Starting alone 34 kilometers from the finish, the Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini did more than resist to win the second edition of the women’s Paris-Roubaix. Lotte Kopecky and Lucinda Brand complete the podium.
The Paris-Roubaix women’s race becomes a preserve of the Trek-Segafredo team. Six months after Lizzie Deignan’s success at the end of a long-distance breakaway, it was her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini who raised her arms on the track at the Vélodrome André-Pétrilleux in Roubaix. A 125 kilometer long race with 17 cobbled sections on the program which first saw a group of four runners take to their heels, quickly caught up by the German Tanja Erath. Behind, under the impetus of European champion Ellen van Dijk, the peloton split up into several groups. The first cobbled sectors made it possible to skim the breakaway, both on mechanical incidents and on poor form, with the only Tanja Erath who was able to resist the return of the peloton until the edge of the last 60 kilometers. It was then that this second edition of the women’s Paris-Roubaix really took off. Marta Bastianelli and Lotte Kopecky tried to get out of the peloton, with Lucinda Brand trying to follow. A trio which, however, was never able to really take off on the rest of the peloton.
Relive the victory of ?? @ElisaLongoB who offers @TrekSegafredo a 2nd win on @RoubaixWomen ?♀️
Relive the victory of ?? @ElisaLongoB which offers to @TrekSegafredo his 2nd victory in the event ? ♀️#ParisRoubaixFemmes | #GoZwift pic.twitter.com/Uu1FQ5iy4b— Paris-Roubaix Women with Zwift (@RoubaixFemmes) April 16, 2022
Balsamo put off the run, Longo Borghini managed to isolate himself
Behind, world champion Elisa Balsamo was first delayed by a puncture before returning to the peloton. However, for this, she took advantage of too frank help from her car, which prompted the jury of commissioners to disqualify the wearer of the rainbow jersey. In the aftermath, it was Elisa Longo Borghini who tried her luck alone in the cobblestone sector of Templeuve. The Italian champion then took all the risks to widen the gap while Emma Norsgaard and Elena Cecchini, parties against, could never agree to hope to return to the lead. After coming close to falling in the Camphin-en-Pévèle sector, Elisa Longo Borghini managed her advantage, still over 30 seconds, to enter the Roubaix velodrome track alone. A last lap of honor that the Italian savored before crossing the finish line first. The sprint of the chasing group allowed Lotte Kopecky to take second place ahead of Lucinda Brand who, like last year, allowed the Trek-Segafredo team to place two of its members on the podium. Victoire Berteau, long at the forefront, finished first in France, in 17th place.
CYCLING – UCI WOMEN’S WORLD TOUR / PARIS-ROUBAIX (F)
Final classification (125km) – Saturday April 16, 2022
1- Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA / Trek-Segafredo) in 3h10’54 ”
2- Lotte Kopecky (BEL / SD Worx) at 23 ”
3- Lucinda Brand (PBS / Trek-Segafredo) at 23 ”
4- Elise Chabbey (SUI/Canyon-SRAM) at 23”
5- Marta Cavali (ITA/FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) at 23”
6- Floortje Mackaij (PBS/DSM) at 23”
7- Ellen van Dijk (PBS/Trek-Segafredo) at 23”
8- Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (PBS/SD Worx) at 32”
9- Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR / DSM) at 2’22 ”
10- Sandra Alonso Dominguez (ESP/Ceratizit-WNT) at 2’22”
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17- Victoire Berteau (FRA / Cofidis) at 2’54”
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