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Paris–Roubaix Femmes
Race details
Date	Early April
Region	Northern France
Nickname(s)	The Hell of the North; Queen of the Classics; L'enfer du Nord;
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI Women's World Tour
Type	One-day
Organiser	Amaury Sport Organisation
Race director	Jean-François Pescheux
Web site	www.paris-roubaix-femmes.fr
History
First edition	2021
Editions	4 (as of 2024)
First winner	Lizzie Deignan (GBR)
Most recent	Lotte Kopecky (BEL)

Paris–Roubaix Femmes is a one day women's bicycle race on cobbled roads (or pavé) in northern France, held annually in early April. It is part of the UCI Women's World Tour. The equivalent men's race is a cycling monument, and after the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, is the third to stage a women's edition.

History

Paris–Roubaix is one of cycling's oldest races, and was first held in 1896. Paris–Roubaix is famous for rough terrain, mud and cobblestones, or pavé (setts)^{[n 1]} – the race has been nicknamed l'enfer du Nord, or Hell of the North.^[1] Punctures and other mechanical problems are common and often influence the result.

In the early 2000s, French cyclist Marion Clignet recalled asking if the organisers of Paris–Roubaix would organise a women's edition of the race, with Jean-Marie Leblanc (who worked for the organisers) replying that they would not.^[2]

In the late 2010s, the women's peloton pushed again for the race, with Iris Slappendel stating that "we would love to have a Paris–Roubaix".^[3] In 2018, Union Cycliste Internationale president David Lappartient pushed for the race, stating "I dream of a Paris–Roubaix Feminine" in an interview with L'Équipe.^[4]

The announcement of the inaugural women's edition of Paris–Roubaix came as a surprise addition to the revised 2020 UCI Women's World Tour calendar.^[5] The race was scheduled for 25 October 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

The first edition of Paris–Roubaix Femmes took place in 2021,^[7] with Lizzie Deignan winning following a 80km solo attack described by commentators as one of the greatest Roubaix rides of all time.^[8]^[9]^[10] Paris–Roubaix Femmes is held on a Saturday in early April, with the men's race held the day after.

Course

The Paris–Roubaix Femmes course uses the same roads and cobbled sectors as the men's race – albeit over a shorter distance (around 120 to 150km) – before finishing in the Roubaix Velodrome.^[11] Editions of the race have so far started in Denain,^[7]^[11] with 17 sectors of pavé including the famed Carrefour de l'Arbre and the Mons-en-Pévèle – both ranked at "five stars" in difficulty.^[11]^[12] The course is maintained by Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix, a group of fans of the race formed in 1983. The forçats du pavé seek to keep the course safe for riders while maintaining its difficulty.^[13]

Organisers noted they consider it "too dangerous" to include the five star cobbled sector Trouée d'Arenberg due to its proximity to the start in Denain,^[14] but they also noted that they "do not rule out that we will pass through ... in the future".^[15]

Winners & records

Year	Rider	Team
2020	Race cancelled due to COVID-19
2021	Lizzie Deignan	Trek–Segafredo
2022	Elisa Longo Borghini	Trek–Segafredo
2023	Alison Jackson	EF Education–Tibco–SVB
2024	Lotte Kopecky	Team SD Worx–Protime

Notes

^ Paris–Roubaix is popularly known throughout the English-speaking world for its 'cobbled sectors', but this is a misnomer as the sectors are actually paved with granite setts, roughly hewn blocks, which are smoother and safer than true cobblestones (prominent rounded pebbles often used on inner city streets). This article maintains the misnomer 'Cobblestones' but attempts to clarify the misnomer where relevant.

References

^ "Spring Classics: How to win cycling's hardest one-day races". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
^ Rose Manley (12 April 2024). "S12 EP23 Cobbling Together History - The Cycling Podcast Feminin". The Cycling Podcast (Podcast). The Cycling Podcast. Retrieved 19 April 2024. I had a conversation with Jean-Marie Leblanc if ASO would put on a Paris Roubaix for us, and I thought he was gonna have a heart attack - you know (coughing and spluttering) "what was that you just asked?!" I said "you know we can ride the pave it's fine there's no problem" he said "no that's not going to happen" [former rider Marion Clignet]
^ Troop, Hannah (9 April 2018). "A Women's Paris-Roubaix: you cannot be serious". Cyclist. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
^ "'I dream of a Paris-Roubaix Feminine' says UCI President". cyclingnews.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
^ Kristin, Frattini. "Paris-Roubaix a surprise addition to revised Women's WorldTour". CyclingNews. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
^ "Paris-Roubaix: Cycling classic cancelled due to coronavirus". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Official website of the Paris-Roubaix Femmes". Paris-Roubaix Femmes. A.S.O. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
^ "Lizzie Deignan masters cobbles for glory in first staging of Paris-Roubaix Femmes". the Guardian. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Puddicombe, Stephen (31 December 2021). "What were the best one-day races of 2021?". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Stuart, Peter (2 October 2021). "Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2021: A day in cycling history". Rouleur. Retrieved 7 April 2024. one of the most impressive solo victories the race has ever witnessed
^ ^a ^b ^c Jary, Rachel (30 September 2021). "Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2021 – Route, predictions and contenders". Rouleur. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ Frattini, Kirsten (1 March 2024). "17 cobbled sectors, 2 five-star pavè make up Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2024 route". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
^ Abraham, Richard (11 April 2022). "Who are The Friends of Paris-Roubaix?". Rouleur. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
^ Frattini, Kirsten (5 April 2023). "Five-star Arenberg 'too dangerous' due to proximity to start at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, says ASO". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 April 2023. Organisers ASO have increased the total race distance for the third edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift but have not added the mythical five-star Trouée d'Arenberg, saying that it is still "too dangerous" to include it in the women's parcours due to its proximity to the start in Denain.
^ Frattini, Kirsten (5 April 2023). "Five-star Arenberg 'too dangerous' due to proximity to start at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, says ASO". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 April 2023. 'I do not rule out that we will pass through the Arenberg Forest in the future' states course director on possible route changes