Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) gained Paris-Roubaix Femmes within the dash of a bunch of six, going via the skin lane and getting forward on the ending straight to take the primary Paris-Roubaix for her group.
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) completed second whereas Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) pipped Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) to 3rd place.
Amber Kraak (FDJ-SUEZ) and Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) had attacked simply after the sixth-to-last pavé sector and constructed a 15-second hole on a large-ish group. Kopecky, Vos, Balsamo, and Georgi went on the chase on the following sector, Camphin-en-Pévèle, although Georgi couldn’t observe the tempo for lengthy. The different three made it to the entrance simply earlier than the Carrefour de l’Arbre, the place Vos and Kopecky made a number of accelerations that would solely drop Balsamo, who teamed up with Georgi.
The two chasers got here again with 11.2km to go, and though Kraak and Van Dijk tried to get away, the six riders got here to the velodrome collectively, the place Van Dijk led out the dash. Vos accelerated into the ultimate flip and was first onto the house straight, the place Balsamo handed her, however Kopecky had the best pace and gained whereas Vos light and simply misplaced out to Georgi for third place.
“This was the aim of the season, to additionally do it’s very nice. The group gave me a lot confidence the entire season already, however particularly the final week. I may actually really feel how a lot they believed in me. They did an incredible job, and within the closing, having Lorena Wiebes within the second group was perhaps the important thing for me,” stated the world champion, Kopecky.
“It’s at all times nervous, you’re right here with two very quick sprinters, Vos and Balsamo, so that you’re by no means positive. One second I assumed, ‘now I’m boxed in’, and I needed to begin the dash fairly early, however I may maintain sprinting,” Kopecky described the velodrome dash earlier than stepping onto the rostrum within the rainbow jersey to obtain a cobble because the well-known winner’s trophy.
How it unfolded
The 148.5-kilometre race started with a loop south of Denain, the place Victoire Joncheray (Komugi-Grand Est) went on a solo breakaway, getting a bonus of 1:50 minutes however being caught once more inside the first hour.
Defending champion Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) crashed twice; she obtained again to the peloton however couldn’t repeat final yr’s feat, ending twenty seventh in the long run.
The peloton went onto pavé sector 17 (counting down in the direction of the end) collectively, and for a very long time, the race performed out like a yo-yo as the perfect riders break up the peloton over the pavé earlier than issues got here again collectively on the asphalt afterwards.
Between sectors 14 and 13, Kopecky borrowed an Allen key from the group automotive to repair her bike laptop mount. Her mechanical fastened, the World Champion then accelerated on sector 12 with 54km to go, forming a bunch with Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Vos, and Georgi. Her teammate Wiebes bridged to the group however quickly needed to let go once more with what regarded like a mechanical.
The chasing group returned early on sector 11, Mons-en-Pévèle, because of the work of Van Dijk, making for a entrance group of 24 riders. Another eight riders got here again 40km from the end, although Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health) quickly crashed right into a ditch.
Van Dijk made two unsuccessful assaults earlier than Jade Wiel (FDJ-SUEZ) rode away from the group. With no actual cooperation within the group behind, the Frenchwoman constructed a 25-second hole however was ultimately reeled in late on sector 6.
Right afterwards, Van Dijk and Kraak made their transfer and went away. Kopecky, Vos, and Balsamo bridged to them with 18.3km to go, Balsamo was dropped on the Carrefour de l’Arbre earlier than returning to the entrance with Georgi.
At the 10-kilometre mark, the six frontrunners had a 37-second hole on the second group, however because the entrance group didn’t cooperate nicely, this shrank to 21 seconds on the penultimate sector, the place Kraak made an acceleration that solely Kopecky and Vos may observe. Van Dijk closed the hole for Balsamo and Georgi, and after two final makes an attempt by Van Dijk and Kraak had been neutralised, Van Dijk took the result in maintain the tempo excessive in assist of Balsamo.
The Dutch veteran led the group onto the velodrome with Georgi in her wheel and Vos and Kopecky behind the British champion. Georgi accelerated on the again straight, however Vos and Balsamo got here previous on both facet of her into the ultimate flip whereas Kopecky was a bit behind however may crank up her dash within the slipstream.
Vos and Balsamo had been head-to-head via the flip, with Balsamo pulling barely forward into the house straight, the place Kopecky got here round her from behind to win. Georgi made a final acceleration to beat Vos to 3rd place, whereas Kraak introduced up the rear in fifth.
Result
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