Tire pressure system works! 'Sick' Ferrand-Prévot dominates Paris-Roubaix Femmes

Sometimes, the north of France is shrouded in mystery, but on Saturday, it was anything but. The sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect: the weather certainly wasn't the problem! It did cause some dust on the cobblestones, but that did not spoil the fun. Even though the conditions were so good, the opening phase was still chaotic. Crashes surprised the pack in the first kilometers, and it took longer than usual for the day's breakaway to form.

In the end, only two riders managed to escape. Quinty Ton (Liv AlUla-Jayco) represented the Netherlands at the front, and she was joined by the Polish rider Aurela Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal), the surprise number two at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this spring. They gained almost three minutes, but their lead was never huge because they started so late. The cobbled sections loomed up about halfway through the race. The pace picked up there, thanks to Lidl-Trek.

Former winner Lizzie Deignan set the pace before Ellen van Dijk chose to open the finale with about 70 kilometers to go. She rode away alone at a perfect moment and joined the front runners. She quickly left them behind, but the peloton was never far behind. On the difficult cobblestone section from Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersee, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and others crashed, and SD Worx-Protime took full advantage. Kopecky pulled away with Wiebes on her wheel. They caught up to the Dutch breakaway rider, as well as Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), Alison Jackson (EF Education - Oatly), Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health), Chloé Dygert (Canyon // SRAM) and Elena Jeric (Movistar).

Eight women were at the front, but the chasing group was never far behind. Kopecky accelerated several times, and Van Dijk, Wiebes, and others were caught up in the move. But Vos followed steadily, and so the pace slowed again. In the final, we had a fusion of two groups: about twenty riders went into the last 30 kilometers. There, Emma Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek) made her move at the right moment, but a little later, Ferrand-Prévot, who had caught up after her fall, also managed to break away. She caught up with the Danish rider, and the two began the most difficult cobblestone sections of the final together.

On the Camphin-en-Pévèle, the Frenchwoman from Visma | Lease a Bike was too strong for her breakaway companion. She rode away, and all was quiet behind her. On the Carrefour de l'Arbre, she started the last five-star section of the day with a lead of no less than 50 seconds. Fireworks were expected in the favorites group, but they did not press on. Vos was sitting there laughing to herself. Kopecky, the top favorite, did not press on either, so Ferrand-Prévot saw her lead grow. With 10 kilometers and two cobblestone sections to go, she already had a minute on 12 pursuers.

Meanwhile, SD Worx-Protime had taken on the responsibility of chasing. Kopecky kept up the pace because she still had Wiebes with her. The strategy was clear, but the team was completely on its own: no one lent a helping hand, and Vos nonchalantly sat at the wheel. Norsgaard was dropped, but the world champion did not come closer to Ferrand-Prévot. She rode like a bullet towards the Vélodrome, where she crossed the line solo. Borghesi managed to ride away solo while Wiebes sprinted to the bronze medal behind her. Marianne Vos finished (again) fourth.