Ahead of the men at the finish (nd-aktuell.de)

The racing calendar for women cyclists is aiming for the big highlights. After the early Amstel Gold Race last Sunday, the cobblestone classic Paris-Roubaix is ​​scheduled for this Saturday. Lisa Brennauer, road world champion and track Olympic champion, still has fond memories of the premiere last year. She finished fourth. »If there had been one more lap in the velodrome, I would have definitely made it onto the podium. Because I got closer and closer in the final,« she says in retrospect »nd.DieWoche«. »One thought I took with me from last year was that you should never give up, not until you reach the finish line. Because even if you think you have no strength left, you can still risk anything and then you realize that there is still something inside you that you can get out.«

In her anticipation of the peak of spring, however, Brennauer was abruptly slowed down. “I have Corona,” she says on the phone. She also has some cold symptoms. And that’s why she doesn’t even hope for a negative result shortly before the race, but decides not to start. ‘You have to be reasonable. It doesn’t make sense from a health perspective,” she says. Despite her failure at Paris-Roubaix, Brennauer does not see German cycling as completely hopeless. »Lisa Klein can certainly make it into the top ten. The race suits her,” says Brennauer. However, she restricts herself by not knowing how well her Olympic gold colleague from the track four has recovered from her injury to her little finger and how the injured finger is noticeable when riding over the cobblestones.

This limitation is symptomatic of the spring of German female cyclists. They usually appear further down in the result lists. A win has not yet been achieved. The only ray of hope was third place for Liane Lippert in the Amstel Gold Race, otherwise there are only two or even three-digit placements. The causes are different. Some were slowed down by injuries. Franziska Koch, seventh at Paris-Roubaix last year, also had to deal with a fall. Others had Corona. “The form before that was really good. But then I felt ill, my nose was blocked and I had a headache,” says Lippert, describing her symptoms. Her third place last Sunday is all the more important. ‘I’m so happy for her. Liane was often up front in previous races as well. But it wasn’t reflected in the result lists yet,” explains Brennauer.

Liane Lippert herself explains her bad luck in the previous races with tactical circumstances. The top team Trek Segafredo is not as strong as usual this year. »They missed the breakaways several times and then put all their strength into catching them again. I was often part of the groups and was captured again. When we were caught, I could only work for my teammates.«

The generally good condition of Romy Kasper is reflected less in her own good results than in the successes of her teammates at Team Jumbo Visma. Kasper had her share of second place from Marianne Vos at Gent-Wevelgem. On the Roubaix pavement, last year’s 18th will probably be an assistant for Vos again. The Dutch even skipped the Amstel Gold Race in her home country to prepare perfectly for Roubaix.

For Lippert, who in turn is skipping Paris-Roubaix to focus on the Ardennes classics to come, Vos is the big favorite this Saturday. Brennauer, on the other hand, ticked the Belgian Lotte Kopecky, recently convincing winner of the Tour of Flanders, in first place. The fact that Brennauer has only finished 26th and 71st this year is due to a later start to the season. “I took a long break over the winter. I noticed that I needed it from the body, but also from the head. I shot so much out last season. Now I had to gather new strength. And that’s why it took me a little longer to get back to where I wanted to be,« she describes her spring. At Gent-Wevelgem, her first race, she still lacked the toughness to keep up with the group of the best. After all, she helped her teammate Maria Giulia Confalonieri, who sprinted to third place. At the Tour of Flanders, the form continued to show improvement. So the hope for Paris-Roubaix was great, then Corona came.

After surviving the corona infection, Brennauer will only return to the road at the end of May at the Thuringia Tour. The longer break from racing was planned anyway because of her final exam as an office clerk. Lippert, on the other hand, still has big goals in April. »The Ardennes classics with their climbs just suit me. I can play to my strengths best on short climbs,« she says »nd.DieWoche« and refers in particular to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After that she takes a break and then has the double from Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in mind.

Lippert and Brennauer see the general development in women’s cycling as positive. Especially the races that were held together with those of the men caused a surge of attention. Both of them are not yet able to judge which formula is the best. »Because of the number of spectators along the route, holding the event on the same day is certainly advantageous. You could see that on the Tour of Flanders, how many people were standing along the route,” says Brennauer. Whether arriving on the same day – either an hour after the men’s finish as in the Tour of Flanders or in front of them as in the Amstel – is cheaper, she cannot say. Lippert is also torn. »On the same day it’s good because people come to the track who wouldn’t have come just because of us. But I also think it’s good when we have our own thing and people get excited about us and we don’t have to cling to the men.«

There will only be one day of overlap at the Tour de France this year. After that, the women continue on their own. The premiere of Paris-Roubaix for women cyclists last fall encourages this variant. During the women’s race on Saturday, French television recorded an audience share of 15 percent with 1.4 million viewers. For the men on Sunday it was 21 percent and 2.8 million viewers. Also this year the women start on Saturday and the men the day after.