🎥 Ferrand-Prévot consoles Vos: "I asked the team if I could take part to help her."

It looked set to be the perfect script for Marianne Vos and Visma | Lease a Bike at Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2026. The Dutch rider entered the Vélodrome in pole position, but lost by half a wheel to German champion Franziska Koch of FDJ-Suez.

The German champion kept pushing in the closing phase, too. She attacked on the Carrefour de l'Arbre, countered Vos, then seized the lead with four kilometres to go. She led into the sprint and held off Vos to the line.

For Vos — who missed Milan-Sanremo, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders due to the illness and eventual death of her father Henk — the defeat was no less painful for Koch's merit.

The Dutch rider slammed her handlebars after crossing the line, then broke down in tears as the weight of recent weeks caught up with her. Ferrand-Prévot showed her compassionate side once again, immediately moving to console her teammate.

"I was not on the list for this race," the Tour de France Femmes winner explained. "When I heard that Marianne's father had passed away, I asked the team if I could take part to help her."

"I have spent a lot of time with the Vos family. It was a way to say goodbye to him," the Frenchwoman told the French press.