the French dream of a victory

For the first time, women cyclists will tread the cobblestones of the legendary Paris-Roubaix race. The route has been shortened to 116 kilometers, but the runners will tread the same cobbles as their male colleagues. The women’s edition of the queen of classics begins this Saturday at 13:35. Europe 1 went to meet the runners of the French games team while they were making reconnaissance of the course.

Anything can happen

Maëlle Grossetête has covered the 17 cobbled sections of the Paris-Roubaix women’s race this week, a race where, according to her, anything can happen. “There can be a lot of twists and turns. There is apprehension, but a lot of excitement and above all a great motivation”, explains the runner of the French games team. The cyclist begins to dream of a victory: “it’s a race that I prepared and the team trusts me on this event. It’s an additional motivation. Winning Paris-Roubaix is ​​a dream. If we don’t dream, we won’t succeed. You have to dream a little bit “.

This Saturday’s race promises to be historic. The Roubaix velodrome will see this Saturday the first coronation of a woman on the queen of the classics.

A real conquest for women’s cycling

This first edition is a real conquest for women’s cycling, according to Stephen Delcourt, the manager of the FDJ team. “This is where the legends of our sport are written and it will be the first time that a woman will be able to write her name on the prize list. It will create vocations. This is really the beautiful story: being able to write the name of a woman in Paris-Roubaix “.

Wind, rain and mud are expected for the race. All the ingredients are there to write one of the most beautiful pages in the history of cycling.