2nd Paris-Roubaix Femmes, April 16th, 2022

[Libertine Seguros]

Well ASO have had the cash cow with the TDF so I guess they haven’t cared. Good to see the women are finally getting the attention they deserve but damn it’s been a long wait.

Sure, I'm being a lot more positive toward ASO than I have been for years with that interpretation, I'm sure there would have been the money to do it sooner if they wanted to but I think they simply weren't keen and used the money argument against women's racing, and now that the Dakar (which costs a LOT to run) is financially stable, they couldn't kick the can down the road any longer, plus the Giro being weakened gave them the ideal opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

The fact they claimed themselves incapable of operating the 'on' switch on a camera at La Flèche Wallonne for a decade, on the other hand, really tells you what their level of commitment was.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Brand shows she can ride for more than CX hour

She has finished 4th in the Giro overall!

Her biggest problem on the road is that she is a diesel and doesn't have the same level of explosivity for the punchy climbs which proliferate on the women's calendar. Which is actually pretty surprising for a CXer.

Awesome performance by Sandra Alonso, almost enough to forgive her for dropping Norsgaard down to 11th and costing me half a point. That group made Emma do the full leadout which was absolutely the right thing to do tactically, but I coulda had Brand. Hell, if I hadn't thought she'd been pulled from the startlist I coulda had Longo Borghini, but coulda woulda shoulda.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

 

[Netserk]

No one is entitled to others' investments. It was also such a bore to hear the whine about prize money, as if the income of riders mainly relied on that.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

No one is entitled to others' investments. It was also such a bore to hear the whine about prize money, as if the income of riders mainly relied on that.

Sure, but the refusal to turn the cameras on at the races that they already did pay for is a whole other level. I genuinely think that the financial security of the Dakar has been one of the most important factors in ASO's greater willingness to invest in cycling beyond their pre-existing portfolio.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Bossuyt finished 48th, so that crash was not as bad as it looked unless it was actually a different rider.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Bossuyt finished 48th, so that crash was not as bad as it looked unless it was actually a different rider.

Did consonni crash?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Did consonni crash?

She definitely had issues along the way, but I'm not sure if she went down. Persico finished outside the time limit.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1515331648279224323

View: https://twitter.com/tourdegila/status/1515331648279224323

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats ELB on a great win! I love it when a racer TAKES the race!

 

[Pantani_lives]

It was Sabato Santo for Borghini. It had to be one of the Bs. When she attacked with 33 km to go I knew immediately that it would be hard to get back for the others. She kept on pushing, while the pursuit lacked collaborative power on the tarmac. Deserved win!

 

[Axel Hangleck]

She has finished 4th in the Giro overall!

Her biggest problem on the road is that she is a diesel and doesn't have the same level of explosivity for the punchy climbs which proliferate on the women's calendar. Which is actually pretty surprising for a CXer.

Well she doesn't come originally from CX, like a lot of the others. She's a road rider, who gave CX a go - and wasn't very good at first.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Strongest woman won, from what i could tell (only saw final 50k).

 

[JosefK]

Strongest woman won, from what i could tell (only saw final 50k).

I think, yes, although Kopecky looked very strong, too. But she fired more of her ammo too early (in hindsight).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think, yes, although Kopecky looked very strong, too. But she fired more of her ammo too early (in hindsight).

She says she wasn't allowed to go all out because she wasn't the designated leader of the team. Her attack was supposed to be more of a ploy to get other teams to work.

 

[Lequack]

Very nice race, and a deserved winner as well after such a hard solo effort!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1515368623849803779

View: https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/1515368623849803779?s=20&t=RhlVpinzv93q45L0Y9NGNw

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It’s great to have a widely broadcast new race on the women’s calendar that isn’t all about the smallish climbs.

 

[F_Cance]

would say that overall van dijk was the strongest today

 

[Bolder]

That was a really exciting last 60 km. ELB was sort of the one rider they couldn't let get away. Couldn't really ask for anything more.

 

[Bolder]

would say that overall van dijk was the strongest today

Don't disagree, but CVDBB (can't be bothered to write her whole name out) also looked very strong. ELB was certainly very strong, but also great tactically -- with that many strong riders in the peloton behind her, there was bound to be not much cooperation...

 

[jsem94]

Was a cracking race from pretty much start to finish. I'd love to see a lengthened course though, with the addition of Arenberg for the women too.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Don't disagree, but CVDBB (can't be bothered to write her whole name out) also looked very strong. ELB was certainly very strong, but also great tactically -- with that many strong riders in the peloton behind her, there was bound to be not much cooperation...

Especially as Trek could marshal every move with Brand and van Dijk. Although to be fair, Elisa's tactics were more about the timing than anything else. I didn't see Rooijakkers or Uttrup on the startlist, so the chances of her finding a group she could win the sprint from were minimal.

But at the same time, while I may harp on Elisa's lack of anything even remotely a sprint weapon, that's a large part of why she's so great - she has to animate races to get victories, and this is a task which she takes on with gusto. Pretty much every race win she's ever had - including two Trofeo Bindas, Plouay, the Ronde and now Roubaix - have seen her come to the line alone, and only a handful of really steep uphill finishes - two Giri dell'Emilia and an Emakumeen Bira stage - have seen her beating people in the run for the line. The anomaly is 2017's Strade Bianche, when she was the strongest on the final ramp in Siena in horrible rainy conditions, which opened up a gap on the likes of Armitstead/Deignan and van Vleuten, so the timegaps are like that of an uphill sprint but was essentially Elisa leading around the final kilometre and the only rider close enough to contest the sprint was Kasia Niewiadoma, who is also not exactly renowned for a sprint weapon either.

 

[Orbit501]

Just finished watching as live. Great racing! , well deserved winner. Trek played the numbers game perfectly, even with losing the WC to a sticky bottle.

 

[Escarabajo]

Just finished watching the replay. Great race. Always fun. The best won. However I have to say that Lotte Kopecky fell asleep on the bike.

 

[Lequack]

BikeExchange backstage pass

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHH2UFaswA