The third edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift will bring together the best Classics riders of the peloton. This is the first time that a champion returns to defend her title with Elisa Longo Borghini.
After winning the first two editions, will Trek-Segafredo be able to make it a hat trick? Or will the dominant SD Worx team with Lotte Kopecky claim another Classics victory?
In the inaugural edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) soloed to victory in an epic, mud-splattered October edition in 2021 ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Longo Borghini in third.
In 2022, Longo Borghini grabbed the title at Paris-Roubaix Femmes for Trek-Segafredo once again, clad in the Italian national champion jersey, while Kopecky finished second, and Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) was third.
Once again, the organisers have chosen not to include the mythical Trouée d'Arenberg, but this year's route does include the same 29.2km of pavé spread across 17 cobblestone sectors. This year's route has been extended to 145.4 km, with the extra distance coming before the first cobblestones.
Cyclingnews picked ten riders to watch.
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Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo)
Last year, Elisa Longo Borghini launched a solo attack on the Templeuve cobblestone with 34 kilometres to go and claimed victory. She is lining up on Saturday in a bid to become the first two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
The Trek-Segafredo rider started the year strong with an overall victory along with a stage win at UAE Tour. But then, a COVID-19 positive result in March almost derailed her Spring Classics season. The Italian was forced to miss her home races, Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda to spend long weeks in recovery.
Surprising herself, she came back strong with third place at the Tour of Flanders. Her ability to race on instinct makes Longo Borghini one of the favourites for the Hell of the North.
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx)
An odds-on favourite has to be Lotte Kopecky, who just claimed her third victory in five races this season in the Tour of Flanders, where she came out on top for the second year in a row. She also won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Nokere Koerse, and finished second at Strade Bianche behind her SD Worx teammate.
Last year, she led the chase group home to take second place, 23 seconds behind Longo Borghini. If she pulls off the victory in the Roubaix Velodrome, Kopecky will become the first woman in history to have won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix back-to-back in the same season.
Her Dutch team have dominated the Spring Classics, also taking the top step at Scheldeprijs Women, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Ronde van Drenthe, and Omloop van het Hageland. Can they continue their dominance at Paris-Roubaix?
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma)
Marianne Vos would usually be considered an outright favourite at Paris-Roubaix, but the multi-time world champion has had a challenging start to the season.
Recently recovered from surgery to correct pelvic artery constriction, Vos has only competed in three races this year - Trofeo Alfredo Binda (20), Dwars door Vlaanderen (3) and Tour of Flanders (15).
The Jumbo–Visma leader came so close to victory in the inaugural edition, where she was the runner-up, and had to pull out on the morning of the race last year due to COVID-19.
The most decorated rider in the history of cycling can never be counted out for the win. Her palmares include well over 200 victories on the road in addition to a slew of major results in other disciplines.
Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo)
With her many cyclocross victories, Lucinda Brand is among the most agile and powerful riders in the peloton. Skipping the first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes to focus on cyclocross, Brand finished third last year, joining her Trek-Segafredo teammate on the podium.
Following a bronze medal finish at the Cyclocross World Championships, Brand set her sights on winning Paris-Roubaix. “Roubaix is a very big goal and hopefully it will work out,” she said.
Starting her road season in March, Brand has been climbing in the results, finishing 12th in her latest race, Tour of Flanders. Paris-Roubaix Femmes offers the perfect settings for her to display her unique skills.
Marta Bastianelli (Team UAE ADQ)
The 2007 World Champion Marta Bastianelli put retirement on hold to race one more season in 2023. She won Le Samyn des Dames (2023) in a two-up sprint and finished second at Omloop van het Hageland and third at Omloop Het Niewsblad and Nokere Koerse.
In the inaugural Paris-Roubaix, Bastianelli won the sprint of a small group for fifth place. Last year, the Italian was in the front group of three with Kopecky and Brand until caught with 34km to go. She ultimately finished 15th.
Her 43 professional victories also include the Tour of Flanders (2019), Gent-Wevelgem (2018), and the Ronde van Drenthe (2019). Bastianelli can still deliver punchy acceleration and can be dangerous if she makes it to the velodrome in a small group.
Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM)
Last year, Pfeiffer Georgi captured a top-10 finish in Paris-Roubaix Femmes. The British rider was present near the front of the main field for much of the race to take ninth place.
As Team DSM road captain in 2022, Georgi was part of Lorena Wiebes’ 19 wins out of 23. With Wiebes moving to a new team this year, Georgi took advantage of having more chances to be the leader this spring when she claimed the first WorldTour victory of her career two weeks ago. In a late-race move, the 22-year-old attacked a sprint-heavy breakaway of six to take a solo victory at Classic Brugge-De Panne.
A versatile rider who makes solid tactical decisions, Georgi could become the next British rider on the podium at the Hell of the North.
Élise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM)
In 2022 Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Élise Chabbey overcame a crash and sprinted to fourth despite twisted handlebars. The Swiss rider stated that she would aim for the podium in the next edition.
Chabbey’s Canyon-SRAM team will be directed by Magnus Bäckstedt, who won the men's Paris-Roubaix 19 years ago, and the team is complete with Shari Bossuyt, Tiffany Cromwell, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, Alice Towers and Maike van der Duin.
"We've done many course recons as a team and are confident in our equipment and physical preparation. Now we just need to prepare mentally for the fight on Saturday. From the start to the finish, it will be a battle, regardless of what position you're in."
Floortje Mackaij (Movistar)
The recent performances of Floortje Mackaij warrant a mention. She took Movistar's first victory of the 2023 season at the Vuelta CV Feminas in February.
Mackaij and her teammate Liane Lippert’s attacks helped reduce the field to just a small group at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Both riders finished inside the top 10, with Mackaij in 6th and Lippert in 8th.
Last year, Mackaij finished in the chase group 23 seconds behind solo winner Longo Borghini to take sixth place.
Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ)
Grace Brown ended 2022 with consistently strong performances that included 12th at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, seventh at Tour of Flanders, second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a stage win and second overall at the Women's Tour, a stage win at the Challenge by la Vuelta.
She started the year where she left off with a win in the time trial and 2nd in the road race at the 2023 Australian Championships, the overall victory at the Tour Down Under, as well as two stage wins.
The team will be without Marta Cavalli, who finished 9th in 2021 and 5th in 2022, as she continues her recovery from a crash at last year's Tour de France Femmes. The team is also without Vittoria Guazzini, who fractured her pelvis during a crash while previewing the route on Wednesday.
Watch for Brown to consistently give her best in her leadership role for the FDJ-SUEZ team at Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
Victoire Berteau (Cofidis)
The French are pinning their hopes on Victoire Berteau, the top French finisher last year in 17th place. Berteau, who grew up near the Troisvilles sector, hopes to do even better this year, aiming for a top-15 finish.
After competing on the track, the 22-year-old returned to road racing at Gent-Wevelgem. She had to withdraw after a crash and a broken derailleur, but three days later, the Cofidis rider reassured herself by going on the attack during Dwars door Vlaanderen where she finished 14th.
Berteau is hoping to be in a position to fight and then see what happens.
