Preview Paris–Roubaix 2025 – women | SD Worx-Protime is THE team to beat

Paris–Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift — as the race is officially called — will be held for the fifth time this year. Originally, the women were set to make their debut in the Hell of the North in 2020, but COVID put those plans on hold. The race was finally held in October 2021 (also due to COVID), and Lizzie Deignan won the inaugural edition.

In 2022, Elisa Longo Borghini took the win, followed by a surprise victory in 2023 by Canadian Alison Jackson, who sprinted to glory from a breakaway that managed to hold off the favorites. Last season, Lotte Kopecky conquered the Queen of the Classics, winning a sprint of six that included Elisa Balsamo, Pfeiffer Georgi, and Marianne Vos.

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

The women’s Paris–Roubaix is 148 kilometers long and will start in Denain, a town we of course know from the GP Denain. From the starting point, the riders first complete a southern loop of around fifty kilometers, passing the start line once more. This time, however, they’re sent northward, and soon after that comes the first of seventeen cobbled sectors.

Just like in the men’s race, the difficulty of each cobbled sector is indicated using a star system. The first sector, from Hornaing to Wandignies, already has four stars. The infamous Forest of Arenberg — or the Trouée d’Arenberg — is skipped by the women, but the other two sectors that carry the maximum five-star rating, Carrefour de l'Arbre and Mons-en-Pévèle, are included in the route.

That’s no surprise, since the women ride most of the same finale as the men. That means a quick succession of brutal cobbled sections, followed by slightly easier ones like Gruson, Willems to Hem, and Roubaix itself — before finishing, of course, on the legendary velodrome in the northern French town!

The weather in the lead-up to Paris–Roubaix has been favorable all week, but Saturday’s race day is expected to be especially pleasant in northern France. Temperatures are forecast to reach a warm 24°C (75°F), and the wind will mostly be at the riders’ backs.

Times
Start: 1:10 PM (local time) | 7:10 AM (EDT)
Finish: approximately 5:00 PM (local time) | 11:00 AM (EDT)

One thing is certain: most eyes will be on SD Worx-Protime this Saturday. The team boasts Lotte Kopecky, the defending champion and recent winner of the Tour of Flanders, as well as Lorena Wiebes, who has already won Milan–San Remo and Gent–Wevelgem this spring. Which of the two will be the protected rider on the Roubaix velodrome? That always remains a mystery in this race, though Wiebes may have an edge with her track racing experience.

Most of the riders who came close to Kopecky last year are back again this year. Elisa Balsamo headlines a strong Lidl–Trek lineup that also includes Emma Norsgaard and Ellen van Dijk, along with last year’s bronze medalist Pfeiffer Georgi. The British rider will be joined by Charlotte Kool on Picnic PostNL. Alison Jackson, the Canadian winner of the 2023 edition, will start with Letizia Borghesi as her teammate.

Marianne Vos has yet to win Paris–Roubaix in her decorated career, and the Visma | Lease a Bike rider would love to change that. It doesn’t help that Vos had to miss Dwars door Vlaanderen due to illness and didn’t look to be at her best in the Tour of Flanders, but if there’s anyone who can improve quickly in a week, it’s her. The Dutch team also includes Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the runner-up from Flanders.

Fellow cyclocrosser Puck Pieterse will be making her Paris–Roubaix debut with Fenix–Deceuninck. FDJ–Suez will line up without Demi Vollering, but with Elise Chabbey and Amber Kraak, who placed fifth last year. Canyon//SRAM brings several strong contenders as well, including Chloé Dygert, Chiara Consonni, and Zoë Backstedt, the daughter of a former Paris–Roubaix winner. Like Blanka Vas (SD Worx–Protime) and rising talent Cat Ferguson of Novistar, Backstedt also brings valuable cyclocross experience.

Top favorite: Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

On Saturday, the women will thunder over the French cobblestones, and you can follow the action from around 2:30 PM in the afternoon on Eurosport (HBO Max and main channel), NOS Sport (NPO 1), and Sporza (VRT 1).