How Franziska Koch went from Demi Vollering's super-domestique to Paris-Roubaix winner
CyclingMonday, 13 April 2026 at 13:49
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Follow us on GoogleFranziska Koch, winner of Paris-Roubaix. A year ago, anyone suggesting that might have raised eyebrows. But if Marianne Vos is adamant that it was 'no surprise,' then who are we to doubt it? The 25-year-old German had impressed in recent weeks, mostly in service of FDJ United-SUEZ team leader Demi Vollering. At Roubaix, she shone on her own account.
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Koch already had strong results before Paris-Roubaix. After helping Juliette Berthet to a top ten at the UAE Tour, she finished fifth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, where Vollering won. When Vollering was distanced at Strade Bianche, Koch and Elise Chabbey rode the finale for FDJ United-Suez and the German took third. Chabbey won.
Koch then guided Chabbey to a In Flanders Fields top five. At Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders, it was Vollering's show again — second and first respectively. But Vollering was not on the start list for Roubaix. That proved to be Koch's opportunity to chase a truly big result, after a stage win in the Boels Ladies Tour (2019) and two German road race titles (2024 and 2025).
"This is incredible. I've been dreaming of winning Paris-Roubaix for a long time and we've had such a good start to the season as a team. Demi won the Tour of Flanders last week and now the team believed in me. I have fantastic form and it is amazing that I've been able to finish it off," Koch said in the press conference to IDL Pro Cycling and others.
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Koch not afraid of Vos and Ferrand-Prévot
As 'one of the protected riders,' Koch was able to stay with Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of Visma | Lease a Bike in the finale. Two against one — so Koch had to come up with a plan. "I'm not a pure sprinter, but I do have a good punch after a hard race. I tried to shake them off in the finale, though I knew that would be difficult," she said
"I wanted to at least tire their legs out. That was the plan behind my late attack. That I then won the sprint against Marianne is incredible. I hoped for it, but I never expected it," Koch said. "I wasn't worried when I was up front with those two — just focused. Pauline was doing a lot of work to keep the pace high, so I didn't expect another punch from her. Getting away from Vos was not possible."
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Koch relishes role as team leader — and as domestique
Koch said she has dreamed of winning Paris-Roubaix since the first edition. "A crazy race like this is ideal for me, because I'm good at positioning, I can handle the chaos, and I've done all the disciplines really. I even raced on the track as a young girl. That experience came in handy."
Yet Koch seems to have come from nowhere for many fans. Is it purely the move to FDJ United-Suez that has made her such a strong rider? "There's no single secret. I came to FDJ United-Suez and changed coaches in the process. The whole environment is new to me and I'm very happy here. A happy athlete is a good athlete, and the whole team is performing really well."
Will the Paris-Roubaix victory change her role within the French super-team? "I love winning, but I also love winning with the team. The team tactics will be different for every race and I commit to that. When you ride in a strong team, you have to play the game, and we benefit from that. We always stick to the plan."
Or as she put it in the end: "I love winning myself, but if I can help Demi win, I get a lot of satisfaction from that too." The team leader needn't worry — for now, at least.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Wout taking the sting out of late attacks was massive. That’s leadership. Brennan calm as you like—chapeau, lads. Qué etapa, magnifique teamwork!jennifer1928-08-2026
- Not sure I buy the “clear-cut” call on a flat sprint. Other teams looked strong and Wout could easily have been the protected rider. Feels a bit like the article glosses over that debate.raceready728-08-2026
- Really enjoyed this piece. Wynants keeping a lid on the hype is smart. Brennan’s Kuurne win showed he can handle bad weather and positioning—Flanders talk isn’t crazy, just not for tomorrow.patriciaw28-08-2026
- Quick question: when they say “lead-out,” is that just the last teammate pulling before the finish, or is it a whole sequence of riders lining up? Still getting my head round how they time it so precisely.velodromevirtuoso128-08-2026
- That was a clinic from Visma | Lease a Bike. Van Aert and Laporte did the dirty work perfectly and Brennan finished it off like a seasoned sprinter. Textbook indeed.pedalpowe2928-08-2026
- - Grande Remco! Two etapas y segundo en la general, muy fuerte. Pero tácticas un poco tímidas, no?patriciaw28-08-2026
- - This piece feels a tad harsh on Sven tbh. Predicting Pog to win in July isn’t heresy; the guy had a 3-minute cushion by Stage 6 and controlled every descent. You can’t rewrite the Tourmalet.robert6528-08-2026
- - Quick question: why didn’t Evenepoel try earlier long-range moves in the second week when Pogacar looked a touch isolated? Is it because the team didn’t trust his third-week durability, or was it just stage design?andrewf28-08-2026
- - Not sure I buy the idea that BORA never believed in Remco. If Del Toro needed protecting and Pog was on a mission, when exactly were they supposed to launch? Plateau de Solaison was great, but the GC gap was already baked in.sprocketspiny28-08-2026
- - Loved the insight from Van Hooydonck. He’s got that racer’s mentality—better to blow up going for yellow than quietly settle for second. Remco’s two stage wins show the legs were there; the strategy felt a bit too conservative early doors.pedalpowe2928-08-2026
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