Paris-Roubaix women 2026 preview | Question marks around Visma | LaB could change everything

by Gauthier Ribeiro

Thursday, 09 April 2026 at 12:20

Paris-Roubaix Femmes was one of the few races that still held the women's race on the Saturday, something that changes this year. Just like the men, the women's peloton will take on the cobbles of northern France on Sunday. IDL Pro Cycling brings you up to speed on everything you need to know.

The Hell of the North is relatively new for the women. 2026 we will see only the sixth edition of the race. Lizzie Deignan was the first winner of Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021, after which big names such as Elisa Longo Borghini and Lotte Kopecky have won the race.

Last year it was the rock-solid Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who struck gold. The Frenchwoman from Visma | Lease a Bike crashed, got back on, broke away and soloed to the line. We are looking for a successor to Ferrand-Prévot this year — or are we?

Practical information Paris-Roubaix women 2026

Sunday, April 12, 2026, 2:45pm
Classification: WorldTour

In this article

Latest winners
Course, weather and times
Favorites
TV information

Latest winners Paris-Roubaix women

2025 Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

2024 Lotte Kopecky
2023 Alison Jackson
2022 Elisa Longo Borghini
2021 Lizzie Deignan

Course, weather and times Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2026

The organisation has shaved five kilometres off the route compared to last year, with the riders facing 143 kilometres on Sunday. We still start in Denain, known from the GP Denain, also referred to as the 'mini-Roubaix'. As the riders are by now accustomed to, we will first head in a southerly direction.

Where there were seventeen last year, the organisation now presents twenty cobbled sectors. Totalling just under 30 kilometres, the two-star sector from Solesmes to Haussy is the first. The women again face two five-star sectors, namely Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre, at 48 and 17 kilometres from the finish respectively.

The finale is virtually identical to the men's race and so the short cobbled sector in Roubaix is the last difficulty of the day. After that, the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux and finish line soon looms.

Cobbled Sectors

Weather
It will be warm all week, from Denain to Roubaix. Temperatures above 20 degrees should leave the course completely dry. However, on Sunday the mercury will drop considerably, to around 11 degrees.

Times
Start: 2:45 p.m.
Finish: approximately 6:20 p.m.

Favorites Paris-Roubaix 2026

Please note: the start list is not yet official, so changes may still follow.

In terms of depth, SD Worx-Protime appears, as is often the case in the women's peloton, to bring the strongest team to the start. Both Lorena Wiebes and former winner Lotte Kopecky will line up on Sunday, with Blanka Vas in support.

While SD Worx may be stacked, UAE Team ADQ will also be a force to be reckoned with. The team from the Emirates boasts the 2022 winner Elisa Longo Borghini, as welll as the strong sprint card of Lara Gillespie.

Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has announced her participation at Paris-Roubaix via the team website, even though it was not originally on her schedule. With a second place in the Tour of Flanders she showed that she is in excellent form.

Visma | Lease a Bike are also bolstered by the return for Marianne Vos. The Dutchwoman skipped the Tour of Flanders after the death of her father, but seems ready to get back to racing. 'This week, I’ve tried to get back to normal life again, and of course the bike is an important part of that,' she said on the Visma website.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) is another big name on the start list, finishing ninth last year. 2025 runner-up Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal), then racing for EF, also looks to go one better this year. She will be supported by Belgian Shari Bossuyt, who has recorded some strong results this year.

No Demi Vollering this time at FDJ-SUEZ, and so the team is counting on Elise Chabbey on Sunday. She finished seventh last year and showed incredible strength to win Strade Bianche this year. The French team can also count on Franziska Koch. The German champion finished fifth in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year and third in the Strade Bianche.

Movistar is counting on the talented Cat Ferguson, who will be pushing for a better result after failing to finish on her debut last year. And keep an eye on Linda Zanetti (Uno-X), who is always capable of a good result in the spring.

Who are the favorites for Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2026?

Top favorites: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) , Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE team ADQ)

Longshots: Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), Letizia Borghesi, Shari Bossuyt (both AG Insurance-Soudal), Elise Chabbey, Franziska Koch (both FDJ-Suez), Cat Ferguson (Movistar) and Linda Zanetti (Uno-X)

TV Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2026

This year the women will race on the same day as the men, which comes at the expense of TV airtime.

Below you can find where to watch Paris Roubaix Femmes in English by country

United Kingdom

HBO Max now carries all of the UK cycling coverage. Live footage will be shown after the men's race finishes

United States of America

You will need a subscription to Peacock to watch the racing in the USA. coverage start times depend on time zone.

Canada

FloBikes carries the stream for Canadian fans. Again you will need a subscription, and times vary depending on location.

Australia

Australian fans can watch both the men's and women's races for free on SBS on Demand.

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