Lotte Kopecky sprinted to victory at Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift on Saturday afternoon, claiming SD-Worx Protime’s first title within the race.Â
The world champion was lively all through the 148.5km occasion, main into the primary cobbled sector and shutting down strikes all through the day. Kopecky got here into the velodrome in a six-rider group, and dashed from behind to beat Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) over the road.Â
British nationwide champion Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) pipped Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) to take the ultimate podium spot. Ellen van Dijk and Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez) have been additionally a part of the profitable transfer.Â
Kopecky’s victory comes after two years of frustration for the Belgian on the race. In 2022, she completed second, having led the chase behind Elisa Longo Borghini. The 28-year-old discovered herself in pursuit once more in 2023, that point ending seventh, a handful of seconds behind the breakaway.Â
The emotion of lastly reaching the highest step was clear as she crossed the road. Roaring into the wind, Kopecky drew her fingers collectively in a thunderous clap, after which slapped her fingers down on her legs.Â
“This was the aim of the season,” she stated afterwards, her face coated in filth, smiling again on the TV cameras.Â
The way it occurred
(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
Having remained collectively on the flat run-in, the peloton started scaling down from the primary of 17 sectors. In complete, the riders would face 29km of bone-rattling cobblestones, and because the first few appeared in entrance of them, Kopecky made her solution to the entrance of the pack.Â
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With 53km to go, the world champion started to show the screw. Accelerating over the cobbles, she drew together with her three others –  Vos, Georgi (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix Deceuninck) – and a entrance quartet went clear.Â
The transfer, nevertheless, lasted only a handful of kilometres; it was reeled in by Lidl-Trek’s Van Dijk on Mons-en-Pévèle, the primary of two five-star sectors.Â
Because the temper then relaxed, Jade Wiel (FDJ-Suez) picked an opportune second to launch an assault of her personal. The previous French champion peeled off the entrance with 33km remaining, and rapidly gained 30 seconds on the pack. There was no preliminary chase, however after 10km alone within the wind, Wiel was swallowed up, Van Dijk once more chargeable for closing the hole.Â
The Dutchwoman then went on the assault herself, along with Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez). Inside 20km from the road, the main duo have been caught by Kopecky, Vos and Balsamo, and the five-rider group charged onto the race’s most brutal sector, the Carrefour de l’Arbre. Earlier than the 2km stretch was over, Balsamo had been dropped off the again.Â
Behind, Georgi chased doggedly. The British champion swept up Balsamo and, leaning over her handlebars, towed the Italian again onto the entrance group. Six riders then led into the finale.
Van Dijk swung first onto the out of doors velodrome, establishing the dash for Balsamo. After working so exhausting to rejoin the entrance of the race, Georgi sprung a shock early sprint to the road, forcing her rivals to observe. Balsamo and Vos obliged, however because the sprinted side-by-side, they offered the right slipstream for Kopecky to spherical them and declare victory.
Standing red-eyed within the velodrome on the finish, Balsamo summed up the day in 4 phrases. “Lotte was simply stronger,” she stated. Lastly, Kopecky had her Roubaix cobble.
Outcomes
Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift 2024 (148.5km)
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, in 3-47-13
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) dsm-firmenich PostNL,
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
5. Amber Kraak (Ned) FDJ-Suez, all at similar time
6. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +6s
7. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +28s
8. Victoire Berteau (Fra) Cofidis
9. Marie Le Internet (Fra) FDJ-Suez
10. Kimberley (Le Court docket) Pienaar (MUS) AG Insurance coverage-Soudal Group, all at similar time
