Marianne Vos exclusive: Jumbo-Visma star says ‘there is no other Classic like Paris-Roubaix’

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) has said “there is no other Classic like Paris-Roubaix” as she prepares to tackle Hell of the North for a second time on Saturday.

Vos finished runner-up behind Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) in the inaugural women’s edition in 2021 before missing last year’s race with Covid.

She heads to France after an injury-interrupted start to the season, with the 35-year-old yet to taste victory in 2023 and off the pace at the Tour of Flanders last week.

“It’s of course a race that stands out in the calendar,” she said.

“It’s the kind of race for which you sit down in front of the television and you follow the whole broadcast.

“It was really nice when I did my first recon, because I recognised a lot of sectors, it felt like I was in the race because I know all these images from television.

“The first edition was a rainy, slippery one. It felt really special to be part of that. I was sort of lucky in the race not to have too much trouble. And of course ending up with a good result, it was a nice first experience.

“There is no other classic like Paris-Roubaix. It’s definitely something special.”

Asked if she had added motivation after missing out last year, Vos added: “Not really. Of course, last year I was pretty sad to miss out on the race. I was really looking forward to it and that’s the same for this edition.

“Maybe I’m even more looking forward to it after missing out on the last edition. But the preparation is the same.”

After the spring Classics, Vos will shift her attention to the Grand Tours and in particular the Tour de France Femmes, where she wore the yellow jersey in the inaugural edition last summer.

“It was of course fantastic to be part of it and to perform in the way we did as a team,” Vos said.

“That’s of course a memory that I will take with me forever. But the return of the Tour de France is a change beyond expectations.”

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