Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Lotte Kopecky sprints to sensational triumph ahead of Elisa Balsamo and Pfeiffer Georgi – Eurosport

Lotte Kopecky sprinted to a sensational victory at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, as she overpowered rivals Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) on the line in the famous Roubaix Velodrome.

Kopecky had mounted a number of attacks during the at times brutal 148.5km route from Denain to Roubaix, none of which stuck, even if they likely helped take some of the energy from the legs of her competitors who were trying to rein her in.

Vos looked in supreme shape too though, and as the final 10km approached, the leading group comprised the Dutch legend together with Kopecky, Balsamo, Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez), Britain’s Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich) and Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek).

But it was Kopecky who proved the strongest to take her first Paris-Roubaix Femmes crown.

Balsamo and Vos led on the track with 50 metres to go and Kopecky found herself boxed in, but the world champion came around the outside of both of them to take the win in the sprint.

Balsamo took second, while Georgi beat Vos to the line to claim third place, in what was only the second sprint finish in the four editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes so far.

Kopecky’s win was spearheaded by multiple attacks earlier on in the race to splinter the bunch while Van Dijk valiantly powered through the headwind to lead at many points in the race.

Two early crashes took down last year’s winner Alison Jackson, who eventually finished in 27th.

As the first cobbled sector, Hornaing à Wandignies began, Georgi’s Team dsm-firmenich PostNL pulled the bunch, and leadership switched between them and Lidl-Trek.

When they approached sector 16, Warlaing à Brillon, Lidl-Trek’s Ilaria Sanguineti was ahead, but Georgi remained close behind her before Team dsm-firmenich PostNL took over to enter sector 15, Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières.

Kopecky then stormed forward and increased the speed, but again, Gerogi was in second wheel. The Belgian’s attack split the group across the cobbles to form a front group of approximately 25 riders.

At the 61km to go mark, Kopecky pulled off the impressive feat of tightening her handlebars while riding, and perhaps equally if not even more impressively managed to make her way from back at the team car to the top three at the front of the race as Sophie von Berswordt (Visma-Lease a Bike) led into sector 13.

Georgi was led into the 12th sector by team-mate Rachele Barbieri, whose early efforts alongside those of their team-mates were instrumental in securing the third place for the British rider.

An attack from Kopecky on Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée split the group once again and this time she only took four other riders with her, including team-mate Lorena Wiebes.

Wiebes was unable to stay with the group and Kopecky powered on with Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Vos, and Georgi for company as they worked up a lead.

They were soon caught by the chasers, led by a resilient Van Dijk on the five-star Mons-en-Pévèle, and Georgi once again was right behind as the Dutch rider took over at the front of the race.

The group were split again as they approached sector nine, now around 40 riders strong. The next attack came from Jade Wiel (FDJ – SUEZ), who went solo after Moulin-de-Vertin and was out in front until she was caught on sector six, Bourghelles à Wannehain.

Dutch duo Kraak and Van Dijk were the next to set off up the road, and they earned a lead of around 20 seconds before they were brought back after just over four kilometres. In the meantime, Georgi and team-mate Franziska Koch clashed wheels and were delayed slightly in the process.

With 17km left, a front five now made up of Kopecky, Vos, Balsamo, Van Dijk, and Kraak approached the Carrefour de l’Arbre while Georgi battled solo to catch up with them behind. The British rider put in an impressive effort to reach Balsamo, who had been dropped, and the two then formed a chasing group who had their sights set on the front four.

Multiple attacks followed from those at the head of the race, but they were eventually joined by Balsamo and Georgi to enter the final ten kilometres as a group of six.

The group would remain together as they ticked off the final two sectors and approached the velodrome. Many tried to split the front group through attacks as they moved ever closer to the finish, but none were successful in dropping anyone, and it was Van Dijk who led them into the velodrome for the final lap and a half.

The Dutch rider led at the bell with Georgi close behind, followed by Vos. Van Dijk was overtaken by team-mate Balsamo with Vos on the inside, and Kopecky found herself boxed in.

Kopecky, who claimed two track world titles in addition to her road race title in 2023, timed her sprint to perfection to overtake both Balsamo and Vos on the outside in the final straight to take a clear win on the line.

The newly crowned Queen of the North said after her victory: “This was the goal of the season, so to also do it is really nice.

“How much confidence the team gave me all season, but especially in the last week, my team-mates tried to make me laugh in the last two days as much as possible and I could really feel how much they believed in me being able to win this race.

“They did an amazing job, and then having Lorena Wiebes in the second group was for me maybe the key.

“[The velodrome] is always nervous, you’re here with two very fast sprinters like Vos and Balsamo so you’re never sure. One moment I thought ‘Now I’m boxed in’ but they had to start the sprint pretty early and I could just keep sprinting.”

Balsamo took a close second, and Georgi, much to her surprise, took an impressive third place ahead of Vos.

The 23-year-old said after the race: “Some of these girls were my heroes growing up, so to be at the front of Paris-Roubaix with them and stand on the podium; it’s pretty crazy for me.

“It was so close on the line, my legs completely cramped up, I just wanted it so bad. We had a bit of a crash before the important sector so I got dropped from the front, and then it was just a fight back. I can’t believe it, this is a dream race of mine. I know it’s not the win, but it means a lot.

“It was all about positioning today, I owe it to the girls. They put me in front every sector and that made the difference just staying out of trouble and following, I felt really good. I knew race suited me and at the end it was a bit difficult because Ellen [van Dijk] was riding to keep it together so it wasn’t the perfect moment to attack. I just focused on the sprint and I’m used to doing a bit of track so I was trying to harness that.”

Kraak took fifth place, followed by Van Dijk in sixth to complete the efforts of the front group. Wiebes led in the chasers to take seventh before French national champion Victoire Berteau (Cofidis Women Team) crossed the line in eighth.

There were two French riders in the top ten as Marie Le Net (FDJ – SUEZ) finished in ninth before Kim Le Court (AG Insurance – Soudal Team) rounded off the top ten.