Visma DS is also impressed by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's high level: "I did not expect that she would immediately compete for the prizes"

When Pauline Ferrand-Prévot declared her offensive on Tour de France Femmes title within next three years, it wasn't really taken seriously. Although the Frenchwoman became a road world champion in 2014, she hasn't raced on road since 2018 when she switched full-time to mountain bikes. But after her Paris-Roubaix Femmes victory, she cannot be take lightly for upcoming Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes anymore.

"If you won the previous monument, you have to have the ambition to go for the win again. With Pauline we certainly have a contender," sports director Jos van Emden declares in pre-race press release. "Of course you know that she is a world-class athlete, but I did not expect that she would immediately compete for the prizes."

But the Frenchwoman, who returned to the road this year after years of absence, does not only show her qualities in performances. At Visma | Lease a Bike, team manager Van Emden is also very impressed by her leadership. "Pauline is a clear leader. She speaks out and ensures a certain line. The entire team benefits from that."

The riders face ten climbs on Sunday, including the famous La Redoute in the finale. According to Van Emden, the idea is to be alert all day long. "In recent years, we have seen that it can happen in multiple places. We have to make sure that we have the race under control as much as possible and are always in position to race."

If the team is unable to achieve a top result on Sunday, they can still look back on their spring campaign with a very positive feeling, according to the former rider. "As a team, we are performing better and we have become stronger across the board. The results of the past few months offer perspective for the coming period. It would be great if we could end the spring in a beautiful way on Sunday."