| 2023 UCI Women's World Tour, race 11 of 27 | |||||||||||||
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 Event poster, featuring 2022 winnersElisa Longo Borghini andDylan van Baarle | |||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||
| Dates | 8 April 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 145.5 km (90.41 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 3h 42' 56" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
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← 2022 2024 → | |||||||||||||
The2023 Paris–Roubaix Femmes (officiallyParis–Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift) was aFrenchroad cycling one-day race that took place on 8 April 2023. It was the 3rd edition ofParis–Roubaix Femmes and the 11th event of the2023 UCI Women's World Tour.
The race was won by Canadian riderAlison Jackson ofEF Education–Tibco–SVB in a sprint finish, after thebreak stayed away from the chasing peloton behind.[1]
Starting inDenain, the race finished on the velodrome inRoubaix after covering 145.5 kilometres (90.4 mi), with 29.2 kilometres (18.1 mi) of cobblestones, spread out over 17 sectors – including the famedCarrefour de l'Arbre and theMons-en-Pévèle – both ranked at "five stars" in difficulty. The women covered the same final 17 sectors as themen's race.[2] The route was around 20 kilometres (12 mi) longer that than the last edition, using additional roads south of the start in Denain prior to the cobblestone sectors, which are similar to previous editions.[3]
Organisers noted they consider it "too dangerous" to include the five star cobbled sectorTrouée d'Arenberg due to its proximity to the start in Denain,[4] but they also noted that they "do not rule out that we will pass through ... in the future".[5]
23 teams took part in the race. All 15 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited, and were joined by 8 UCI Women's Continental Teams. The two best 2022 UCI Women's Continental Teams (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling andLifeplus Wahoo) received an automatic invitation, and the other six teams were selected by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the race.[2][6]
UCI Women's WorldTeams
UCI Women's Continental Teams
Prior to the race, media tippedLotte Kopecky (SD Worx) for the win, following her victory atTour of Flanders the previous week.[7] Other contenders included defending championElisa Longo Borghini (Trek–Segafredo),Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo–Visma),Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM) andElise Chabbey (Canyon–SRAM).[8]
The race was held in dry conditions, however some roads were wet after previous days of heavy rain.[9][10] Starting fromDenain, a 18 womanbreakaway formed within the first 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of the race, prior to live television coverage being available – which was subsequently criticised.[11] By the time the firstpavé sector was reached, the break was around 6 minutes ahead of the peloton.[12] The time between the peloton and breakaway gradually fell. Vos suffered a mechanical, and fell behind the peloton.[13] On theMons-en-Pévèle sector of pavé with 50 kilometres (31 mi) remaining, Kopecky attacked from the peloton, with key riders such as Longo Borghini, Pfeiffer Georgi and Chabbey joining Kopecky to form a chase group of key contenders.
However, with around 40 kilometres (25 mi) remaining, Longo Borghini crashed on the Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin sector of pavé, taking out Kopecky and others in the chasing group.[13]Sanne Cant (Fenix–Deceuninck) suffered severe wounds to her head in the crash, later requiring stitches to her face at a hospital inLille.[14] The crash delayed the group – allowing Vos to catch them – but the gap to the breakaway gradually fell over time over the remaining kilometres.[13] By the time theCarrefour de l'Arbre pavé sector was reached, the gap to the break had fallen to under a minute. As the now six-rider breakaway group entered theRoubaix Velodrome with a kilometre to go, the gap to the chasing group was around 10 seconds.[12]Alison Jackson (EF Education–Tibco–SVB) won a sprint finish of the breakaway riders,[15] holding off the chasing group who finished 12 seconds back.[1] Kopecky took the leaders jersey of theUCI Women's World Tour, after winning the sprint of the chasing group.[1]
Jackson later explained that "we were being chased down pretty hard in that last 5km" and that "it's the biggest win of my career and a dream come true".[16] EF Education–Tibco–SVB described the win as the biggest in their history.[17] Second and third place ridersKatia Ragusa (Liv Racing TeqFind) andMarthe Truyen (Fenix–Deceuninck) both expressed surprise at their results – with Truyen saying "it feels like a victory".[18]
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alison Jackson (CAN) | EF Education–Tibco–SVB | 3h 42' 56" |
| 2 |  Katia Ragusa (ITA) | Liv Racing TeqFind | + 0" |
| 3 |  Marthe Truyen (BEL) | Fenix–Deceuninck | + 0" |
| 4 |  Eugénie Duval (FRA) | FDJ–Suez | + 0" |
| 5 | Marion Borras (FRA) | St. Michel–Mavic–Auber93 | + 0" |
| 6 |  Marta Lach (POL) | Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling | + 3" |
| 7 | Lotte Kopecky (BEL) | SD Worx | + 12" |
| 8 |  Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) | Team DSM | + 12" |
| 9 | Chiara Consonni (ITA) | UAE Team ADQ | + 12" |
| 10 |  Marianne Vos (NED) | Team Jumbo–Visma | + 12" |
Two distinct loops on windswept roads near the beginning of the course will add an extra 20 kilometres or so to the total distance.
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.
'I do not rule out that we will pass through the Arenberg Forest in the future' states course director on possible route changes
Despite dry conditions on race day, the route had not dried out completely after several days of steady rain.
It had rained earlier this week so some of the cobbles were going to be wet, the gutters were going to be muddy.
Since fans missed the first 65.5K of the race, they also missed the forming of the early break, which ended up defining much of the race.
We were being chased down pretty hard in that last 5km ... it's the biggest win of my career and a dream come true.
we couldn't be more thrilled to see Alison take the biggest win of her career and in our history