handing leadership back to Vos, but she will be on the start line in Denain again.
Last Sunday, after finishing second at the Tour of Flanders, Ferrand-Prévot already hinted that a last-minute participation was possible, with teammate Vos currently away from racing after the death of her father.
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“It has been a very difficult period. It was good and important for me to spend the past few weeks with my family,” said Vos, whose father was always one of her biggest supporters. “This week, I’ve tried to get back to normal life again, and of course the bike is an important part of that.
“Even though the cobbled sectors can feel like torture, the road leading to the Vélodrome in Roubaix is beautiful. This race is so unique in cycling. I absolutely love it.
“I’m going to give it everything I have, and as a team we will definitely try to go for the win again.”
Despite the fact that this is also a late call-up for Ferrand-Prévot, that should do nothing to dent her chances, as her 2025 participation was also up in the air until the last second, and she even came close to pulling out on the morning of the race before going on to win.
This year, she will once again start in Denain coming off the back of second in the Tour of Flanders, where she admitted post-race that her power may currently be better than her climbing – something which would bode well for Roubaix.
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