Pauline Ferrand-Prevot wins sensational women’s Paris-Roubaix on debut
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First-placed Team Visma-Lease a Bike's French rider Pauline Ferrand Prevot with her award on the podium in northern France, on April 12.
PHOTO: AFP
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ROUBAIX – French cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of the Visma team came back from sickness and a fall to win the women’s Paris-Roubaix cobbled classic on April 12.
The 33-year-old Olympic mountain bike champion broke clear with around 15km remaining.
This was a Paris-Roubaix debut for the cross-discipline rider, who rejoined the road circuit in 2025 after a decade’s absence.
She was cheered as she entered the Roubaix velodrome alone, around a minute ahead of a chasing clutch of pretenders and raised her arms with a smile almost as wide as she crossed the line after 3hr 40min 7sec.
She then sat down exhausted and wept as a pack sprinted for the podium spots, with Italy’s Letizia Borghesi second and Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes third.
“It’s my first win and maybe the last, I suffered so much out there on the cobbles,” she said, laughing.
Her boyfriend, Dutch rider Dylan van Baarle, also of Visma, won the men’s Paris-Roubaix three years ago.
“It’s great we’ve both got one of the paving stones now, we’ll have two at home now,” she said of the cobblestones given as a trophy.
“I’ve been sick the last few days and wasn’t sure to ride.”
On top of the health issue, Ferrand-Prevot was one of the many riders to crash and needed a bike change.
“Marianne (Vos her teammate) waited for me and together we managed to get back to the lead group,” she said. Vos herself was in a photo finish for third but ended fourth.
The champion turned her attention to her key reason for joining the road circuit.
“My main (goal) is to win the Tour de France within the next three years. We have a good team and a good project and every reason to hope for success,” she said.
The 148km ride is the fifth edition of the women’s event and began at Denain before tackling the Franco-Belgian border region’s old mining roads to Roubaix.
Meanwhile, Joao Almeida claimed Tour of the Basque Country victory on April 12, also winning stage six as he beat out Enric Mas in a sprint finish.
The Portuguese UAE Team Emirates rider started the day with a 30-second lead on Soudal-Quick-Step’s Max Schachmann, who came third overall, behind Movistar’s Spanish rider Mas, who fought his way to second.
“It was incredible to win that last stage, my team worked so hard for me,” said Almeida.
“It was a very good race for me in every way. We played all our cards and we played them well.
“To be able to win like this was the perfect way to finish what’s been a great race for me so I’m really, really happy.” AFP
