Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has battled through sickness and a crash to win the Paris-Roubaix women’s race for the first time with a well-timed solo breakaway.
The 33-year-old cycling great from France added the prestigious and gruelling Roubaix classic to her Olympic mountain bike gold medal at the Paris Games last year and the 2014 world road race title.
“I’m super happy but I don’t realise it yet,” she said. “It could be my best win ever.”
A smiling Ferrand-Prevot raised both arms in the air as she crossed the finish line at the famous Roubaix velodrome.
She surprised herself with the victory, given the circumstances.
“I was sick the last couple of days, so I was not sure this morning if I was going to participate. It’s good that finally I took the start,” Ferrand-Prevot said.
“Winning here is just amazing. My boyfriend (Dylan van Baarle) won the men’s race three years ago, so now I won. We will have two trophies at home.”
The 148.5km race featured 29.2 km of cobbles and Ferrand-Prevot was one of several riders to fall entering one of those stretches, with 54km left.
But she was unharmed and quickly rejoined the peloton.
Although she was tactically supposed to be riding for Visma-Lease a Bike with teammate Marianne Vos, Ferrand-Prevot sensed an opportunity and launched her attack with about 18km left.
“I had a gap and I tried to go until the end,” she said.
None of her rivals could catch her and she entered the velodrome on her own with the crowd cheering.
Ferrand-Prevot finished 58 seconds clear of Italian Letizia Borghesi and 1:01 ahead of Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes in third. Vos was fourth and Canadian Alison Jackson fifth.
Ferrand-Prevot became the first rider from France to win the women’s race, which was first held in 2021.
“The first, but maybe the last one,” she said, smiling. “I just tried to survive in the cobblestone section.”
Defending champion Lotte Kopecky of Belgium — the road race world champion — was 2:04 behind in 12th.
The leading Australian in 27th place was EF Education-Oatly’s Sydneysider Sarah Roy, who finished 6:38 behind.
The men’s race is on Sunday and sees three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar competing in the “Hell of the North” race for the first time.
