Paris-Roubaix 2024: Linda Riedmann in a TOUR interview: "Made a step forward in terms of performance"
Sebastian Lindner
· 06.04.2024
Linda Riedmann is in the middle of her third year as a professional. It is the most important in her young career, as her contract expires at the end of the year. After she became European Junior Champion in 2021 and came third in the World Championship race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, then still Jumbo-Visma, contacted her. After a trial training session, it quickly became clear that the Dutch top team would sign the young rider from Franconia - who lost her equally talented twin brother Jan, who was riding for the Bora-Hansgrohe junior team at the time, in a training accident with a car four years ago.
21 years old since March, Riedmann completed her third Paris-Roubaix this year. In the first two years, she failed to make the time limit. This time, as a helper for her captain Marianne Vos, she managed 47th place, four and a half minutes off the pace behind winner Lotte Kopecky. Vos ultimately had to settle for 4th place in the sprint of the leading group, which neither the Dutchwoman nor Riedmann really liked.
After 149 kilometres from Denain to Roubaix over 17 cobblestone sectors, starting with the Degenkolb-Pave Hornaing a Wandiegnies and then for the rest of the day on the men's course, she summed up in an interview with TOUR reporter Sebastian Lindner in the Roubaix velodrome.
Linda Riedmann in a TOUR interview
TOUR: How would you describe your race?
Linda Riedmann: It was definitely another tough race. It was very hectic at the start with the crosswind, but not much happened. It got extremely hectic again, as it does every year, when it came to positioning before the first sector. That didn't work out perfectly for me and so I had to fight for survival in the first paves. After that, I was still in the front group for a few sectors, but my legs weren't good enough to be much help to Marianne. I was dropped in the 13th or 12th sector and the race was basically over for me.
Nevertheless, your result here today is the best you've achieved so far.
Sure, but that wasn't too difficult either, as I've finished outside the time limit twice so far. Once I wasn't quite fit. And the other time I crashed twice before the first sector. On paper, it was my best result, but I would have liked to have done a bit more for the team.
What were your tactics?
We were actually aiming to be in an early leading group so that we could perhaps have a rider with a bit of a lead at the front when it came to the hot phase. But in the end there was nothing we could do.
With 3.4 bar over the Pave
Like the entire Visma squad, you were riding a Cervelo Soloist in both the women's and men's races. How was the material?
I think we can all be very satisfied with that. We are in a very good position in terms of material, that wasn't the problem. The 3.4 bar in the tyres was quite comfortable, I got through without a puncture.
The classics season is now over for you. And with 12th place at Gent-Wevelgem, you also achieved a really good result for yourself. How would you summarise the spring?
Overall, I'm satisfied with how things went for me. Compared to last year, I realise that I've already made a step forward in terms of performance and that I can now take part in a race for longer and stay at the front for longer.
What's next for you in the coming weeks and months?
First with a bit of a break. Then comes a training phase. A few smaller races are on the agenda again at the beginning of May. Then three- to four-day tours will follow. As far as the Grand Tours are concerned, a lot is still open. I'm not going to the Vuelta and nothing has been decided yet for the Giro and Tour.
