Lucinda Brand missed the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femme last fall to focus on cyclo-cross, but watched live on TV as teammate Lizzie Deignan won the historic race and was crowned Queen of the Classics.

There were two key takeaways she got from watching that incredible performance, which she believes will help her as she takes on her first Paris-Roubaix on Saturday.

"I was looking forward to Paris-Roubaix and trying to build a really good program for this race. I'm also a little nervous because almost every group knows what's going to happen and I don't.

Brand was last year's cyclocross world champion, so her focus last fall was solely on the start of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup calendar and other international races.

See our Paris-Roubaix Femme 2022 preview for more details.

She said she was proud of her Trek-Segafredo teammate Degnan's win, Elisa Longo-Borghini's third place and Audrey Cordon-Lago's eighth place finish.

The second Paris-Roubaix Femme on Saturday will be a completely different type of race, Brand said, as warm and dry conditions are expected.

"Last year's race was very exciting to watch and I was very proud to see how well my teammates handled the difficult conditions. I also quickly learned that a race that hard and wet like that only comes around once in a lifetime. This spring I was prepared for a dry Roubaix. But now it's like summer. It will be a completely different course," Brand said.

The route will not include the men's famous Trouet d'Arenberg, but the women will run 124 km, slightly longer than the 115 km in 2021. The cobblestones are 29.2 km over 17 sections, with two 5-star difficulty levels: the Mont-en-Pevere, with 49 km to go, and the Carrefour de l'Arbre, with 17 km to go to the Roubaix velodrome.

Brand took part in two previews of the route by Trek-Segafredo and ran every stretch of cobblestone.

"I ran partially this week and partially last week. It's hard; even one sector doesn't look like any other, and it's hard to remember which is which." After this, I don't plan on running cobblestones until next year. It's a little harder. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm not afraid."

Despite the more comfortable conditions, Brand still expects a difficult race, and it will definitely depend on having luck on her side.

"It's still hard and it will be a big fight in every sector. There will probably be some crashes, but once you get to the cobblestones, there is no danger of slipping on every single stone. The chances of being unlucky are a bit lower, but it's still a course that depends on luck."

Brand is one of two accomplished cyclo-cross racers competing in Paris-Roubaix along with world cyclo-cross champion Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), whose off-road skills could be considered an advantage in the rough Pavé.

"Everyone says they have an advantage as cyclocross riders. Even riders who don't ride cyclocross are strong at this point. The races are much longer [than cyclo-cross races]. Things like how to handle the bike, finding the best position, and finding a good spot that is not too rough will help. Also, being a good motorcyclist. It helps to know more about how your bike reacts and what you can do about it," she said.

Brand has only competed in three races this spring: the Dwars door Hlaanderen, Tour de Flanders, and Amstel Gold Race. He also said that these races were included in his training program specifically to prepare for Paris-Roubaix.

"My form has improved with each race. Going into Paris-Roubaix, I didn't have that many races, and every race was helpful for the team, and even if I fell off the bike, I was able to train really well by continuing to hurt myself. Even if I did fall off the bike, I was able to train really well by continuing to hurt myself, and I've been able to train really well by continuing to hurt myself, even if I did fall off the bike.

Trek-Segafredo features road race world champion Elisa Balsamo, time trial world champion Ellen van Dijk, Longo Borghini, and Cordón Lago and Chloe Hosking.

"If you look at the names, we have a very strong team and the fact that we won last year will draw a lot of attention to us. We're not the only one with a chance for [multiple] riders. It will be a super interesting race and we want to put pressure on the other teams."

Dignan is currently on maternity leave and will not be on the start line to defend her title. Asked if Dignan gave her or the team any tips on how best to approach the upcoming Hell of the North, Brand replied, "Race, don't think too much, stay ahead and don't look back."