Colin Lavecky is in a rare position when he starts the second edition of the Paris-Roubaix Femme Avec Zwift on Saturday. While Lavecky did not compete in last year's historic first edition, and many riders made their Roubaix debut without much expectation or pressure, that will not be the case when the American takes the start of the Denain.

Jumbo Visma's teammate Marianne Vos of Labecchi finished second in 2021, and the team clearly hopes to surpass that this year. 'Marianne was second last year, so we want to better that,' We want to do better than that," said Lavecky. We are a good team that can win the championship." Voss is the main hope for Jumbo-Visma on Saturday, but Labecki also made it clear that the Dutchwoman is not the only option.

"It doesn't matter whether it's me, Marianne, or Romy [Kasper] going into the velodrome for the win. 'That's our main goal. It's kind of an open plan." Saturday's race will be Lavecki's debut; she missed the first event in October due to marriage, but that doesn't mean she didn't watch the race on the morning of rehearsal.

"I watched early in the morning," she said. I turned it on and saw Lizzie [Dignan] skating through the mud with all her might." I thought, 'I'm too old to get married and miss this race.'"

Although she had no experience racing on the cobblestones of northern France, Lavecky learned a lot from watching Deignan, who won the Roubaix velodrome last year, and went into the weekend with a better understanding of the race. Initially, Lavecky saw Paris-Roubaix as a "power course," meaning it was flat and suited for bigger, more powerful riders, and not for lighter riders like himself. All the athletes who initially thought they would do well didn't," he said. It was more a race of technique and positioning than pure power."

"It's a difficult race for everyone and you need strength, form, and fitness to do well. But what made the riders stand out was their skill set, how they handled their bikes, how well they positioned themselves for the sectors, and their willpower and fighting spirit to keep fighting against all odds.

Positioning and bike handling were not a concern for Vos, teammate of reigning world cyclocross champion Labecki. Vos said, "If Lizzie moves again, we need a rider who can keep the pressure on the other teams who might miss it. 'Don't be conservative, don't back down, just keep racing forward,' he said. For Labecchi, the pressure of being a boldly winning team may be real, but more than anything, she is excited to start the newest monument in women's cycling. "I'm just grateful to be starting there. It's a historic race and I can only hope and plan for a good day."