On Saturday 12 April, our six riders – Elise Chabbey, Marie Le Net, Amber Kraak, Jade Wiel, Vittoria Guazzini and Eugénie Duval – took on the Enfer du Nord over an unchanged route of 148.5km, including 29.2km of cobbles spread over 17 sectors.
From the Hornaing sector onwards, it didn’t take long for fate to strike. Successive punctures for Amber Kraak and Vittoria Guazzini forced the team to readjust its plans, and Elise was able to respond. Just like her start to the season, the Genevan never wavered. Active in the final, she took a fine 7th place, after attempting a last-ditch attack 3.5km from the finish to take second place. A lucid, uncalculated initiative that sums up her state of mind.
Behind them, Jade Wiel and Marie Le Net fought hard and never gave up. Jade, who held on until the Carrefour de l’Arbre, lost ground at this key point in the race but still finished in the top 20. Marie, for her part, finished the race drawing on her last bit of strength against the merciless cobbles.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made history by becoming the first Frenchwoman to win Paris-Roubaix Femmes after a sharp attack with 18km to go. In her wake, Italian Letizia Borghesi in 2nd place (EF EDUCATION OATLY) and Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes (SD WORX) in third place completed the podium.
This 5th edition confirms our consistency in the cobbled classics. It’s a consistency that bears witness to our identity: strong female riders, ready to face the worst conditions to go one better, time and time again.
