This Saturday will be the fourth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes with the 148.5km from Denain to Roubaix providing an opportunity for another Women’s WorldTour rider to add their name to short list of those who have earnt the honour of heaving the cobbled trophy up into the air.
Lidl-Trek won the first two editions via LIzzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini, and then EF Education-Tibco-SVB’s Alison Jackson claimed the third. The iconic race is also one of the few that the world's top team, SD Worx-Protime, has never won, though of course they will be looking to change that in 2024.
World champion Lotte Kopecky is a key favourite, as even though the Monument has eluded her and her team so far it feels like just a matter of time that the Belgian will also add the race to her palmarès. Still, Lidl-Trek has proven adept at using its well-oiled teamwork to get the upper hand this season, with a Tour of Flanders first and third just the latest example. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) is also clearly back on form following her iliac artery surgery and the multi-discipline behemoth will again be lining up as one of the favourites at a race that seems made for her.
The gruelling nature of the event and the challenges of the unforgiving cobbles make it an unpredictable race, with even the strongest having to have luck on their side as well. Final start lists are yet to be finalised but the race is drawing near so it’s time to take a first look at those riders who are expected to be in with a shot of raising their arms in victory in the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux on Saturday, April 6.
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Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Even though this is a race that SD Worx-Protime have never won, they have one of the clearest cut favourites on their squad. Lotte Kopecky has raced the rainbow jersey to victory at this season's UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Nokere Koerse as well as coming second at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and fourth at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Not only is the 28-year-old Belgian enjoying a serious run of form, but she also has a strong history at this race, which she has this year singled out as a target. In 2023 the break stayed away, but Lotte Kopecky was the first of the chase riders across the line, finishing seventh, and in 2022 she scored second place behind the solo winner Longo Borghini.
The Italian again ruled the day in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, with Kopecky coming fifth after having a considerable chase to come back to terms with the lead group after a messy run for many on the Koppenberg but, if anything, that is likely to provide extra motivation for the world champion in the next challenge.
“It's a shame we couldn't get more out of it,” Kopecky said after Flanders. “But I'm going to turn the knob around quickly and focus on the next goal: Paris-Roubaix."
Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)
If ever there was a rider who looks like they have exactly the right skillset to win Paris-Roubaix, it's Marianne Vos. The superior bike handling skills, ability to reel in such a widespread array of the most sought-after victories and fast finish at the end of a tough race make Vos a standout. This year her impressive run-in, and the clear indication that she is back to her best after late 2023 surgery on her iliac artery, make her as formidable as ever.
An Omloop Het Nieuwsblad victory ahead of Kopecky and Longo Borghini was the proof of the return of Vos’ return to full strength while the celebration of a 250th career road victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen was a reminder of the unrelenting drive of the 36-year-old Dutch rider.
She also delivered another memory jog on the power of her sprint at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, topping Kopecky, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) as she claimed fourth at the Tour of Flanders from the chasing group that came in behind escapees Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram) and Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek).
Vos launched into the first edition of the Paris Roubaix in 2021 with a second place but didn’t get another chance to improve on that in 2022 as she tested positive for COVID-19 the morning of the event. In 2023, when the break won the day, she came 10th.
The team doesn't have the strength of its rivals, unfortunately Fem van Empel isn't a starter. At least Margaux Vigie, a 14th-place finisher at last year's race, should help bolster the squad this year after moving over from LifePlus Wahoo.
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
Elisa Longo Borghini may be a former winner of the race for the team, as is Lizzie Deignan, but the weight of reclaiming the title for Lidl-Trek – which has won two of the three editions so far – is likely to rest with another. Deignan was set to line up, but then suffered a fracture in a nasty Tour of Flanders crash and Longo Borghini was raised as a potential replacement, event though she had planned to focus on the Ardennes Classics after her Tour of Flanders victory.
However, Lidl-Trek said mid-week that they would stick with the original plan and let Longo Borghini sit out the race, with her absence an indication that the team, which is rich with options, is confident in its plans focussed elsewhere for Paris-Roubaix.
Given her run of form, Elisa Balsamo could be a rider the squad is backing, with the 26-year-old having started March with a second at Ronde van Drenthe, then a win at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Classic Brugge De Panne before taking another runner-up spot at Gent Wevelgem.
Still, strength in numbers is, of course, a crucial part of the team game Lidl-Trek has recently been playing with much success and it was ever so tempting to just list the team as a contender rather than any specific rider from it. Ellen van Dijk, who came seventh in 2022 is also expected to line up for the team and of course Lucinda Brand's skills are likely to be a hugely valuable addition – she came 12th last year and made it to the podium with a third place in 2022.
Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)
When Pfeiffer Georgi first rode Paris-Roubaix as a 21-year-old in 2022 and immediately finished ninth, a target was immediately drawn – this was clearly a rider who had the makings of a potential future winner.
The Brit then confirmed that view by shifting up another slot on the results sheet in 2023, a year where the break prevailed. Even more impressive was that the DSM-Firmenich PostNL rider came second only to Kopecky in the sprint of a group of 12 that included the likes of Marianne Vos and Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ).
There is every reason for Georgi to be looking toward the podium this Saturday. It's been a solid lead in, with results including a third at Omloop van het Hageland, 10th at Ronde van Drenthe and fifth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. She initially missed a key move at the Tour of Flanders, getting caught behind a crash on the Koppenberg and then having to walk up the rest of the climb but rejoined on the Oude Kwaremont.
Still, the chase took its toll and ultimately the rider finished a respectable 13th, so while Georgi may have wanted more it certainly is a result that shouldn't dampen her spirits ahead of Roubaix. She'll also have strong team support, with the likes of the fast finishing Charlotte Kool and Rachele Barbieri as part of the squad.
Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ)
Last year, even with a break dominating the day, Chiara Consonni finished ninth at Paris-Roubaix. Given the results she has delivered so far this season, the 24-year-old could well be in the mix again.
There have been five podiums so far this year for the Italian, including one at Gent-Wevelgem. Scheldeprijs on Wednesday didn't deliver the hoped for result as she took eighth after getting closed in, but its much likely to be a far smaller group she'll have to work her way through at the end of Saturday's race.
It's her fast finish that she'll be looking to take advantage of in Roubaix, too, probably hoping for the race to finish with a small group fighting for victory, that she is of course part of, so she can use her well-honed track skills to their best advantage in the Roubaix velodrome.
Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale)
There was elation and heart-warming celebrations at Paris-Roubaix Femmes for Alison Jackson in 2023, as she won the sprint from among the break and embraced the cobbled trophy of the victor on the podium.
That career-defining win with EF Education-Tibco SVB put the rider in the history books as the first Canadian to win the Monument. The lightning of a Paris-Roubaix Femmes win hasn't struck twice for any rider yet but when Cyclingnews spoke to Jackson at the start of the season she dared to dream, saying that to defend and truly claim the title of Queen of the Cobbles would be 'unreal and such a delight'.
Last year's outcome, with the break holding off the chase of the favourites, is a testament to the unpredictability of the race. A repeat by Jackson in Roubaix to claim her first podium placing with new team EF Education-Cannondale may not exactly be a sure bet ... but neither was her winning in the first place.
Honorable mentions
- Emma Norsgaard leads the line for Movistar following one participation at the race, an 11th place back in 2022. Her top results so far in 2024 include top-10 placings at the Omloop van het Hageland, Nokere Koerse, and the Classic Brugge-De Panne.
- During her spring Classics breakthrough two years ago, Elise Chabbey took fourth place at Paris-Roubaix. The Swiss rider will lead Canyon-SRAM on Sunday, with the experience of Tiffany Cromwell on board to help guide the way.
- Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) hasn't scored many top results yet in 2024, though she has twice finished on the fringes of the top 10 here and also has a Tour of Flanders podium on her palmarès.
- Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) enjoyed a breakthrough season last year and has continued her good form with top-10 results at Hageland, the Ronde van Drenthe and Gent-Wevelgem plus a podium at Le Samyn.
- Letizia Paternoster and Amber Pate make a solid duo for Liv-AlUla-Jayco. Paternoster has been carrying impressive form through spring, including a spot on the podium at Dwars door Vlaanderen, and Pate came 18th on debut last year.
