For SD Worx-Protime, the 2025 Paris-Roubaix Femmes was a race where they never quite regained control after the early shake-up โ and where the compromises made in the first half would quietly dictate the outcome by the time the velodrome came into view.
The first significant fault line appeared when Ellen van Dijk attacked with 71 kilometres to go. It wasn’t the move that won the race โ that would come later from Pauline Ferrand-Prรฉvot โ but it was the moment that disrupted the balance in the peloton. The reaction to Van Dijk’s move caused a key split in the group, and SD Worx-Protime found themselves with just Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes present in the front selection.
There was also a clear reluctance to commit fully to chasing Van Dijk. With the likes of Canyon SRAM and Visma-Lease a Bike all better represented, SD Worx hesitated, as with reduced numbers, they had to bank on the move coming back naturally under pressure from teams with more riders to work. Whilst that did eventually happen, in reality, the results of that attack had cost them control.
They werenโt the only ones to lose critical pieces. Several teams missed the move entirely or had to burn through support riders too early. SD Worx did manage to get Blanka Vas, Elena Cecchini and Barbara Guarischi back into the front after a brief chase โ but they couldnโt hold position. All three were dropped again soon after in the next phase and were non-factors from then on towards the finale.
Mid-race attacking phase
There was a moment mid-race where SD Worx-Protime looked to seize back some control. On the approach to sector 12 at Auchy-lez-Orchies, the race fragmented further when a crash at the front disrupted the momentum of Visma-Lease a Bike. Pauline Ferrand-Prรฉvot was caught up in the chaos but narrowly avoided going down. Sensing an opportunity, Lotte Kopecky launched an attack through the debris, with Lorena Wiebes straight onto her wheel. Lots of riders were dropped, including SD Worx teammates, as a result of the power put down by the two riders.
They werenโt alone for long. Marianne Vos bridged across, creating a powerful trio โ a worrying prospect for anyone behind with Ellen van Dijk already up the road. The move began to stick, and soon the front group swelled with the arrivals of Chloe Dygert, 2023 winner Alison Jackson, Jelena Eriฤ, and Romy Kasper. It was a dangerous combination โ eight strong riders with representation from multiple teams and enough firepower to change the shape of the race.
Kopecky drove the pace, launching repeated accelerations over the cobbles and on the tarmac transitions. She tried to break the group apart, testing the legs of those around her. But Vos never gave her an inch, glued to her wheel and matching her move for move. It was a draining effort for the world champion and one that arguably left her blunt for the final third of the race.
Despite the intensity of that phase, the racing behind didnโt settle. The earlier chase group reformed before the 35-kilometre mark, dragging back the front selection and reshuffling the deck yet again. For SD Worx, that meant another missed opportunity โ they’d animated the race and forced a dangerous split, but couldnโt turn the screw when it mattered. The elastic stretched, but it didnโt snap and the roll of the dice had cost them any extra teammate leverage.
Tiring legs starting to take effect
Around this time, there was a clear pivot in SD Worxโs strategy. Kopeckyโs repeated attacks failed to dislodge the main contenders, and the team instead focused on ensuring that Wiebes made it to the velodrome in contention. It was a logical play โ Wiebes had already won races this spring by surviving and sprinting, most notably at Sanremo Women and Gent-Wevelgem. In a Roubaix finale, no one would faster than her in a group finish. That plan ultimately delivered a podium in this year’s race but not the win.
It also left Kopecky shouldering a disproportionate workload. With no teammates left to help and with Wiebes being protected, the world champion did long turns chasing on the front. She also marked moves, closed gaps and positioned herself to respond to moves. That workload not only took her out of contention but also affected the teamโs ability to respond when Ferrand-Prรฉvot launched the decisive move on the approach to Camphin-en-Pรฉvรจle. Kopecky simply couldnโt go with the French star. โIโd already chased so many moves,โ she said afterwards. โI couldnโt keep doing it.โ
Despite all the misfires, SD Worx still looked on course for second place until the very last moment. But with Kopecky out of the picture after a late attack being too much and Wiebes already focused on the sprint, Letizia Borghesi played it smart. On the final lap in the velodrome, the Italian ghosted away unnoticed, stealing second place in a move of pure instinct and perfect timing โ a brilliant result for her and a reminder that even in Roubaix, experience and legs arenโt everything. Sometimes, itโs about being bold at just the right moment.
One name missing from all of this was Mischa Bredewold. A powerful presence in classics and invaluable in chaotic scenarios like Roubaix, she sat this one out to focus on Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race next week. Her absence was felt most acutely when the early split happened โ the kind of moment where she would usually thrive, keep Kopecky fresh, and cover attacks like Van Dijkโs. Without her, SD Worx were a rider short when it mattered most. They maybe hoped that someone like Blanka Vas, with all of her cyclocross background, would have been able to go deeper into the race at the front, but the Hungarian wasn’t great at Flanders last weekend either.
For SD Worx, it was a day of adapting rather than dominating through having the strongest riders on paper โ and this time, adaptation wasn’t quite enough.
Main photo credit: Getty
