The anticipation, tension and nerves were palpable ahead of the historical first-ever Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021 as 129 riders ventured into relatively-unknown racing territory over the unforgiving cobbles that make the Hell of the North the iconic Monument that it is today.
The race is 127 years steeped into the tradition of men's professional racing, and while the women's peloton had previewed and ridden the pavé sectors, it was only three years ago that they were invited by organisers ASO to line up and compete in the race of their own on the professional circuit.
Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini met with the press ahead of Saturday's event, and part of that discussion was about how experienced and targeted women's teams are now in their approach to Paris-Roubaix Femmes since the peloton first charged over the pavè three years ago.
Longo Borghini believed that the peloton lining up at the third edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes in Denian on Saturday has subtly changed compared to the inaugural event. Part of that, she said, is because teams and riders are now gearing their race calendars, training, tactics and equipment specific to the event itself.
'Fight for your dreams' - Audrey Cordon-Ragot confirmed to race Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix Femmes contenders - 10 favourites for Hell of the North
Paris-Roubaix Femmes: The biggest talking points ahead of the iconic cobbled Classic
Five-star Arenberg 'too dangerous' due to proximity to start at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, says ASO
"Generally, there will be more riders focusing on Roubaix now [than in 2021], instead of just going there to race, it's such a special race and you need to be prepared for it," Longo Borghini said.
She also acknowledged that Paris-Roubaix has become an event that has allowed riders to specialise in their craft of racing over cobbles and to show how strong they are specifically across the pavé under the elements ranging from mud and rain to dust.
"You need to be a good Classics rider and sometimes there are riders that are really good just for Roubaix. It's a different race than all the others and some riders can't express themselves really well in other races, and maybe they can be really good [in Paris-Roubaix]."
Trek-Segafredo won the first two back-to-back editions. First, it was Lizzie Deignan attacking early to win a rain-soaked inaugural edition and then Longo Borghini attacking over the Templeuve cobblestone sector with 34 kilometres to go and claiming victory at the dry second edition last year.
Longo Borghini is still experiencing some feelings of fatigue since her recovery from COVID-19 but said that she is looking forward to lining up wearing bib no. 1 in Denain, even if she doesn't consider herself the favourite this year.
"It means a lot to me [to line up as the defending champion]. Yesterday, we did the recon and I recognised the place where I attacked, so it was special. I had a smile on my face during the recon, and especially entering the Roubaix Velodrome," she said.
"I will try to take this joy into the race before all the hell happens. It's always more motivation. I will try to do a good race with my teammates and we will try our best. I think our chances are, being twice the winners, are slim, but we will try and so a good race and whatever comes out is going to be a nice race, anyways."
Embracing the chaos
The question everyone is asking is can Trek-Segafredo win three in a row and who is the next in line?
Longo Borghini said she is somewhat of a wildcard in that, even though she finished a third at Tour of Flanders, she doesn't physically feel recovered enough from COVID-19. The team also has a strong contender in Lucinda Brand, who finished third last year.
"We will have a good plan for sure, Lucinda is strong on the cobbles, especially if they are wet and muddy. She will be up in the classification, in my opinion, and on top when things happen," she said.
Team SD Worx line up as the favourites, having won nine spring Classics and with the overwhelming favourite Lotte Kopecky. Longo Borghini stressed that Paris-Roubaix is a different type of race that the other Classics, and difficult to predict.
"Lotte Kopecky should be outstanding and is in brilliant shape. We have a strong team, too, and Paris-Roubaix is a race where things can quickly change and happen. We start with our plan and we follow it and try to get a good result, we don't just have to look at the others," Longo Borghini said.
She said that Ina Teutenberg is in charge of the team's race tactics and is always prepared for multiple outcomes, especially on as unpredictable as Paris-Roubaix.
"We have a very strong team, but Roubaix is so unpredictable that maybe all of a sudden you find yourself lost without your leader and need to quickly change plan," she said.
"I think in Roubaix, you can make the difference if you have a really good Plan A, a really good Plan B and a really good Plan C. You have to embrace the chaos. Ina Teutenberg is very organised and has a very good Plan A, B and C, ready for a long time."
Longo Borghini did not disclose the details of those tactical plans. She did reveal that during Trek-Segafredo's preview of the cobblestone sectors in the days leading up to the race, she felt that her best course of action was to stay close to her teammates to avoid, as much as possible, any bad luck.
"I try to stick to my train and not to hurt the others. If I stay on my train it's safer and I don't damage the others. I focus on the wheel in front of me, which hopefully is my teammate," she said.
The women will race 145.7 kilometres and Longo Borghini previewed the last 13 sectors, skipping the first four, earlier this week, noting the wet and muddy conditions of the pavé.
"It's going to be a very muddy race because it rained and it will rain a little tomorrow and will be covered on Saturday. Some of the sectors will be dry but some won't, in my opinion, for example, Mons-en-Pévèle will be muddy and it was already really muddy on Wednesday. It's going to be a tough race because of this, and we have to hope for the best," she said.
The inaugural edition was held under similar wet and muddy conditions, while last year's race was dry, dusty and fast. Longo Borghini's approach will undoubtedly be to start the race on a clean slate without any expectations based on the previous editions. "This year is another year, another story and another race," she said.
