It’s a dream of every outsider, every dark horse, and every loyal domestique: getting into the early breakaway, having it stick, and taking all the glory for yourself. In a most unpredictable third edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, Canadian Alison Jackson did just that.
Jackson inked her name into the history books with a tenacious and self-confident ride, parlaying the early attack into a sprint victory in the Roubaix velodrome.
The race organisation added an extra local circuit at the start, making it easier to form a breakaway, Jackson explained. “With a longer start, we have the time to set up the race before the cobbles, so it’s not just determined on how one rides the cobbles and the good luck you get. You can play with the tactics more and we did that today.”
An 18-rider group that formed well before the first section of cobbles were inexplicably given a lead of over five minutes.
By the final stretch of pavé, an elite chasing group with pre-race favourite Lotte Kopecky closed to within 10 seconds of the leaders – so close they could see them on a late, straight section of road in Roubaix.
A headwind, a huge tolerance for pain, and a zamboni-sized pile of determination from Jackson helped to keep the chasers at bay. With her victorious surge to the line, Jackson danced into the books as the first woman to win Paris-Roubaix in a sprint.
Pro cycling photographer Chris Auld (opens in new tab) was there to witness all the action. Enjoy his shots in full-width glory below.
Some riders like this Team Arkéa rider taped their hands rather than wear gloves.
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) at the start of what would be an unlucky Paris-Roubaix
Alison Jackson all smiles and relaxed at the start of Paris-Roubaix
Some smiles seemed a bit forced with the ordeal still to come
This young fan had plenty of inspiration from the women’s peloton at the start
A reminder on the top tube: “Embrace the chaos”
Another motivational reminder: “Keep Fighting!” along with important route information on a rider’s stem
Lotte Kopecky’s personalized bike computer at the start
Coryn Labecki focuses after signing on
Route information is extra important for staff at Paris-Roubaix
Organisers added another…
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