A victory for history: Briton Elizabeth Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) won the first women’s edition of Paris-Roubaix on Saturday. Deignan, 32, won after escaping 82 kilometers from the line to finally beat the Dutchman Marianne Vos and the Italian Elisa Longo Borghini by more than a minute. An impressive solitary raid that left the Dutch favorites without reaction. At 34, Marianne Vos probably had the legs to win, but the three-time road world champion and seven-time cyclo-cross world champion was slow to counter-attack (20 km from the finish), thus the happiness of Deignan.
A prestigious success
Elizabeth Deignan, world champion in 2015, signs a prestigious success at 32, she who had already won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders. “It’s just incredible. This scenario was not necessarily foreseen. By attacking 82 kilometers from the line, I thought I was accompanied. Finally, I had to do the job alone”, she explained, very moved. Once the line was crossed, most of the competitors let themselves go to the emotion, often bursting into tears.
“We were up to this first female Paris-Roubaix,” said Frenchwoman Audrey Cordon Ragot, 8th and teammate from Deignan: “It’s huge! Fatigue mixes with emotion. And this crowded velodrome which cheers us. What happiness! What more could you ask for? ” The competitors were not spared neither by the weather conditions, the rain at the end of the course, nor by the state of the roads: 29 kilometers of slippery cobblestones over a distance of 116 kilometers.
A mastery in all circumstances
Wind at the back at the start of the event, Deignan attacked before the first cobbled sections. Too early, we thought. But it was the best tactic, as the falls were numerous among his pursuers, nervous as they approached the muddy turns of the Hell of the North. “I pushed so much and more. I had the advantage, being alone, of being able to choose my trajectories while I heard that, behind me, the girls were accumulating falls,” said the winner.
On Sunday, conditions should be even worse for the 118th edition of the men’s race. Rain is forecast, as are gusts of wind over 70 km / h. The Hell of the North has rarely lived up to its name so well.
As an entertainment author with over 7 years of experience, I bring a diverse background to my writing. I have a proven track record in the journalism industry. My expertise extends beyond writing, as I have experience producing video content for websites and social media platforms, offering a well-rounded perspective on the entertainment world
