2021 Paris–Roubaix Femmes

2021 Paris-Roubaix Femmes
2021 UCI Women's World Tour, race 16 of 18
Race details
Dates	2 October 2021
Stages	1
Distance	115.6 km (71.83 mi)
Winning time	2h 56' 07"
Results
	Winner
	Second
	Third
	← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 Paris–Roubaix Femmes was a French road cycling one-day race that took place on 2 October 2021. It was the first edition of Paris–Roubaix Femmes and the 16th event of the 2021 UCI Women's World Tour. The race was won by Lizzie Deignan of Great Britain, who attacked solo at the beginning of the first cobbled section, with more than two thirds of the course remaining. The winning move went so early, live pictures had not yet begun to be broadcast.^[1] Already an historic event as the inaugural women's Roubaix, Deignan's solo victory was later described by commentators as one of the greatest Roubaix rides, male or female, of all time.^[2] With the victory, Deignan became the first rider to win all three women's monuments - Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Women's Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes.

Route

The first women's edition of Paris–Roubaix Femmes started in Denain and finished on the velodrome in Roubaix covering 115.6 kilometres (71.8 mi).^[3] It featured 29.2 kilometres (18.1 mi) of cobblestones, spread out over 17 sectors. The women covered the same final 17 sectors as the men's race.^[4]^[5]

Start in Denain, before heading north
Route from Orchies to finish in Roubaix

Summary

The Paris–Roubaix weekend was wet and rainy, for the first time for nearly 20 years.^[6] The race was held in October, having been postponed from its original April date due to a French COVID-19 lockdown.^[7]

The much delayed, and much anticipated, first edition of the women's version of the 'Queen of the Classics' was won by Great Britain's Lizzie Deignan racing for Trek–Segafredo. Attacking on her own at the first pavé section at Hornaing, Deignan went clear across the first cobbled section, and then soloed for the last 80 kilometres of the race as the peloton splintered behind her, building a lead of 2:40 across all 17 pavé sections, before entering the Roubaix Velodrome alone, over a minute in front of Marianne Vos.^[8] Elisa Longo Borghini held off a fast closing Lisa Brennauer for third place, and completed the first podium of Paris-Roubaix-Femmes. Deignan's attack and solo victory was described by commentators as one of the greatest Roubaix rides of all time.^[9]^[2]

Cobbled sections

Cobbled sectors in Paris-Roubaix Femmes^[10]
No.	Name	Distance from		Length (km)	Difficulty
No.	Name	Start (km)	Finish (km)	Length (km)	Difficulty
17	Hornaing to Wandignies			3.7	****
16	Warlaing to Brillon			2.4	***
15	Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières			2.4	****
14	Beuvry to Orchies			1.4	***
13	Orchies			1.7	***
12	Auchy to Bersée			2.7	****
11	Mons-en-Pévèle			3.0	*****
10	Mérignies to Avelin			0.7	**
9	Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin			1.4	***
8	Templeuve - L’Épinette			0.2	*
7	Cysoing to Bourghelles			1.3	***
6	Bourghelles to Wannehain			1.1	***
5	Camphin-en-Pévèle			1.8	****
4	Carrefour de l'Arbre			2.1	*****
3	Gruson			1.1	**
2	Willems to Hem			1.4	***
1	Roubaix			0.3	*

Teams

All nine UCI Women's WorldTeams and 13 UCI Women's Continental Teams made up the 22 teams that participated in the race.^[11] Alé BTC Ljubljana, Bepink, and Team BikeExchange were the only teams to not enter a full squad of six riders; these three teams each entered five riders. Of the 129 riders to start the race, 61 riders finished while a further 44 riders finished outside of the time limit (8 percent after the winning time, or + 14' 05").^[12]

UCI Women's WorldTeams

UCI Women's Continental Teams

Result

Result^[13]^[14]
Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Lizzie Deignan (GBR)	Trek–Segafredo	2h 56' 07"
2	Marianne Vos (NED)	Team Jumbo–Visma	+ 1' 17"
3	Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA)	Trek–Segafredo	+ 1' 47"
4	Lisa Brennauer (GER)	Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling	+ 1' 51"
5	Marta Bastianelli (ITA)	Alé BTC Ljubljana	+ 2' 10"
6	Emma Norsgaard Jørgensen (DEN)	Movistar Team	+ 2' 10"
7	Franziska Koch (GER)	Team DSM	+ 2' 10"
8	Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA)	Trek–Segafredo	+ 2' 10"
9	Marta Cavalli (ITA)	FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope	+ 2' 10"
10	Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED)	SD Worx	+ 2' 10"