Team SD Worx-Protime with strong team for Paris-Roubaix

Team SD Worx-Protime with strong team for Paris-Roubaix

“Would be fantastic to win Paris-Roubaix with the team after Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders too”’

11/04/2025

Team SD Worx-Protime is on a strong spring campaign. The Dutch world team counts 12 road wins, but its hunger is not yet satisfied. Last year, Lotte Kopecky triumphed at the Vélodrome in Roubaix. This season, Team SD Worx-Protime hopes to have a rider on the top step in Paris-Roubaix. In this race, bad luck sometimes plays a decisive factor. Then it is only good that you can play several cards.'

Linked race Parijs-Roubaix - Linked cyclists Lorena Wiebes Lotte Kopecky - Gekoppelde ploegleiders: Danny Stam Gian Polo Mondini

Lotte Kopecky: “Would be very nice to take the double”

Lotte Kopecky: “Whether I can look forward to Paris-Roubaix more relaxed after my victory in the Tour of Flanders? In a way, yes. A pressure has fallen off my shoulders. It's not that I'm less keen on victory in Paris-Roubaix because of that, but it makes a difference that I already have a monument in.” 

“Whether my victory in Paris-Roubaix last year was one of my best of the season? It's definitely a win that will stay with me. This was the goal I had set for the season. To then also live up to it in the rainbow jersey makes it extra special. We had missed out on victory as a team in the past three editions. You could feel that the team was extra keen to add Paris-Roubaix to their palmares. So the relief was great with everyone that we succeeded.”

“I would really like to achieve the double Tour of Flanders - Paris-Roubaix. That would be nice. But just as I'm not really concerned with records, I don't care if I would be the first to succeed. I just want to win. We are at the start with a strong team. In Paris-Roubaix, everything has to be right to win. And then you especially can't have bad luck. The fact that we can play several cards is all the more important in a race like Paris-Roubaix. It's a nice thing to be able to go into the race like that.”

“What I took away from the reconnaissance? That the cobbles are still as bad as last year (laughs). After four editions, the course is already in my head, but it is still nice to refresh everything a few days before the race. Especially as we could do this in the same weather conditions as they forecast on Saturday. Furthermore, I saw that Blanka Vas was really enjoying riding over the cobbles. That was nice to see. Marta Lach also rode super over the cobbles. With Lorena Wiebes as a co-leader also, Elena Cecchini as an ideal lieutenant, and Barbara Guarischi with all her racing experience, we have a strong team at the start.”

“I am also satisfied with how the spring is going at the moment. I took a long period without competition. I also felt that during the first races. I needed some time to find the right feeling. But I feel the form is on the rise. I'm happy with that, because that's what I wanted to achieve. I didn't want to end up on a plateau like in previous years. I hope I can continue this level of form towards Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But first, Paris-Roubaix. It would be fantastic to win Paris-Roubaix with the team after Milan-Sanremo and Tour of Flanders.’

Lorena Wiebes: 'Paris-Roubaix is a race I definitely want on my palmares”

Lorena Wiebes: “What Paris-Roubaix means to me? This is one of the most special races on our calendar. Especially because we have only had a women's edition since 2021. The cobbles make it legendary, and then, of course, there is that finish in the Velodrome. I would love to be able to win this race one day.”

“Whether that can already be this year is hard to predict. I chose a different approach this year. I skipped the Scheldeprijs to put everything on Paris-Roubaix. Normally, I should be fresher at the start then, too.”

“What the reconnaissance taught me? I took a different tyre choice than last year. So it was nice to test this for a while and get used to the new handlebars we have. In itself, you don't feel much difference, but I just feel better with it. The course was pretty okay because of the favourable weather conditions. Saturday, they predict identical conditions, so I am looking forward to it. On cobbles, it's important to choose your best line, and a reconnaissance helps with that too.”

“What scenario am I hoping for? The same scenario as last year would be favourable for us as a team. Hopefully, I won't miss the right battle then. It's nice anyway that with Lotte Kopecky and me, we have two leading riders in Paris-Roubaix. That way, we can play the game. You don't have everything in your own hands either. Bad luck can throw a spanner in the works. Hope we are spared from that.”

“On reconnaissance, I tested my sprint in the Velodrome. What makes this race so special is that the final sprint is completely different from any other road race. Look at last year how Lotte Kopecky won from an impossible position, but at this finish, it is possible. From the turn, it is quite a long way to the finish, and the wind can play a role. I hope I can sprint for the win.”
 
“Whether I go into it more relaxed because I've already won some classics? I try not to go into it too relaxed because then you're not quite there. So I keep the pressure on myself. The spring is good anyway, but this could be the icing on the cake.”

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