As it happened: Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes!

We're just under 40 minutes away from the official start in Denain and the riders are currently being announced at the team presentation.

It was an emotional start to the day for Audrey Cordon-Ragot as she starts her first race for new team Human Powered Health.

“I’m relieved and just also super tired, super mentally cracked a little bit. Once the start is given I’m another person and I'm able to focus so I just need to let it go and try my best today, being at the start is already a victory today,” said the French national champion.

“I’m just gonna enjoy every sector and try and stay on my bike to reach the velodrome the best way in the best place.”

She was confirmed on the start list just days ago after resigning from Zaaf Cycling Team over allegations of the team not paying their riders.

This is the race route, with 17 cobbled sectors and including the five star Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre, it will be one of the toughest days in the saddle for the women's pro peloton.

The riders have made their way off the unofficial start and we have just over 4km of neutralised riding before the official start where the chaos will ensue. 

Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini is ready to try and defend her crown but is not the starting favourite of the day with Lotte Kopecky expected to take victory here after doubling up on Tour of Flanders victories last week.

“I’m excited because I’m wearing number one and coming back here was pretty special for me after last year’s victory and today we will try to do our best and whatever comes it’s gonna be a good race,” said the Italian.

"I think it's going to be an aggressive race and we just have to be ready to embrace chaos."

On the Dutch team that have been dominating the classics, she said: “I think many teams were scared of SD Worx, we are not, we are just trying to play for the victory.

“If they are stronger we respect their job and recognise their strength and chapeau to them, but until the line we know that the race is not finished.”

This year's route has been extended from 124.7km to 145.5km with the extra 20 kilometres coming in and around Denain, before the first cobbled sector at Hornaing to Wandignies which arrives after 62km of racing. 

With the racing now officially underway it's time for the battle to be in the break to begin.

Given that the last and only two ever editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes have been won by solo attacks, each and every team will be eager to be at least represented in the front.

There were two non-starters for the race in Mylène de Zone (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling) and Maud Rijnbeek (AG-Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step).

It's a special day for Zoe Backstedt as the young British star rides Paris-Rouabix for the first time, a race her father Magnus won in 2004.

“I’m super excited for it, we’ve got history [the Backstedt family] in this race and just doing recon the other day and going across the cobbles, I was so happy and excited to be riding them in the first place so I’m super excited to get going today and see what the race brings," she said.

“It’s gonna be super tough, I think it’ll still be slippery on the cobbles considering the rain we had the last couple of days so I don’t what it will bring. It will be unpredictable but it’s gonna be fun.”

130km to go

We're 15km into the racing and there has been attacks from multiple teams but with no luck as of yet as they remain together, albeit stretched out. 

Here's a full list of the cobbled sectors in store for the riders today:
-Hornaing to Wandignies - 3.7km
-Warlaing to Brillon - 2.4km
-Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières - 2.4km
-Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies - 1.4km
-Orchies - 1.7km
-Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée - 2.7km
-Mons-en-Pévèle - 3km (*****)
-Mérignies to Avelin - 0.7km
-Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin - 1.4km
-Templeuve - L'Epinette - 0.2km
-Templeuve - Moulin-de-Vertain - 0.5km
-Cysoing to Bourghelles - 1.3km
-Bourghelles to Wannehain - 1.1km
-Camphin-en-Pévèle - 1.8km
-Carrefour de l'Arbre - 2.1km (*****)
-Gruson - 1.1km
-Willems to Hem - 1.4km
-Roubaix - Espace Charles Crupelandt - 0.3km

There are 18 riders off the front of the peloton with an advantage of 2 minutes as it stands.

The group in front contains rider such as: British national champion Alice Towers (Canyon / / SRAM), Femke Markus (SD Worx), Julia Borgström (AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step) and Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB).

Take a look back at the race start from Cyclingnews' team on the ground in northern France below.

All teams but six are represented in the front with Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, LifePlus-Wahoo, Israel Premier Tech Roland and Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime missing out.

No team has more than one rider out in front, however.

Jumbo-Visma's leader for the day is Marianne Vos, who was delighted to be back at Paris-Roubaix Femmes after being forced to miss the 2022 edition due to a positive Covid test.

“It was nice to be there in the first edition and I’m happy to be back on the start line. It’s a great race, of course, and it’s fantastic to be part of it," the Dutchwoman said.

"It’s a hard day and you know you're going to suffer but Paris-Roubaix is special. I’ll just try to do my best today and try to get a good race with the team and hopefully, we’ll be there in the final.”

105km to go

The gap to the leaders has been extending as they approach the first set of cobbles 82.5km from the finish in Roubaix, it's now upwards of 4 minutes.

Take a listen into the race radio of SD Worx as they try to stay calm while the race develops.

They have Markus out in the front group but arrived at the start line today as huge favourites for the victory through Lotte Kopecky. The Belgian superstar has three wins from five race days this season and none of those were small either, Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Nokere Koerse and the Tour of Flanders.

Each was done with a solo attack and she is in the form of her life, looking for victory today in Roubaix. It is likely she will try and break away from the other riders today leaving them in her wake to arrive at the famed velodrome alone.

Can she triumph today and become the first woman to win Flanders and Roubaix in the same year?

98km to go

There's been a crash in the peloton with multiple riders down. Unfortunately Linda Riedmann (Jumbo-Visma) has been forced to abandon.

The other riders involved are currently chasing their way back onto the back of the peloton.

Gap for the break is now past the five minute mark which now presents a rare opportunity for those involved to get a career-best finish at one of the biggest races.

Getting in front of the chaos in Roubaix tends to push less expected riders towards the top ten and even podium, one of the reasons why it's such a great race.

Here's a look at the break of the day with Jackson on the front closely followed by Jesse Vandenbulcke and Marthe Truyen.

We're under 10km away from the bone-rattling cobbles of northern France.

We had rain throughout the week as the riders completed their recons, will the roads have dried up or will the sectors still be wet and even more dangerous?

Correction from earlier - Linda Riedmann was able to thankfully get back on her bike and has returned to the peloton alongside Jade Wiel who was also slow to get up after the crash.

The true nature of Hell of the North is coming, 3km from now they will hit the Hornaing to Wandignies, the first of the 17 sectors of pavé that make Paris-Roubaix what it is.

We're in for a real treat here.

Take a look below at the first sector which is 3.7km in length, the longest sector of the day.

The break will meet it first with their 5:55 gap intact and all 18 of them should benefit from a better choice of line as the peloton fight for position. 

Who will work to bring back the five minute advantage?

Trek-Segafredo are taking control at the front of the peloton with Elynor Backstedt powering along to keep her teammates out of trouble.

We're into the second sector of the day, Warlaing to Brillon, which is a three star 2.4km section.

Marthe Truyevn is currently leading the break over the pavé and showing off her cyclocross experience over the tough terrain. 

Daniek Hengeveld has slightly slipped away from the break after going to the front to pull. 

71km to go

Marianne Vos is being forced to chase back on after suffering some mechanical issues, its bad luck for the former Paris-Roubaix runner-up who suffers a puncture after just two cobbled sectors. 

Hengeveld is pushing on and takes an advantage of seven seconds going into the next cobbled sector.

Vos is navigating her way through the convoy of cars as Trek continue to control the pace.

No progress has been made into the breakaway's advantage which still sits over the five minute mark. 

Vos is over 40 seconds away from the peloton with no teammates dropping back yet to go and help her. She should be able to make it back in but it will be a lot of energy wasted.

It's been a poor start for Jumbo-Visma after also missing the break.

Its still Elynor Backstedt driving things on the front with not only her sister Zoe involved in the race today but father and former Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus also heavily involved as a DS for Canyon SRAM.

65km to go

Coryn Labecki is working hard to bring Vos back towards the business end of the race after finally making it back into the stretched out peloton.

It will be quite the team effort to get back Vos back into a strong position.

Christine Majerus has taken up duties on the front for SD Worx as the peloton exits sector 15, Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières.

Hengeveld is on Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies alone 5'37" ahead of the bunch.

There are splits forming all over the road with Vos now in a smaller chasing group that has fallen away from the peloton who are on a rare piece of wide road, offering up a chance to move up in the group. 

Elisa Balsamo now hits the front for Trek with the time gap finally starting to go down below the five minute mark.

Romy Kasper is the only rider opting to ride in the muddy gutter alongside the cobbled road.

Marie Le Net is the only rider on Marianne Vos' wheel as she digs deep to try and get back to the main peloton.

She has used an incredible amount of energy and is getting there but will she have anything left if and when she makes it?

58km to go

Hengeveld is onto sector 13, Orchies which is 1.7km long.

Vos looks to Le Net for some respite out of the wind, the duo are working to bring back a 25 second deficit to the peloton which is still being driven by Trek.

Balsamo has done a great job bringing down the advantage of the leaders so far with tit now down to 4'33".

Vos has taken another passenger in Megan Jastrab who looks to have been down with some blood on her left leg.

Her teammate Hengeveld is still alone and is now onto the four star sector of Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée.

The ridge line down the middle of the cobbled sector is Hangeveld's desired choice. The 20-year-old looks very strong so far.

51km to go

Lorena Wiebes hits the front in the main peloton in the UCI Women's World Tour leader's jersey. She expressed her excitement earlier in the day.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to this race. You need a bit of luck but we have a strong team and we aim for the win today," she said.

Here goes Kopecky! The big favourite for the day has attacked.

In her wake a number of riders crashed going into a corner.

Kopecky's attack has caused carnage all over the road with Lucinda Brand the closest too her so far but not quite onto her back wheel.

She went here last year and clearly fancied it again with a huge acceleration. 

There are five riders near to Kopecky with the six of them a clear select group of strong riders with the bulk of the main group left in tatters behind.

Pfeiffer Georgi, Elisa Longo Borghini, Elise Chabbey, Floortje Mackaij and Brand are the five with Kopecky. 

Mons-en-Pévèle is here, the first five star sector of the day, it's brutal, it's muddy and it will be such a huge test for the riders.

To read more about one of the most famous pieces of pavé, click below:
What is Mons-en-Pévèle? A look at one of the trickiest sections of Paris-Roubaix

46km to go

The whole of last year's top four are here in Longo Borghini, Kopecky, Brand and Chabbey.

Mackaij also finished in sixth and Georgie ninth, this is a true group of stars set to do battle on the last 11 cobbled sectors. 

The Queen of the Classics is in full flow with riders all over the road.

Team DSM are doing brilliantly with Hengeveld out in front and still with an advantage of over three minutes alongside Georgi in the group of favourites.

She's also been joined by Franziska Koch in that group which is now up to nine riders.

Here's the moment Kopecky decided it was time to up the tempo and reduce the size of the peloton.

After the pain of Mons-en-Pévèle, the riders will be pleased to hit the two-star sector of Mérignies to Avelin next which is only 700metres in length.

Hengeveld has been absorbed back into the full breakaway.

Will anyone be able to live with Kopecky when she inevitably attacks again?
The gap to the break is now down to 2'32" and if things do join up at the front, Femke Markus could be able to provide great help to her SD Worx teammate.

Longo Borghini is leading a group of chasers into sector 9, Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin. 

Massive Crash!

The defending champion slides out on the muddy section of road in the middle and takes out 99% of the chasing group.

Only Romy Kasper was able to avoid it.

Pure chaos.

35km to go

The dynamics of the race have completely changed after that terrible crash.

We've got riders still down such as Sanne Can't and can only hope the riders exit the incident not too badly injured.

Kopecky is with Elisa Balsamo trying to get back up to Kasper as the breakaway approaches sector 8, Templeuve - L'Epinette. 

We're approaching the point in the race where Longo Borghini struck out for victory last year, the race situation is very different however, with the group of favourites still over 2 minutes in arrears from the leading breakaway.

28km to go

We still have our lead group of 15 out in front who still have a 2 minute advantage, behind them Romy Kasper has just been joined by a group containing Georgi and the Trek duo of Longo Borghini and Brand.

Kopecky is on her own in the cars and even behind the group containing Vos which is the third set of riders on the road. Is her race over?

Attack from Katia Ragusa! The Italian is trying to thin out the front group. She kicked out of the middle of the group after a small lull in the tempo.

Brand, Chabbey, Georgi, Bastianelli and Consonni are probably the strongest riders on paper in the second chasing group but after the chaos of the day we've had so far, who knows what riders will still have diamonds in the legs come the finish.

Kopecky is back into the third group on the road alongside Vos and Wiebes.

She's come to the front to try and salvage her race after the big crash, running on adrenaline. 

22km to go

The Belgian superstar has not given up hope as her group hit sector 6. Since she's been back on the front the gap between them and group 2 on the road has reduced to 30 seconds.

Cars in-between the two chasing groups are being pulled out which should give Kopecky even more incentive to reel them back in.

Once the riders enter the final 20km of the race they will be met by the hideous duo of Camphin-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre. The latter of which is the other five-star sector faced today and will be an enormous obstacle for anyone hoping for glory in the velodrome.

Click below to read more about the famed section of pavé:
What is the Carrefour de l'Arbre? The last chance for glory in Paris-Roubaix

Jackson goes! It's a big attack from the Canadian who has pulled off from the leading group. They had been looking around at each other so its understandable why the EF rider chose that moment to put the hammer down. 

The gaps on the road are being decreased on all fronts, the leaders advantage is now down to 1'16", whilst group two is now only 20 seconds in front of Kopecky.

Camphin-en-Pévèle is so essential for positioning going into the Carrefour de l'Arbre.

Pfeiffer Georgi is lighting up the pace with Brand the rider closest to her. The former British national champion suits the day's parcours and has impressed so far in 2023 including a wonderful solo win at Brugge-De Panne.

17km to go

The gap was as big as over 5 minutes, now the break only has 56 seconds as they hit the fabled Carrefour de l'Arbre. Can anyone hit out from the front group and find glory?

Marta Lach shoots first with Jackson close behind in her wheel.

This is one of the most brutal roads in cycling and the chasers have now hit it with Kasper leading the charge.

Lach is still on the front in the break whose advantage of 58 seconds is still holding over the pavé.

Crash for Laura Tomasi who hits the ridge of the cobbles hard. 

15km to go

Brand is driving things for Trek with Chabbey in her wheel, closely followed by Kasper and Consonni. 

Kopecky is on the front pushing on to try and catch those out in front.

44 seconds is all that separates these favourites from the remnants of the breakaway.

Marianne Vos is amazingly still in this pursuing group after her huge task of chasing on in the early stages of the race.

The time gap is 37 seconds now as Georgi attacks out of the group for Team DSM.

They won't want to let the strong Briton get out ahead. She was immediately marked by Austrian champion Christina Schweinberger. 

Lach goes again!

The chasers are so close now within 30 seconds and the Polish rider is still trying to stay out in front as they approach the final sectors of pavé.

10km to go

Marta Bastianelli has been nicely keeping her nose out of the wind in the group and with the gap now down to 11 seconds, she will be one of the riders starting to get lick her lips at the prospect of a Paris-Roubaix victory. 

Lach is still driving things on the front with Duval, Jackson, Borras, Ragusa and Markus the only riders still with her in the breakaway. Gap at 10 seconds.

7km to go

The final long sector of cobbles is now in progress, Willems to Hem, which is 1.4km in length.

The capture of the break looks imminent as we approach the final stages of what has been a chaotic race from start to finish.

Duval tries once more to break off from the group but Markus is straight onto her wheel.

The current British champion Towers hits out from the chasing group and is joined by the former British champion Georgi who gave her compatriot no chance to get away.

Towers is working for Chabbey who will want to better her fourth place finish from last year. 

There is only one small sector of cobbles left before we reach the velodrome. We've completed 140km of racing in 3 and a half hours.

The previous two editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes have been won by solo attacks, who will have anything left for a final sprint? Or can the break survive?

Brand takes a flier down the left side of the road kicking Schweinberger into action as she chases!

Chabbey counters for Canyon and the Austrian champions is doing all the chasing so far.

4km to go

Longo Borghini hits out to defend her title! Kopecky gives her no chance to gain an advantage. The break have 11 seconds but there is no real chase forming to bring them in.

2km to go

Can the break do it?

The group behind aren't working well at all even with some teams represented by two riders. The gap is still 12 seconds as they hit this long straight road that precedes the velodrome.

It will only be a lap and a half to finish the race off with everyone's legs surely screaming with fatigue at this point. What a finish we are set to witness.

1km to go

Lach drives the break over the final cobblestones, its a real nail-biter.

Onto the velodrome we go!

Alison Jackson wins it!

It's the win of a lifetime for the Canadian, what an incredible finish to an incredible race here in Roubaix.

It's one of the best finishes you will see to a bike race.

Jackson cannot believe what she has achieved in France. The congratulations are running wild in the velodrome for the Canadian.

It was her driving it on the front in the break alongside Lach, with the two attacking on the front to keep the pace high on multiple occasions. What a deserved winner for one of the most entertaining riders in women's cycling. 

Borras hit out for glory coming into the final corner but out of her wheel came the Canadian who gritted her teeth and wrestled her bike all the way to the line to write her name into cycling history.

What a thrilling end to a race that really deserved one, the third edition of Paris-Roubaix lived up to the hype and was captured by a 34-year-old rider in the biggest win of her career.

Katia Ragusa (Liv Racing TeqFind) finished in second with Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Deceuninck) rounding off the podium in third. 

It's a dream come true for the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB rider after claiming the Queen of the Classics.

"When we did the pre-ride and we rode around this velodrome I dreamed of winning and lots of times those dreams just stay dreams. It's unreal to make it happen in real life," Jackson said.

As the race approached it's final stages it appeared as though Jackson was one of the strongest riders and had perhaps done too much of the work, but she got it absolutely right leading up to and inside the velodrome.

She said: "I wanted to be part of the action, I wanted to be ahead of the race I didn't want to wait.

"Our team this spring has just been waiting and it hasn't been working. In a race like this, you just need to avoid bad luck in order to get good luck to win," the Canadian said after getting into the early break of 18 that went over 100km from the finish.

"Either you don't ride and you lose the race or you ride hard and you maybe have a chance. I just trusted myself and my passion and heart for wanting to get in the bike race and it's turned out with a win.

"I saw it coming and it had clear space and it's a dream come true. To cross the line of a bike race first is a special type of fun and this one tops that."

Pre-race favourite Lotte Kopecky could only manage seventh after winning the group sprint behind.

"The first group had quite a big advantage and I think the pace we were doing was just not hard enough to change something in the race. We saw with the last edition it was okay to start racing early, so that's what we tried," the Belgian said.

On the race defining crash that brought her down with 37km to go she said: "I think we were going well towards the break but then this happens - but its also bike racing."

An emotional Marthe Truyen finished in third, the best career result for the 23-year-old Belgian.

"Oh I'm happy. I don't know what to say. It's crazy - this is a dream. I was thinking in the race, I said to myself we have five minutes, oh please, don't dream. I hope it's not a dream, I'm third in Paris-Roubaix," she said.

"The goal was to be in the breakaway but I never expected the break to get five minutes, it's crazy, I'm really happy."

Make sure you read Cyclingnews' full report and growing photo gallery from an incredible edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes, one of the races of the year so far.
Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023: Canadian Alison Jackson nabs a huge win from breakaway

Here's the final Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023 podium: (l-r) Katia Ragusa (Liv Racing TeqFind), winner Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) and Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Deceuninck), all survivors of the day's early break of 18 riders.