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ROUBAIX, France (VN) – Lizzie Deignan burst into the history books on Saturday with a perfect race to win the first Paris-Roubaix Women.
The British star attacked on the first cobbles, and has never looked back.
The Trek-Segafredo rider let go of the hammer more than 80 km from the finish, remained standing and dodged the traffic to end up alone in the photo in cycling’s most famous velodrome.
“I feel incredibly proud,” Deignan said. “The athletes have proven today that we can do one of the toughest races in the world, and I’m so proud to be the first winner of one of the toughest races in the world.”
Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma) fought a courageous fight, opening a late attack on the Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, but was unable to bring the Briton back.
?? @lizziedeignan wins the first #ParisRoubaixWomen!
🇬🇧@lizziedeignan wins the first #ParisRoubaixWomen ! pic.twitter.com/Sg2tj8HIjd
– Paris-Roubaix (@Paris_Roubaix) October 2, 2021
Vos finished second with Elisa Longo Borghini finishing third to give Trek-Segafredo two of the three places on the final podium.
Top five at Paris-Roubaix Women
1. Elizabeth Deignan (Trek-Segafredo)
2. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), + 1’17 “
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), + 1’47 “
4. Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team), 1’51 “
5. Marta Bastianelli (Ale ‘BTC Ljubljana), + 2’10 ”
The nerves, the emotions at the start
Nerves and emotions were at the rendezvous at the start of the historic first edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes, all the more so following the night rains which left some sectors covered with mud.
Some 129 riders started from Deinan, and after 34 km of three laps of a paved circuit, the main peloton sprinted over the first large section of cobblestone with 85 km to go.
Read also: See all the action in the live updates from Paris-Roubaix Femmes
Deignan widened a gap north of one minute after the opening sectors as the main peloton fractured from crashes, punctures and the general chaos that accompanies the race on the cobblestones.
“It really wasn’t the plan,” said Deignan. “The plan was to be up front on the first cobbles, and I looked behind me, and there was no one there. So I continued. “
The overnight rain left some cobbled sections slippery than ice and several riders, including new world champion Elisa Balsamo, crashed to the ground.
Deignan did not give in and avoided the danger when a group of seven riders formed following flares from Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).
You give chase, but too late
Conditions worsened as the race went on. The overnight rain turned the already dangerous cobblestones into an additional challenge, and light rain fell in the final hour of the race.
Vos led a concerted pursuit with 35 km to go, and a group of seven pursuers formed to keep Deignan on a leash for just over two minutes.
Vos decided it was too late to wait and beat the Carrefour de l’Arbre sector with 20 km to go, and it was a smart decision. A few riders came out of the chase group behind her, including Ellen van Dijk,
Vos closed the gap to almost a minute, but Deignan fired her TT engines once she passed the Carrefour. Longo Borghini survived the chaos to pursue in Vos’s wake.
The final kilometers were a chase between the two titans of the women’s race. Deignan, alone at the outposts all day, was alone at the finish.
History was made on Saturday with an exclamation mark.
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