The 2025 edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes delivered one of the most emotional and historic moments in the race’s history as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike)claimed her first ever win in the “Hell of the North,” becoming the first Frenchwoman to do so.
Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Oatly) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) rounded out the podium in second and third.
The race covered 148.5 km, including 17 cobbled sectors totaling 29.2 km, and followed a now-familiar route starting in Denain and ending inside the iconic Roubaix Velodrome. Notably, due to safety concerns, the fearsome Trouée d’Arenberg was omitted once again, though the riders still had to battle through brutal sectors like Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l’Arbre.
Heading into the race, defending champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime) was the clear favorite, with support from teammate Lorena Wiebes. Other major contenders included Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) and Ferrand-Prévot herself, who was making her return to form after an ankle infection and a crash earlier in the spring classics campaign.
Early racing was animated by an attack from Ellen van Dijk, who broke clear with 72 km to go and held a small lead for several kilometers. She was eventually brought back by a strong chase group featuring Kopecky, Wiebes, and Vos. Ferrand-Prévot had to recover from an untimely crash on the Auchy-lez-Orchies to Bersée sector but impressively managed to regain contact with the lead group.
The decisive phase began with around 32 km to go, when Emma Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek) launched a powerful solo attack, quickly establishing a 35-second gap. However, Ferrand-Prévot showed her experience and tactical nous, launching her own counterattack with 25 km remaining. She bridged to Norsgaard and then powered away solo on the Camphin-en-Pévèle sector, never looking back.
Riding with strength and determination, Ferrand-Prévot held off all chasers and entered the Roubaix Velodrome alone, arms aloft, visibly emotional as she crossed the line in 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 7 seconds. Letizia Borghesi of Italy finished 58 seconds behind ahead of the main group that contained Lorena Wiebes, who won the sprint for third.
The win marked a remarkable comeback to road racing for Ferrand-Prévot, who has worn rainbow jerseys in multiple cycling disciplines but had not won a road race since 2015. Her victory was also a landmark moment for French cycling, being the first by a French rider in any Paris-Roubaix event since Frédéric Guesdon’s win in the men’s race in 1997.
“I can only say ‘whoah!’ I did it—we did it together,” Ferrand-Prévot said after the race, paying tribute to her team, Visma-Lease a Bike. “It was one of those days where everything comes together. I knew I had the legs, and when the moment came, I just went.”
Meanwhile, Norsgaard, who had made a valiant solo bid for victory before being caught, crossed the line in 14th and summed up the brutal nature of the race simply: “It’s so, so hard. I just want to cry.”
HIGHLIGHTS
RESULTS
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
