Pauline Ferrand-Prévot claimed a sensational victory on debut at the 2025 Paris-Roubaix Femmes, launching a decisive solo attack with 25 kilometres to go and powering to the velodrome with over a minute in hand. On a dry, fast day in northern France, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider outmanoeuvred a fatigued front group that included the spring’s dominant forces, capitalising on a brief hesitation to deliver a landmark French win in the Hell of the North.
Chaos from the start: early attacks and cobble carnage
The race began in Denain with 135 starters, immediately animated by a flurry of attacks as riders jostled for position ahead of the first pavé. Dutch rider Quinty Ton of Liv-AlUla-Jayco and Omloop het Nieuwsblad runner-up Aurela Nerlo from Winspace-Orange Seal were the first to escape, gaining over two minutes on the bunch before the first sector of cobbles – Hornaing to Wandignies – at kilometre 66. Their move was allowed a degree of freedom, but the margin was always manageable as teams kept things tight behind.
Photo Credit: Sprint Cycling AgencyMomentum in the peloton began to build as the bunch hit the opening cobbled sectors. Ellen van Dijk, riding for Lidl-Trek, attacked after the second sector and forged across to the front duo. She reached them by the fifth cobbled sector, Orchies, as the peloton started to feel the strain from the high tempo and tightening gaps. Nerlo and Ton quickly faded, leaving van Dijk alone at the front.
The race fragmented further at Auchy-lez-Orchies, sector 12, where a crash near the front involving Linda Riedmann and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot disrupted Visma-Lease a Bike’s early momentum. It was a crucial moment — while Ferrand-Prévot almost hit the deck, SD Worx-Protime capitalised. Lotte Kopecky attacked through the carnage, joined by teammate Lorena Wiebes, and soon Marianne Vos managed to bridge across, forming a dangerous trio with van Dijk up the road.
They were eventually joined by Chloe Dygert, Alison Jackson, Jelena Erić, and Romy Kasper, creating a select group of eight. However, the racing behind remained animated. With the peloton shattered into fragments, the next 15 kilometres became a game of attrition. Kopecky repeatedly tested the legs of her rivals with accelerations on and off the cobbles but couldn’t break the elastic. Vos remained glued to her wheel throughout.
Photo Credit: CeratizitThe regrouping and key reshuffle before the finale
Despite the best efforts of SD Worx-Protime, the earlier chase group reassembled heading into the final 35 kilometres. Ferrand-Prévot, despite her earlier fall, was back at the front alongside teammate Sophie von Berswordt. Others rejoined too, swelling the lead group to around 20 riders. It was here the tactical dynamics shifted – with only Kopecky and Wiebes representing SD Worx-Protime and no longer in a commanding numerical position.
At this point, Lidl-Trek’s Emma Norsgaard launched an attack just after the eighth cobbled sector, Templeuve. With hesitation in the group, she quickly built a gap of 30 seconds, while teammate Elisa Balsamo sat on in the chasing pack, disrupting the rhythm. It was a smart move, and for a time it looked like it might stick.
But at 25 kilometres to go, Ferrand-Prévot launched. The terrain was favourable – a short tarmac rise leading into the Bourghelles to Wannehain cobbled sector. She surged away from the front group, bridging to Norsgaard in a matter of moments. By the time they hit Camphin-en-Pévèle, Ferrand-Prévot pressed on, quickly shedding the Dane and establishing a lead of 40 seconds.
Chasing unravels behind as Ferrand-Prévot powers on
The chase behind was never fully organised. Vos marked moves expertly, disrupting the rhythm of SD Worx-Protime, who were left to do the heavy lifting with only Kopecky and Wiebes present. Kopecky continued to push, but it was clear she was burning matches faster than Wiebes could follow.
By Carrefour de l’Arbre – the race’s final major sector – Ferrand-Prévot held a one-minute lead. Behind her, momentum continued to falter. SD Worx-Protime looked to set up a sprint for Wiebes, but the pace dipped, allowing Letizia Borghesi to slip off the front inside the final kilometre and secure second place.
Ferrand-Prévot entered the velodrome alone, taking in the noise and atmosphere before raising her arms aloft. It was a performance of tactical clarity and sheer force – an attack launched at the perfect moment, on a day where others hesitated.
Photo Credit: Cor VosThe rest of the top ten
Borghesi, having ridden a tenacious race following a puncture earlier on, sealed her podium with a timely move. Wiebes salvaged third place in the sprint behind, ahead of Vos and Alison Jackson. Emma Norsgaard, having played a key role in the finale, faded to 14th. Kopecky, after her repeated attacks, sat up late on and crossed the line in 12th.
Further down, Pfeiffer Georgi’s day was defined by determination. After a puncture before Orchies and a crash on Willems à Hem, she clawed her way back each time, eventually finishing 13th – a result that masked just how much work she had to do to achieve that.
For Visma-Lease a Bike, it was a day where everything aligned. The early presence in the bunch, the recovery after crashes, the decisive move when rivals stalled – all contributed to a performance that felt bigger than the win alone.
Ferrand-Prévot, a former world champion and reigning Olympic MTB gold medallist, may not have started Paris-Roubaix as the protected rider. But in a race where instinct and timing are everything, she seized her chance and turned her first attempt into a career-defining triumph.
Photo Credit: ASO2025 Paris Roubaix Femmes result
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Main photo credit: ASO
