After last year’s epic Paris Roubaix Femmes, 2022’s edition was a much drier affair. The mud from last season was dust this year presenting a new challenge. The dust made the cobbles particularly slippy in the corners as tyres struggled for traction on the loose surface. The clouds kicked up the lead cars and motorbikes also filled the air and can’t have been particularly fun for the riders. I positioned myself on the first section of cobbles and then the velodrome for the finish. Lorena Wiebes punctured on the first cobbles and had her wheel repaired right in front of me.
Between there and the velodrome, Elisa Longo Borghini attacked and went clear. By the time she reached Roubaix, the race was over as a contest and the Italian was able to cross the finish line solo.
