2021 Paris-Roubaix Femmes Race Preview
The details of this year's 2021 Paris-Roubaix Femmes are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The cobblestones of northern France are ready to test the world's best female cyclists for the first time in what promises to be a landmark moment in the sport. The 2021 Paris Roubaix Femmes marks the inaugural edition of a women's race over the legendary Hell of the North parcours, giving riders the chance to write their names into cycling history on one of the most brutal and unpredictable surfaces the sport has to offer.
The route covers approximately 116 kilometres and takes in seventeen sections of pavé, accumulating over 17 kilometres of the infamous cobblestones that have broken countless dreams and forged countless legends in the men's race over more than a century of competition. Riders will tackle famous sectors including the Arenberg Forest trench, the Mons en Pévèle section and the Carrefour de l'Arbre before finishing in the velodrome at Roubaix, just as their male counterparts do.
Among the favourites, Lizzie Deignan of Trek Segafredo arrives in exceptional form and her ability across varied terrain makes her a dangerous contender. The Dutch powerhouses of the peloton cannot be ignored either, with Marianne Vos bringing her extraordinary palmares and tactical intelligence to a race that could suit her strengths. Annemiek van Vleuten is another whose strength and time trialling ability could prove decisive if things come together in the final kilometres.
The weather and the cobblestones themselves will play their usual role as great equalisers, and with no previous edition to reference, predictions carry more uncertainty than usual. Expect chaos, punctures, crashes and moments of pure drama as women's cycling claims its rightful place in one of sport's greatest monuments.
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