Velodrome Victory for Ferrand-Prévot
Roubaix, Saturday 12th April 2025
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) took a memorable win in the fifth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift on Saturday afternoon. Having only returned to road racing this year after becoming Olympic mountain bike champion at Paris 2024, Ferrand-Prévot went solo in the final 20km, taking a clear victory in the famous Velodrome Andre-Petrieux, becoming the first French woman to win the race. Letizia Borghesi (EF Education – Oatly) finished second by 58”, with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx – Protime) at +1’01”, winning a sprint finish for third from Marianne Vos (Visma – Lease a Bike) and Alison Jackson (EF Education – Oatly).
135 riders at the start
Sofie Van Rooijen (UAE Team ADQ) and Julie Hendrickx (Lotto Ladies) did not take the start, leaving 135 riders in the peloton as they got underway in Denain. The neutralised start of the Hell of the North’ was given at 1pm with the riders commencing the real racing 10 minutes later, with 17 cobbled sections awaiting them over the 148.5 km course, which was exactly the same route as the 2024 race.
Constant early attacks
After the opening 20km of constant attempts to form a breakaway, eventually Dutch rider Quinty Ton (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Poland’s Aurela Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal) created a one-minute gap over the peloton at km 33, an advantage which grew to 2’20” after 50km of racing. As the riders hit the first cobbled sector from Hornaing to Wandignies at km 66 the leading duo were 2’50” clear of the chasing bunch. From there the action was relentless, with a total of 29.2km awaiting over the cobbles in total.
Van Dijk forces the issue
The experienced Dutch Lidl – Trek rider Ellen van Dijk attacked out of the bunch towards the end of the second cobbled sector (Warlaing to Brillon, 2.4km, 3) and early on the third sector of cobbles (Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières, 2.4km, 4) she was 20” ahead of the bunch and 55” adrift of the two escapees.
Dancing across the cobbles
By the fifth sector of cobblestones (Sector 13, Orchies, 1.7km, 3) van Dijk had reached the front of the race, but Nerlo had dropped behind and the peloton were not far adrift at just 15”. Entering Sector 12 (Auchy-lez-Orchies, 2.7km, 4) a big crash involving Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), Linda Riedmann (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and three other riders disrupted the bunch. Following the crash Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) attacked on Sector 12 and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) followed, the pair catching van Dijk in front, soon joined by Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) in the lead.
A strong lead group
That lead group expanded to eight riders, also soon including Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto), Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly), Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health) and Jelena Eric (Movistar). There were only six left at the front leaving Sector 11 (Mons-en-Pévèle), Kopecky’s pace taking its toll as Kasper and Van Dijk dropped behind. Kopecky tried to force the issue again on Sector 9 but could not go clear and shortly after that section of cobbles a chasing group including Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) joined the leaders, to make it a strong collective of 20 at the front going into the final 35km, with eight cobbled sector remaining.
Ferrand-Prevot goes on the attack
After Van Dijk’s earlier efforts it was Emma Norsgaard’s (Lidl-Trek) turn to break away with 32 km to go, just after Sector 8 (Templeuve). The Dane, sixth in 2021, quickly widened the gap to 36″ with 28 km to go. Frenchwoman Ferrand-Prevot managed to surprise the group of favourites with 25 km to go, the Olympic mountain bike champion gaining a few metres as Sector 6 (Bourghelles to Wannehain) began and pushing further clear, chasing after Norsgaard who she would soon catch. That leading duo went into Sector 5 (Camphin-en-Pévèle, 1.8km, 4*) with a 27″ lead over the chasing group, with Ferrand-Prevot soon leaving Norsgaard behind her in the dust. With 10km to go Ferrand-Prevot was well in control, 25″ ahead of Norsgaard and one minute clear of the rest.
A historic first French win
In the final kilometres Norsgaard lost touch with the lead and dropped back, with Ferrand-Prevot flying over the final cobbled sector (Roubaix (Espace Charles Crupelandt), 0.3km, 1*) and riding solo into the velodrome to the wild applause of the cheering French fans. It was a famous victory for the national icon, as she was able to celebrate before crossing the line almost a minute ahead of closest challenger Borghesi.
1 PAULINE FERRAND PREVOT 32 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 03H 40′ 07” – – –
2 LETIZIA BORGHESI 83 EF EDUCATION – OATLY 03H 41′ 05” + 00H 00′ 58” – –
3 LORENA WIEBES 6 TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 03H 41′ 08” + 00H 01′ 01” – –
4 MARIANNE VOS 31 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 03H 41′ 08” + 00H 01′ 01”
