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

Updated 07/04/2023 at 11:15 GMT

Marianne Vos heads to Paris-Roubaix on Saturday chasing one of the few titles that is missing from her incredible palmarès. Speaking to Eurosport France, the Dutch legend spoke about why the French cobbles are so special as she prepares for her second crack at the most unpredictable of races. Vos will go for Jumbo-Visma again in 2023, having missed last year’s race due to Covid.

Paris-Roubaix Femmes highlights as Deignan holds off Vos for famous win

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.

Paris - Roubaix Women

'It's difficult to accept' - Van Aert on puncture pain at Paris-Roubaix

00:01:51

09/04/2023 at 19:03

Speaking to Eurosport France, Vos revealed her excitement to race on the unpredictable cobbles again as she targets a title missing from her vast collection.

“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.”

Marianne Vos of Netherlands and Jumbo Visma Team chasing the breakaway during the 1st Paris-Roubaix 2021 - Women's Elite a 116,4km race from Denain to Roubaix / #ParisRoubaixFemmes / #ParisRoubaix / on October 02, 2021 in Roubaix,

Image credit: Getty Images

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.”

- - -

Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

Paris - Roubaix Women