If there’s one rider in the women’s field who fits Paris-Roubaix best, it’s Ellen van Dijk. The Trek-Segafredo rider has the power to ride the cobblestones and, as a world time trial champion, the strength to survive an attack.
But after being heavily touted as a favorite at last year’s race and then collapsing with a severe concussion, the Dutch rider admits she is worried about Saturday’s race and more looking forward to her next big goal of attempting the UCI – Set an hour record.
Van Dijk showed a mixture of concern and excitement ahead of the second edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes, where she will be just one card in a very strong hand for Trek-Segafredo, who also features last year’s third-place finisher Elisa Longo Borghini. World champion Elisa Balsamo and cyclocross specialist Lucinda Brand.
“There are so many people who are passionate about the race and it has such a big history. [It] is just different than any other race,” said Ellen van Dijk, referring to the massive preparation for last year’s first edition and her disillusionment with how her race went.
“Maybe my mentality changed a bit last year, I really thought ‘it’s going to be super cool’. And it’s probably something that suits me. This year I was a little more like ‘[sighs] Paris-Roubaix, I have to drive there too. I wasn’t that excited about it anymore.
“At the same time, I don’t feel the pressure to win this race. I know I have the power to do it. But I also learned that you don’t just need the strength to do it. It takes a lot more.” Winning this race takes more than just good strength.”
For the 35-year-old, who was one of the top favorites last year, it was almost as if the anticipation of Paris-Roubaix was liberating.
“I don’t really see myself as a favorite anymore, so I don’t carry that pressure around,” she said, but quickly changed her tone when asked if she was ready for Paris-Roubaix.
“I’m ready. I’m looking forward to getting out there and going as fast as possible,” she said, before explaining the cause of her hesitation.
“I’ve had a bit of anxiety inside me for the last year. It’s been a tough three months to get back to normal – I’ve had a really bad concussion and that’s something I obviously don’t want to have again. We’ll see how it starts on Saturday. I think the form is there, but it’s not just about that. I just have to be at the front, then everything will be fine.”
Rather than struggling through the mud and rain of last October’s season, the Paris-Roubaix Femmes will no doubt be dry on Saturday and race organizers said the cobbled sectors are in better shape than usual.
The weather forecast is a relief for Van Dijk. “My friend kept telling me, ‘If it rains, I forbid you to start – you will certainly not start again.’ I don’t know if I would have listened to him, but I’m glad it’s dry anyway.
“This year almost feels like another first time because the conditions are so different and everything will be different than last year. It’s still hard to know what to really expect in these conditions.
“One of the main things I learned last year is that you have to be up front, which wasn’t really new… but once you’re at the back of things, you keep chasing for the whole race. Positioning is key in this race, that’s no secret, it’s not mine either [best] Quality, so I’m struggling a bit with this race. My main focus is to position myself well and then just go from there.
“We have a super good team and a lot of different options. And I think that’s really good in this race because anything can happen. Surely someone will be unlucky, someone will have a great day, someone will have a bad day. I just think it’s really nice to have a very strong team here in Roubaix.”
Last year the team went into the race with a strong team and Lizzie Deignan’s early charge into the cobbled first sector proved to be a winning move. Van Dijk expects a different race this Saturday.
“No one ever expected Lizzie to make the winning move with 80,000 to go,” said Van Dijk.
“I expect a lot of girls to come this year [will] want to leave early just because they saw last year that it’s possible. So I think this year everyone will be excited from the start. In the dry weather conditions it will be a completely different race, it will be faster. I think there will be bigger groups, but maybe more pressure. There will definitely be chaos.”
The first edition featured 29.2 kilometers of pavement over a skinny 115 km course. This year, organizers added an extra opening lap to add 9km, but Van Dijk said that won’t change the race. Although many riders felt last year’s circuit was more than enough, Van Dijk believes the women can handle more of the paved sectors.
“Adding the first 10km in the local loop doesn’t add anything. I remember last year thinking it was more than enough. I think the course is tough enough. But I would like to see more cobblestones in the future.”
What she doesn’t want to withhold from the women, however, is the Arenberg Forest area.
“Two years ago we did it in recon and it’s just so fast and so dangerous. With the men there are always a lot of falls and a lot of chaos. I don’t think that’s what the race is about. So for me, no, please, no.”
After Paris-Roubaix, Van Dijk says she will take a brief mental break before diving into intense preparation for her hour record attempt, taking place in Grenchen, Switzerland on May 23, when she will attempt to top the mark set by Great of 48.405 km to be surpassed The Brit Joscelin Lowden.
“I am excited [the Hour Record] and i’m a little afraid of it too. But it’s one of my biggest dreams and the biggest project of my cycling career.”
“I’ve thought about it for about 10 years but never found the right time or the right team to support me. This year with Trek, the time has come. It’s been my main focus since I started training this winter. It’s my main focus. I’m really looking forward to it – a lot more than Paris-Roubaix, I have to say.”
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