Paris-Roubaix Femmes Live – the women’s peloton takes on the cobblestones

There are splits forming all over the way with Vos now in a smaller chasing group that fell away from the peloton who were on a rare piece of wide road, providing an opportunity to move up in the group.

Christine Majerus took over duties on the front for SD Worx as the peloton exited sector 15, from Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières.

Hengeveld is in Beuvry-la-Forêt to Orchies alone 5’37” ahead of the group.

65 km to go

Coryn Labecki has been working hard to bring Vos back towards the working end of the race after finally making her return to the extended peloton.

It will be the team’s effort to restore Vos to a strong position.

Elynor Backstedt is still leading things up front with not only her sister Zoe racing today but father and former Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus also heavily involved as the DS for Canyon SRAM.

Vos is over 40 seconds off the peloton with none of his teammates yet to come back to go and help her. You should be able to get back inside but there will be a lot of wasted energy.

It was a bad start for Jumbo-Visma after he also missed the break.

Voss makes her way through the convoy of cars as Trek continues to control the pace.

No progress was made on the breakaway feature that remained lingering over five minutes.

Hengeveld presses on and takes advantage of seven seconds to go into the next cobbled sector.

71 km to go

Marianne Vos is forced to return after suffering some mechanical problems, bad luck for the former Paris-Roubaix runner-up who suffered a puncture after two cobbled sectors.

Daniek Hengeveld slid slightly wide of the break after going to the front for a pull.

We are in the second sector of the day, Warlaing to Brillon, which is a three star section of 2.4km.

Marthe Truyevn is currently leading the break over the pavement and showing off her experience riding bikes on challenging terrain.

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

Who will bring back the five-minute feature?

Below, take a look at the first sector at 3.7 kilometers, the longest sector of the day.

The break will meet him first with a 5:55 gap intact and all 18 should benefit from a better line selection as the peloton battles for position.

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

We are here for a real treat.

Correction from earlier – Linda Redman was able to luckily get back on her bike and get back into the peloton alongside Jade Wiel who was also slow to get up after the crash.

We are less than 10km from the bone-crunching cobblestones of northern France.

We had rain all week as the riders completed their recycles, so will the roads dry out or will the sectors remain wet and more dangerous?

Here’s a look at today’s holiday with Jackson on top followed by Jesse Vandenbulke and Marth Troyn.

The break gap now exceeds five minutes which now presents a rare opportunity for participants to get a career best score in one of the biggest races.

Getting into the chaos of Roubaix tends to propel the least expected riders towards the top ten and up to the podium, which is one of the reasons why this race is so great.

98 km to go

There was a crash in the peloton with several riders down. Unfortunately, Linda Redman (Jumbo Visma) was forced to let go.

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

Hear SD Worx’s race radio as they try to stay calm as the race unfolds.

They have Marcus in the front group but came to the starting line today as a big favorite for the win via Lotte Kopecky. The Belgian star has taken three wins from five days of racing this season and none of them are small, Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Nokere Koerse and the Tour of Flanders.

She’s every single attack done and she’s in her life form, looking for victory today in Roubaix. It is likely that she will try to break away from the other riders today and leave them in her wake to get to the famous racetrack on their own.

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

105 km to go

The gap between the leaders widened as they approached the first set of stones 82.5km from the finish in Roubaix, and was now over 4 minutes away.

Jumbo-Visma’s leader for the day is Marianne Vos, who was happy to return to the Paris-Roubaix Femmes after being forced to miss the 2022 edition due to a positive Covid test.

“It was good to be there in the first edition and I’m happy to be back on the starting line. Of course it’s a great race and it’s great to be a part of it,” said the Dutchwoman.

“It’s a tough day and you know you’re going to struggle but Paris-Roubaix is ​​special. I’m just going to try to do my best today and try to have a good race with the team and hopefully we’ll be there last.”

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

However, no team has more than one front-runner.

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

The front group contains riders such as: British National Champion Alice Towers (Canyon // SRAM), Femke Markus (SD Worx), Julia Borgström (AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step) and Allison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB).

There are 18 riders off the front of the peloton with a two minute advantage as it stands.

Here’s a full list of the cobbled-togethers in store for commuters today:
-Corning to Wandignes – 3.7 km
-Warlaing to Brillon – 2.4km
-Tailoi to Sars and Rozières – 2.4 km
– Beaufort-la-Foret to Orches – 1.4 km
– Orchis – 1.7 km
-Oche Les Orches to Bercy – 2.7 km
– Mons en Biville – 3 km (*****)
-Mérignies to Avelin – 0.7km
Pont-Thébault to Enneville – 1.4 km
– Templov – Labinet – 0.2 km
– Templouf – Moulin de Vert – 0.5 km
-Cysoing to Bourghelles – 1.3 km
– Burghell to Wahnain – 1.1 km
– Camphin-en-Pévèle – 1.8 km
-Carrefour de l’Arbre – 2.1 km (*****)
– Grosson – 1.1 km
Willems to Hem – 1.4 km
– Roubaix – Espace Charles Cropplandt – 0.3 km

130 km to go

We are 15km into the race and there were attacks from multiple teams but no luck so far as they stuck together, albeit a stretch.

It’s a special day for Zoe Backstedt as the young British starlet was racing Paris-Rouabix for the first time, a race her father Magnus won in 2004.

“I’m really excited about it, we have history [the Backstedt family] This race, and I’m just refreshing the other day and crossing the stones, I was so happy and excited to ride them in the first place, so I’m really excited to go today and see what the race brings,” she said.

“It’s going to be very tough, and I think it’s still going to be slippery on the gravel given the rain we’ve had the last couple of days, so I’m not fetching it. It’s going to be unexpected but it’s going to be fun.”

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

With the race now officially underway, it’s time to start the battle.

Given that the last and only two editions of the Paris-Roubaix Femmes tournament have been won through individual attacks, each team will be keen to be represented at least on top.

This year’s course has been extended from 124.7km to 145.5km with an additional 20km coming in and around Dennen, before the first cobbled sector of the Horning to Wendenes which arrives after 62km of racing.

Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini is ready to try and defend her title, but she is not a favorite at the start of the day, with Lotte Kopecky expected to take victory here after doubling her wins at the Tour of Flanders last week.

“I’m excited to be wearing the number one and to be back here was very special for me after winning last year and today we will try to do our best and everything that comes will be a good race,” said the Italian.

“I think it’s going to be a fierce race and we just have to be ready to embrace the chaos.”

On the Dutch team that dominated the classics, she said: “I think many teams were afraid of SD Worx, we’re not like that, we’re just trying to play for victory.

“If they are stronger, we respect their job and value their strength and advance to them, but even the line we know the race is not over.”

The riders have made their way from the informal start and we have just over 4km of neutral riding before the official start where chaos will ensue.

This is a race course that, with 17 cobbled sectors including Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre, will be one of the toughest days in the saddle for the professional ladies.

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

“I am very rested and tired, mentally a little cracked. Once a start is given, I am another person and I am able to focus, so I just need to let it go and do my best today. Being in the start is already a victory today,” said the French national champion.

“I’m just going to enjoy every sector and try to stay on my bike to get to the circuit in the best way in the best place.”

She was confirmed to the starting list just days earlier after she quit the Zaaf cycling team over allegations of the team not paying their riders.

We are less than 40 minutes away from the official start in Denain and the riders are currently being announced at the team presentation.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the 2023 motorcycling competitions in Paris-Roubaix!