As we head into the ‘Hell of the North’ weekend, we have more previews from Paris-Roubaix and results, reports and video from the Itzulia Basque Country and the men’s and women’s Scheldeprijs.

Adrie van der Poel talks about the beer throwers at de Ronde – TOP STORY.

Rider news: Confusion in the Basque Country over the helmet sock, Christophe Laporte still uncertain for Paris-Roubaix, David Gaudu had to abandon the Itzulia Basque Country, Wout van Aert still wants to ride the Giro d’Italia and takes his first walk, Arnaud De Lie and Mark Cavendish might return in April, Tom Pidcock taken to hospital before the Basque Country time trail, Peter Sagan back on the bike after second heart operation and UCI and Michael Rogers part ways.

Team news: UAE Team Emirates and dsm-firmenich PostNL teams for Paris-Roubaix, Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman will leave Visma | Lease a Bike at the end of the season.

Race news: Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift info and Paris-Roubaix wants to prevent crashes in the Forest of Wallers.

Big EUROTRASH Thursday coffee time!

# You can read the PEZ ‘Paris-Roubaix Race Preview’ HERE. #

TOP STORY: Adrie van der Poel Talks About the Beer Throwers at De Ronde
Not everyone was happy with Mathieu van der Poel’s win in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. Spectators threw beer at the World champion on the Oude Kwaremont and race organiser, Flanders Classics, is considering legal proceedings. Father of Mathieu van der Poel, Adrie, thinks that large fines would stop the problem.

“I understand that the police are now looking for the perpetrators, but should you punish them? I will leave that open,” Adrie said to Het Laatste Nieuws. “I also hear that Flanders Classics is filing civil proceedings. That’s how they make their point. I think we need to be quick on the ball. A hefty fine might hurt some.”

The bad behaviour doesn’t surprise Adrie van der Poel. He points out that some spectators were drinking in the VIP tent all day. “It’s disrespectful. I don’t think these people realise what riders have to do to achieve top performance. Not everyone has to be a fan of Mathieu. Then I would say: turn around and don’t clap.” Adrie does emphasise that he thinks ‘99.5% of the audience’ does come for the sport. “Mathieu must have also heard the huge amount of encouragement. I think that’s nice.”

Adrie, there are currently some top riders who have raised the level of cycling to such a high level that they attract sponsors to the sport. “It would be a shame if sponsors dropped out because of the behaviour some showed on Sunday. Cycling is an accessible sport and we should keep it that way. We should not turn a blind eye to the few people who throw beer. I also don’t think they take anything away from Mathieu’s joy that he won this Tour of Flanders.”

Not everyone was in favour of a Van der Poel win in Flanders:

Itzulia Basque Country 2024
Primoz Roglič won the Stage 1 time trial of the Itzulia Basque Country. The BORA-hansgrohe rider actually went the wrong direction just before the finish, but still won. Remco Evenepoel crashed and finished 4th, Jay Vine and Mattias Skjelmose were second and third.

The Itzulia Basque Country should be a battle between Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglič, three of the four favourites for this year’s Tour de France. Stage 1 was an individual time trial of 10 kilometres around Irun. The route had short climb in the middle, the Olaberria (1,7km at 5.2%), there was also a short section of 10% at the start and finish. Tom Pidcock was unable to start due to a crash while checking out the course.

The first good time was set by Pello Bilbao of Bahrain Victorious with a time of 12:59. His time didn’t last too long as Juan Ayuso beat him by 9 seconds, with a time of 12:50. Primoz Roglič was also an early starter and the overall winner in the Basque Country in 2018 and 2021, posted the fastest time of 12:34, 16 seconds faster than Ayuso, this included him taking the wrong route. Vingegaard came in 15 seconds slower than his former teammate, Roglič, at the finish. Evenepoel lost a lot of time in an early crash, but managed he still managed to take 4th place at 11 seconds.

Once the top men had finished, there was still some good TT specialists on the road. Kévin Vauquelin of Arkéa-B&B Hotels took the second fastest time at the intermediate point, 8 seconds behind Roglič, but had to settle for 6th at the finish, 16 seconds slower. Jay Vine moved into 2nd place, 7 seconds behind the Slovenian. Rain started to fall and the course became very slippery and so the later starters had to slow down. Ethan Hayter was only 1 second slower than Roglič at the intermediate point on the climb, but was slowed in the final kilometres because of the weather conditions and dropped to 9th place.

Stage winner and overall leader, Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe): “I’m really happy with this victory. It’s always great to race the Tour of the Basque Country. I really like the atmosphere and the enthusiastic spectators here. My legs are good and I felt strong today. I took a wrong turn just before the finish line, but that thankfully didn’t cost me the victory in the end. However, there are certainly many tough days ahead of us and we will do our best to build upon today’s performance.”

2nd, Jay Vine UAE Team Emirates): “I’m really happy with the ride, it was a late addition to my schedule to come here and I’m always happy to get the opportunity to race a nice TT. I’m looking forward to the rest of the week and see what I can do as the week goes on. It’s a tough week on paper with some heavy climbing days but me and the boys are ready and motivated for it.”

3rd, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): “Overall I’m happy with my result and with what I did. The gap of 10” to Roglic, considering he also lost some seconds on the finish line, is actually not that small considering the expectations I had at the start, but a third place with those contenders it’s definitely not bad. For my ambition in this race, that is to fight for a podium place in the GC, it’s a good start. In such a hectic race, when you go all-in for the GC the chances to fight for the win come naturally. I really look forward to racing in the next days. It was a hectic time trial and I really followed my feelings. In the end, it was all about instinct. I did a recon three weeks ago and it helped a lot to approach it in the best way, especially the part downwards, after the intermediate point. I faced it with lots of confidence and that made the difference to avoid risk and keep the speed fast.”

4th, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “Everything went well today, except for the mistake I made 200 meters into the race. It was slippery there, but it was my fault. I was hoping to be ahead of the others, but now I am a bit behind. On the other hand, the gaps are small, I am confident in myself and my team, and the real race starts tomorrow, and with it, quite the battle between the yellow jersey contenders.”

Itzulia Basque Country Stage 1 Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 12:34
2. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:10
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:11
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:15
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:16
7. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates
8. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
9. Ethan Hayter (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:19
10. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Cofidis at 0:21.

Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 1:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 12:34
2. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:10
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:11
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:15
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:16
7. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates
8. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
9. Ethan Hayter (GB)INEOS Grenadiers at 0:19
10. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Cofidis at 0:21.

Basque Country’24 stage 1:

Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) won the Second Stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. After a chaotic final, Lapeira was the fastest in the sprint. Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) was second and Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step) third. Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe) held the overall lead.

The first road stage was set in the French Basque Country. The stage of 160 kilometres had 2,300 metres of climbing, from Irun to Kanbo. There was only one categorised climb on the menu, but it went up and down all day.

Five riders broke away early: Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH), Alexis Vuillermoz (TotalEnergies), Iván Cobo (Equipo Kern Pharma), Enekoitz Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Xabier Mikel Azparren (Q36.5), the Azparren brothers. The peloton let them take more than 4 minutes. The only climb of the stage came just under 20 kilometres. On the Col de Saint-Ignace (2.7km at 5.2%), the leading group fought for the KOM points. Bol was first, beating Cobo and Vuillermoz, the Dutch rider was now level with Roglič in the KOM competition, but because the Slovenian has the yellow jersey, the Burgos-BH rider will wear the KOM jersey on Wednesday. The lead continued to fluctuate around 3 minutes for a long time, but break never had a chance of victory. With 90 kilometres to go, Cobo was dropped. The Spaniard was pulled in by BORA-hansgrohe led peloton.

With 20 kilometres to go, the four only had 30 seconds, and 5 kilometres later they were caught. Due to the heavy rainfall, the peloton had to be careful in the final, but there was still crashes in the peloton, Tao Geoghegan Hart was involved in one of them. Fortunately he was able to continue. The bad weather caused a chaotic run-up to the sprint as no team could control the bunch or set up a proper lead-out. Paul Lapeira of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale was well placed to start his sprint and kept Samuele Battistella and Louis Vervaeke at bay. He took his third victory of the season. Primoz Roglič is still in the overall leader.

Stage winner, Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “Three weeks ago I already won two races. But this is a WorldTour race, so it is of a much higher level. The fact that I win here is really great. With 1.5 kilometres to go I tried to break away from the peloton, but it didn’t work. I then decided to focus on the sprint and kept my legs still. Bruno (Armirail) seized his moment and brought me within 200 meters of the finish. Then I launched my sprint and it turned out to be enough to win.”

Itzulia Basque Country Stage 2 Result:
1. Paul Lapeira (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 3:42:28
2. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
3. Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
4. Pau Miquel (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
5. Alex Aranburu (Spa) Movistar
6. Guillermo Thomas Silva (Uru) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
7. Valentin Retailleau (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
8. Gonzalo Serrano (Spa) Movistar
9. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates
10. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 2:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 3:55:02
2. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:10
3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:14
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:15
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:16
7. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
8. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:23
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:24
10. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:25.

Basque Country’24 stage 2:

Quinten Hermans won Stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was the fastest in a bunch sprint. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain-Victorious) and Alex Aranburu (Movistar) were second and third on the stage. Primoz Roglič had a bad crash, but was able to return to the peloton and retained the overall lead. Remco Evenepoel moved up to second overall. Juan Ayuso also crashed in the final kilometres.

The third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country started in Ezpeleta and finished in Altsasu after 191 kilometres. there were six categorised climbs. The summit of the final climb, the Lizarrusti (6.4km at 4.7%), was 18 flat kilometres from the finish.

There were a lot of early attacks and a few groups escaped, but the peloton always pulled them back. Alan Jousseaume (TotalEnergies) went solo after 50 kilometres. The Frenchman was joined by Tom Paquot (Intermarché-Wanty) and Eric Antonio Fagundez (Burgos-BH). After a long chase, James Fouché (Euskaltel-Euskadi) got with them. The four took a maximum lead of 4 minutes. Sixty kilometres from the finish, BORA-hansgrohe, for overall leader Primoz Roglic, had reduced the lead to 1 minute. Then INEOS Grenadiers took over. The British formation had closed the last gap when there was a big crash with 40 kilometres to go. Primoz Roglič was one of the fallers and looked badly injured, mainly his hip. He eventually remounted and two teammates, Emanuel Buchmann and Matteo Sobrero, waited for him to bring him back to the peloton, but the yellow jersey was more than 2 minutes down, 36 kilometres from the finish. The peloton slowed down a little and another teammate dropped back for Roglič, so the leader was able to rejoin the front of the race on the climb to Lizarrusti. The favourites didn’t try any attacks on the climb, but it wasn’t slow. Two kilometres from the top, Louis Meintjes attacked. The South African of Intermarché-Wanty was the first over the top, but he only had a small lead and was soon caught.

There was an intermediate sprint 8 kilometres from the finish. Remco Evenepoel took the bonus, ahead of Isaac Del Toro and Jonas Vingegeaard, taking 3, 2 and 1 second. After the sprint, Marc Soler saw his chance and attacked. Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) and Gorka Izagirre (Cofidis) crossed to him. The three had a good gap, but BORA-hansgrohe, Alpecin-Deceuninck and dsm-firmenich PostNL chased them down. Later, Lidl-Trek also helped. Oliveira, Izagirre and Soler were caught 3 three kilometres out, the stage would end in a bunch sprint. In the run-up to the sprint there was a crash involving Brandon McNulty, Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard looked to be the worst affected, but he ride to the finish and as it was in the final 3 kilometres he didn’t lose any time. Michał Kwiatkowski kept the speed high for Ethan Hayter, but it was Quinten Hermans who had the fastest finish, beating Edoardo Zambanini and Alex Aranburu.

Stage winner, Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It was incredible in the run-up to the finish. The team really did a great job. They really believed in me that I could finish today. I want to thank them very much, because I did the sprint, but they put me in the perfect position. We came from a main road and made a right turn. For me it was a perfect sprint because it was a bit uphill. Then it’s best to turn it on. And like I said, they positioned me perfectly. Stan (Van Tricht) did a great job in the last 600 metres. Then I had to position myself a bit, but I grabbed Aranburu’s wheel. Then I knew: I have the right wheel. If you have the right legs in the last 200 metres, you can win. It is awesome.”

2nd on the stage, Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain-Victorious): “From the last climb we were in a good position. From 5 km to go the whole bunch was a »machine.« We were quite well positioned, always in the front, and there was also a crash in the back. And then in the last km, we were again in the mix. I was on the corner in about 10th position and at that time Nikias was more right and further forward. I went left, I was quite well positioned and then I tried to sprint.”

Itzulia Basque Country Stage 3 Result:
1. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 4:40:59
2. Edoardo Zambanini (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious
3. Alex Aranburu (Spa) Movistar
4. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla
5. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Bahrain-Victorious
6. Ethan Hayter (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
7. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
8. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
9. Vito Braet (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty
10. Valentin Retailleau (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.

Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 3:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 8:36:01
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:07
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:10
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:14
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:16
7. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
8. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:23
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:24
10. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:25.

Basque Country’24 stage 3:

Scheldeprijs 2024
Tim Merlier won the 112th Scheldeprijs on Wednesday. The Belgian sprinter of Soudal Quick-Step was the fastest in a chaotic final kilometre. Last year’s winner, Jasper Philipsen, finished in second place, with Dylan Groenewegen in third.

The Scheldeprijs on Wednesday was set to be another sprint battle. Last year’s winner and top favourite Jasper Philipsen would have Tim Merlier, Dylan Groenewegen, Arvid de Kleijn, Sam Welsford, Gerben Thijssen to beat over the 200 kilometres between Terneuzen and Schoten.

The course of the Scheldeprijs is absolutely flat and made for a sprint finish, but the wind and rain could cause problems. Five riders attacked early: Liam Slock (Lotto-Dstny), Daniel Arnes (Uno-X Mobility), Mirko Bozzola (Q36.5), Bram Dissel (BEAT Cycling) and Peder Dahl Strand (Tarteletto-Isorex). In the peloton there was a crash involving Arne Marit and Gerben Thijssen, Intermarché-Wanty two fast finishers. Marit tried to continue, but had to give up. Thijssen abandoned and had to be taken to hospital. The peloton split into several parts due to the crash and the wind, there was a first echelon of about fifty riders. The men of Soudal Quick-Step were well represented in this first group. The Belgian team took control of the race for their sprinter Merlier, and they kept the pace high. BORA-hansgrohe for Welsford, had missed the move and had to work hard in the second group.

It was all hands on deck for a while, but it didn’t last. After the very windy passage on Zeeland, it all came together again and dropped riders could return to the peloton. After this regrouping, five riders jumped away. Liam Slock was there again, he was joined by Baptiste Planckaert (Intermarché-Wanty), Vincent Van Hemelen (Flanders-Baloise), Alex Huens (Tour de Tietema-Unibet) and Stijn Appel (BEAT Cycling). These five had a good lead, but BORA-hansgrohe and Alpecin-Deceuninck kept the gap manageable. Slock didn’t want to wait to be caught and attacked again, Planckaert managed to take his wheel, but it was too fast for Huens, Appel and Van Hemelen. They were quickly caught by the peloton, but Slock and Planckaert managed to hold out longer. At the start of the last lap, 17 kilometres from the finish, they only had 20 seconds. Slock wasn’t going to give up. The 23-year-old dropped Planckaert and went solo with 15 kilometres to go. In the peloton, Merlier had to change bikes, but there was no panic and he was soon back in the peloton. With 8 kilometres to go, Slock was first to hit the last cobbled section, but the Belgian was soon caught. In the next kilometres, there was a big battle between the lead-out trains to be in the best positions to start the final kilometre.

At first Lidl-Trek were in charge for Edward Theuns, but Alpecin-Deceuninck took over, but failed in their job. A hectic sprint was the result, but Merlier came through the chaos and was able to ride his own sprint. The Soudal Quick-Step rider had the most power and speed. Philipsen came from behind, but was just not fast enough. Dylan Groenewegen finished third behind the two Belgians. Cees Bol was 4th and Hugo Hofstetter 5th.

Race winner, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “It was not the plan to sit that far, but that was due to circumstances. Some riders were almost crashing into each other. That’s how we lost each other, but I knew that Bert (Van Lerberghe) was still coming. Bert then knows exactly what to do. I lost track of the signs for a while, but I learned from my sprint in the Classic Brugge-De Panne. That’s why I just started from far away. You’re racing at about 70 to 75 kilometres per hour and then it goes fast. It was a very hectic start with the wind, but you know that. We raced on narrow roads. The wind was at a disadvantage for echelons, but there was still a lot of nervousness. I’m glad I stayed up. At a certain point you know that it will become less dangerous, but I’m not concerned with that. It is just important for me to be able to sprint and win every race. I am happy that I was able to achieve my seventh victory here. I already felt in the Tour of Flanders that my form was good. I have also recovered well from the efforts. I look forward. I hope luck is on my side.”

2nd, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I don’t feel like talking shit about Sunday. Maybe I should have been a little more aggressive, but just at the end we lost each other, so I became a bit trapped and couldn’t choose the right wheel. I’m satisfied with the feelings and that I stayed straight, but of course I would have preferred to win. Although I didn’t feel like making big mistakes with a view to Sunday. Maybe I should have been a little more aggressive, but it’s still a nice sprint. I will definitely come back to win this race in the coming years.”

3rd, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla): “I had some chain problems a kilometre from the finish. I lost my lead-out, but we found each other again about 500 metres from the finish. Then I followed him. That was good work, but because of that I started the sprint a little too early, in the wind. Merlier was just out of the wind and had that extra gear that I no longer had. Philipsen clapped over it. I think this is just a right podium. Certainly in the Scheldeprijs. There was another crash now, so let’s hope everyone is okay. Other than that we just saw a nice sprint. You’re always a bit stuck on the left, because they come over them on the right at speed. Merlier was already a bit ahead and I wanted to catch some slipstream, so Philipsen was a bit boxed-in. But he came out quickly at the end. That’s sprinting, that’s part of it. I’ve been slowing down a bit for about a week now. Then I will build up to the Tour of Hungary. I will leave for Spain on Tuesday to complete a good training camp there and then build up towards the Tour de France.”

Scheldeprijs Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 4:16:59
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla
4. Cees Bol (Ned) Astana Qazaqstan
5. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
7. Sam Welsford (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe
8. Matteo Moschetti (Ita) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
9. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty
10. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor.

Scheldeprijs’24:

Scheldeprijs Women 2024
Lorena Wiebes won the Scheldeprijs on Wednesday. The fast Dutchwoman of SD Worx-Protime took her fourth consecutive victory in Schoten. Charlotte Kool finished in second place and Martina Fidanza was third.

The Scheldeprijs is a race for the sprinters, 132 kilometres starting and finishing in Schoten. After victories in 2021, 2022 and 2023, everyone was looking at Lorena Wiebes. The fastest sprinter in the women’s peloton was looking for her fourth consecutive victory in the Scheldeprijs, but was up against Charlotte Kool, Elisa Balsamo and Chiara Consonni.

The route might have been flat, but there was rain and wind all day, making it very hard. The first attack took a while, but with 100 kilometres to go, Vittoria Grassi attacked. The Bepink-Bongioanni rider couldn’t hold off the peloton and was caught, it was the same for Leila Gschwentner (Liv-AlUla Jayco). An attack by Anneke Dijkstra had more success. The Dutch rider of VolkerWessels built up a lead of 1:30. In the peloton, the sprinter’s teams had the situation under control. There were quite a few crashes, the biggest with 30 kilometres to go, but nobody was badly injured. Wilma Aintila tried to cross to Dijkstra.

The 19-year-old Aintila managed to get across with 20 twenty kilometres remaining. The peloton was still at 1 minute, close enough to close down. Aintila and Dijkstra were holding up well in the last 10 kilometres. The difference fluctuated around 35 and 40 seconds for a long time, but the sprinter’s teams pulled them in 1.5 kilometres from the finish. Wiebes didn’t have her usual lead-out team, but she was still in a very good position, by taking the wheel of Kool. The others didn’t stand a chance and Wiebes took her fourth victory in the Scheldeprijs, and her sixth victory of 2024.

Race winner, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “I think it was a very fair sprint at the end. I saw that Balsamo went to the left. At that moment I also turned on. We were fighting a bit for her wheel. I didn’t have Barbara (Guarischi) and Lotte (Kopecky) with me today, so I had to find my own way a bit. The girls did great. They chased hard so that I could sprint. In such a sprint everything has to be in place, especially if you don’t have a real last lead-out. The chance of being trapped is simply very high. It was a bit more pushing and pulling, but it turned out fine. With the team we have something with Jan Smit. Now I have to think about the next one. The sprint felt good and I am already looking forward to Paris-Roubaix.”

2nd, Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “Disappointment is prevalent, but the team did well and the lead-out was good, so I was honestly defeated. We were doing well. I am very proud of the girls, how calm we stayed and how well we did everything. There was nothing to criticise about that. I tried to catch her, but it didn’t quite work. Maybe I waited just a little too long. But I don’t really know, I haven’t looked back at the images yet. She was also just faster today. I thought it wasn’t too bad today. Of course the rain makes it difficult, but we tried to be safe everywhere. That worked out pretty well.”

Scheldeprijs Women Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:16:47
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
3. Martina Fidanza (Ita) CERATIZIT-WNT
4. Sofie van Rooijen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team
5. Mirre Knaven (Ned) AG Insurance-Soudal NXTG
6. Marthe Truyen (Bel) Fenix-Deceuninck
7. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
8. Chiara Consonni (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
9. Katrijn de Clercq (Bel) Lotto Dstny
10. Nienke Veenhoven (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike.

Scheldeprijs’24:

Confusion in the Basque Country Over the Helmet Sock
The UCI previously decided to ban the Specialized helmet sock from April 2, from that day on the helmet and sock combination will not be allowed in UCI events. Remco Evenepoel rode the stage time trial of the Itzulia Basque Country without the sock on April 1. The stage winner, Primoz Roglič, did use it.

Evenepoel and his Soudal Quick-Step teammates had received an email from the UCI saying that the ban on the head sock took effect on April 1, while the UCI website states April 2. “No, we were no longer allowed to ride with the sock,” Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad after the time trial. “Those from BORA-hansgrohe (Roglic’s team) did race in it.”

“That the UCI website states that it is prohibited from April 2? We received an email confirming that the ban took effect from April 1. Because in Paris-Nice they had already said that it was the last time we were allowed to race it. They don’t know it themselves, I think,” Evenepoel is not happy with how it happened.

“If they tell us that it is no longer allowed from April 1, then we think that it is no longer allowed from April 1. And then they put it differently on the website. We don’t want to take the risk. It’s weird, they do what they want. They start thinking of all kinds of things. This morning they came two hours before the start to say that the radios should be put back on the back.” Riders had been wearing the radios at the front, because this gave an aerodynamic advantage over it on the back, this also now banned.

No ‘head condom’ for Remco:

Christophe Laporte Still Uncertain for Paris-Roubaix
It is still not certain whether European champion Christophe Laporte will start Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. The 31-year-old Frenchman has been ill since Milano-Sanremo and had to miss the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders. Today (Thursday), Visma | Lease a Bike will make a decision, sports director Arthur van Dongen told WielerFlits.

The Dutch team is also missing Wout van Aert and Jan Tratnik are both injured, Dylan van Baarle missed Dwars door Vlaanderen due to illness and Tiesj Benoot thinks he has broken ribs. Laporte has had stomach flu and saddle pain since La Primavera. The European champion was meant to be one of the leaders of the team, but at the moment nothing is certain.

“We will know on Thursday whether Christophe drives or not,” said Van Dongen. “In the coming days we will have to decide who exactly will ride Paris-Roubaix. Julien Vermote and Tosh Van der Sande are on the reserve list, while Mick van Dijke replaces the injured Wout van Aert. We can decide exactly who will race by Thursday at the latest. Only then will we do that. We will meet again that day and we will explore. In any case, Christophe is not there yet.”

In addition to Van Baarle and Mick van Dijke, the provisional start list for the Hell of the North includes his twin brother Tim, Matteo Jorgenson and Per Strand Hagenes, who a has a broken nose. These five riders will be joined by two of either Laporte, Van der Sande or Vermote.

Laporte might ride Roubaix:

David Gaudu Had to Abandon the Itzulia Basque Country
David Gaudu couldn’t start stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Tour on Wednesday. The Groupama-FDJ rider had to leave Paris-Nice due to a crash and now he has had to abandon the Basque race. He crashed on Tuesday’s second stage, he managed to finish, but his injuries were not evident until later.

“Everything went well until five kilometres before the finish, and then there was that blow,” sports director Benoît Vaugrenard explained to Kanbo. “There were several crashes in the last descent and our two leaders were among them. David was at the first fall with four kilometres to go. He quickly got on the bike, but it was in the middle of the final.”

Gaudu lost 23 seconds on the peloton, but the damage turned out to be worse than expected as he had suffered a serious hand injury. “That looks bad. He has ten stitches and cannot brake or shift gears. He wanted to continue last night, but this morning the hand said no. That is painful for David, but he has to fight on, but luck is not on his side. This is a new setback.”

Team doctor Jacky Maillot explained Gaudu injury: “Serious injuries to his right hand that required surgery late last night. He now needs to take a few days of rest, after which his program will have to be adjusted.”

No luck for Gaudu:

Wout van Aert Still Wants to Ride the Giro d’Italia
Wout van Aert’s recovery is said to be going well, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. Also that the Giro d’Italia is still a ‘serious option’ for Van Aert.

Van Aert crashed hard in Dwars door Vlaanderen and broke his sternum, collarbone and seven ribs, ending his spring campaign. At the moment the Belgian is suffering from the burns and abrasions he sustained during his fall, HLN writes. The pain from his broken bones is said to have subsided. If the fractures continue to heal well and the rehabilitation continues and Van Aert can ‘complete a minimum of training’, the Giro d’Italia remains a ‘serious option’, according to HLN. The Giro starts on May 4th.

Van Aert still has a month to get ready for the Italian tour, but he will probably not be in top form. According to HLN, the intention is for him to improve during the race, as he did during the 2021 Tour de France due to appendicitis, but he still won three stages: Mont Ventoux, the Saint-Émilion time trial and the stage to Paris. Van Aert was not planning on riding Tour de France and doesn’t want to change from his preparation for the Olympic Games and an altitude training camp during the Tour was planned.

Wout van Aert Has Been for a Walk
A week after his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, Wout van Aert has taken a walk for the first time. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider broke his sternum, collarbone and several ribs, but he recorded a walk on Strava.

Van Aert has started his recovery after surgery the morning after his high-speed crash and has since been at home. Last week he posted some photos on Instagram, including an Easter breakfast on the morning of the Tour of Flanders. With the heading: ‘to stand still is to go backwards’, he recoded a 3.9 kilometre walk in 55 minutes on Wednesday morning near his home in Herentals. He can’t start cycling yet.

Will Van Aert make the Giro?

Arnaud De Lie Might Return as Early as the End of April
Arnaud De Lie might make his return to the peloton at the end of April. Stéphane Heulot, the team manager of Lotto Dstny told RTBF. 22-year-old De Lie is struggling with Lyme disease and has been struggling with his form in recent weeks. Lyme disease is caused by a bite from a tick that is infected with a bacterium. This infectious disease is controlled with an antibiotic treatment for at least ten days. “But we must put the seriousness of the disease in the right perspective. There are different stages and Arnaud seems to be in the first stage,” Heulot said. “We are completely reassured by the doctors.”

And so Heulot is already cautiously looking ahead to a possible return of his golden boy. “The end of April could be a realistic target for his return. We hope that his return will take place in the best possible circumstances.” De Lie has not had a good start to the season. For the time being, the leader of the Belgian team has had top five finishes in the Clásica de Almería, GP de Denain and the Bredene Koksijde Classic. He was also tenth in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

An early return for Arnaud De Lie?

Mark Cavendish Should be Back in the Peloton by the End of April
Mark Cavendish has had to change his program after being ill for several weeks. He missed the Scheldeprijs and is expected to return to racing at the end of April in the Tour of Turkey (21-28 April).

Cavendish started the season with a stage win in the Tour Colombia. He was unable to continue the good form in the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico. He then had to drop out of Milan-Turin with a cold and didn’t start the Classic Brugge-De Panne. “After several weeks of illness following Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Turin, Cavendish has resumed training and will continue preparing for the biggest goals of the season,” said Vasilis Anastopoulous, Head of Performance with Astana Qazaqstan.

“The team has adjusted its race program. As a result, Mark will miss the Scheldeprijs. Instead, he will go to a training camp. Afterwards the plan is to race in the Tour of Turkey and then the Tour of Hungary.” The Tour of Hungary is from May 8 to 12.

Cavendish back soon:

Tom Pidcock Taken to Hospital after Crashing Before the Basque Country Time Trail
Tom Pidcock has to abandon the Itzulia Basque Country before starting. The Briton crashed during a reconnaissance of the opening time trial in Irun, according to his INEOS Grenadiers team on social media.

“After consultation between our team doctor and the medical staff of the Tour of the Basque Country, Tom was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation,” wrote INEOS Grenadiers on ‘X’ (Twitter). Pidcock was one of the favourites for INEOS Grenadiers. For Pidcock, the Basque Country tour was to be an important preparation race for the hilly Classics: Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

It was later announced that Tom Pidcock didn’t suffered any serious injuries from his crash. “I would like to thank everyone for the messages,” Pidcock said in a video message. “Unfortunately I couldn’t start in the Tour of the Basque Country after a fall during reconnaissance. I was surprised by a gust of wind. Scans have not revealed any fractures, but we will have to wait and see in the coming days. I don’t feel so good right now.” Pidcock is having problems with his hip. “It was hit hard. I can hardly lean on it now. I am now going home, where I will focus on my recovery.”

Tom Pidcock out of the Itzulia Basque Country:

Peter Sagan Back on the Bike After Second Heart Operation
Peter Sagan has been told by doctors that he can cycle again. The 34-year-old Slovak had started training after his first heart operation, but had to undergo another operation about two weeks ago.

Sagan ended his road career at the end of last year, but turned his hand (back) to the mountain bike. Then in February he was diagnosed with heart problems. The three-time World road champion underwent cardiac ablation and was then allowed to resume training. During a training ride in Marseille his cardiac arrhythmias showed up again and another heart operation was necessary. Now, two weeks after his operation, Sagan put a video on ‘X’ (Twitter) with this message: “Quick update everybody! It’s time to go in the saddle for my first training ride after my surgery a couple of weeks ago. Once again, many thanks for all the messages of support I received from all over the world. You guys rock!!”

Sagan back on the bike:

UCI and Michael Rogers Part Ways
Michael Rogers has left the UCI. the Australian confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad. Rogers held the position of innovation manager at the UCI. The news was announced on the day that the ‘helmet sock’ was banned by the UCI.

Michael Rogers started working at the UCI at the end of 2020. As an innovation manager, the former professional was involved in technological developments, such as the data of cyclists during competitions, new technology for cycling events and the development of virtual cycling.

At the end of March, after just over three years of employment, Rogers resigned from his duties at the UCI. This happened at a time when there was a lot going on in the field of technology and innovation. For example, on Monday there was still a lot of buzz about Specialized’s so-called ‘helmet sock’.

On March 5, when Rogers was still innovation manager, the UCI announced that the sock would be banned from April 1. But BORA-hansgrohe still rode it in the time trial of the Tour of the Basque Country, because the UCI site states that the ban will not take effect until April 2. Remco Evenepoel was not happy with this communication. The leader of Soudal Quick-Step and his teammates rode without a helmet sock, because they assumed that this would be prohibited from April 1. It is not known why Rogers left the UCI and whether it had to do with a disagreement about the regulations surrounding time trial helmets. Before he started working at the UCI, Rogers worked at the then NTT Pro Cycling as responsible for time trial equipment and time trial testing. Because the Australian no longer works for the UCI, he did not want to comment on the discussion about the ‘helmet sock’ with Het Nieuwsblad.

Rogers, who raced for Quick-Step, HTC, Sky and Tinkoff, was World time trial champion three times during his career. The Australian won the gold medal in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Rogers had to retire in 2016 due to heart problems.

Michael Rogers leaves the UCI:

Politt Leads in Paris-Roubaix – Spring Classics Continue at the ‘Hell of the North’
UAE Team Emirates continue their spring classics campaign with the third ‘monument’ of the season : Paris-Roubaix on Sunday (7th April).

The squad will be lead by the strength and experience of Nils Politt who comes into the team after a top-3 at Flanders last weekend and as a former podium rider at Roubaix in the past. Tim Wellens will also make his debut in the race.

Nils Politt: “I was super happy with last weeks podium in Flanders and the results of the whole team who rode really well with 3 guys in the top-5. The sensations were really good and as a team we played our cards as good as we could. I’m happy with my condition and could be up there in the final so it’s positive for the objectives ahead. Obviously Paris-Roubaix is a very different race with different characteristics but we are focused and motivated to go for a good result.”

The team will be guided by Sports Directors Fabio Baldato (Ita), Marco Marcato (Ita) and Tomas Gil (Ven).

Paris-Roubaix [1.UWT] – 07-Apr-2024:
Mikkel Bjerg (Den)
Alvaro Hodeg (Col)
Sebastian Molano (Col)
Antonio Morgado (Por)
Nils Politt (Ger)
Michael Vink (NZ)
Tim Wellens (Bel).

Paris-Roubaix Femmes – APR 06
Kelvin Dekker – Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach: “Paris-Roubaix is a one-of-a-kind race that is always hugely anticipated on the calendar. We have a strong line-up with a clear finisher in Pfeiffer, but we do believe that our entire team can go far in this race and we will try to use this to our advantage. The day will be hectic and, in those moments, it will be important to maintain an overview and focus on our teamwork. If we do this well, a lot will be possible for us.”

Line-up:
Rachele Barbieri (ITA)
Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR)
Daniek Hengeveld (NED)
Franziska Koch (GER)
Charlotte Kool (NED)
Josie Nelson (GBR).

Paris-Roubaix Men – APR 07
Pim Ligthart – Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach: “Paris-Roubaix, also known as the ‘Hell of the North,’ will be the third Monument of the season and the final cobbled classic of the year. John and Nils will be our finishers who will need to focus on being in position at the first sector and then every subsequent sector. John showed last year that he can compete in this spectacular race, and Nils has had a solid classics campaign so far. With this in mind, we are confident that we will be in the mix this year as well.”

Line-up:
Pavel Bittner (CZE)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Patrick Eddy (AUS)
Alex Edmondson (AUS)
Nils Eekhoff (NED)
Niklas Märkl (GER)
Tim Naberman (NED).

Degenkolb back to Roubaix:

Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman Will Leave Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the End of the Season
Merijn Zeeman, active for the team since 2012 and sportive director of Team Visma | Lease a Bike since 2017, is leaving the team at the end of this season. After almost 13 years of being jointly responsible for the successful rebuilding of the team, Zeeman is now opting for a new step in his career.

Merijn Zeeman: “This is a difficult decision, which I also take with pain in my heart. Precisely because I have this great organisation so close to my heart. We have come a long way and together we have made sure that we have become one of the most successful teams in recent years. I am incredibly proud of that. Our culture with our people and our innovative approach has created an amazing development in which we were able to make history together, with the success year 2023 as the absolute highlight. Team Visma | Lease a Bike is my family, which I have lovingly put my heart and soul into for 13 years. But I also believe that it is good for everyone’s development to take on new challenges over time. Continuing my career at football club AZ is my next step and I dare to take that step because I leave this strong professional organisation, led by my good friend Richard Plugge, in the capable hands of my colleagues. But first we want to write history together, also in 2024. We are fully engaged in that with a very nice start to the year, and we want to follow that up strongly in the coming months.”

Richard Plugge, CEO of Team Visma | Lease a Bike: “First of all, I am extremely sorry that Merijn, friend and dear colleague, is leaving our organisation. I understand his rationale and respect his difficult decision. We have built the team together, supported by a strong and loyal group of people, and Merijn has been of inestimable value with his vision and leadership qualities. With his ideas, drive and knowledge he and the right people around him have taken the sport in general and our team in particular to a higher level. For that we are enormously grateful to him! We have created a very robust professional organisation with a well thought-out performance program based on a culture of broad involvement and a high degree of individual ownership. Always and in every area based on the idea that no individual is more important than the collective. Merijn’s departure hurts on the one hand, but at the same time we have great confidence in our organisation, which is solid as a rock. In the coming months we will clarify how our organisation will be further structured towards the future and, as always, we will start internally. Of course we will also do everything together to make 2024 a successful year. We are now looking forward to that even more.”

Zeeman off to work in football:

Paris-Roubaix: MVDP: A Lively Challenge
Twelve different riders have won the last twelve editions of Paris-Roubaix. The Queen of the Classics may be untameable. Still, it’s hard not to designate the defending champion as the overwhelming favourite for Sunday’s race, which concludes the cobbled classics’ campaign in which the big guns have also suffered injuries on the asphalt. Amid this hecatomb, Mathieu Van der Poel has maintained a dignified and solid posture on all terrains and imposed his power at the right moment to go for a third victory in the De Ronde, which puts him on a par with the six other record-holders. When the time comes for him to don the number 1 jersey in Compiègne, the world champion will be as confident as ever and will send an image to his rivals of a rider in complete control, calm and invulnerable. None of them would be ashamed of a runner-up finish, even if far behind Van der Poel, but they will all try to get ahead of him: with power or by surprise, a stroke of luck or an improbable mistake. Although unforeseen events have thinned the ranks, the crash on Dwars door Vlaanderen that has sidelined Wout van Aert has also put a damper on Mads Pedersen’s convincing season. The Dane is the only rider to have beaten the man to beat this year in their duel at Ghent-Wevelgem. And it’s certainly the former world champion that the new champion is most wary of.

In addition to his physical prowess, today’s most efficient classic rider also has a significant strategic advantage in the company of Jasper Philipsen, who finished runner-up at the velodrome last year and with whom he has enjoyed a particularly successful partnership on the roads of both the Tour de France and Milan-Sanremo, where the Belgian also became a classic’s winner. The partnership works perfectly and opens up numerous options for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team. For Visma | Lease a Bike, Matteo Jorgenson’s talent has been on full display: in the wake of his victory in Paris-Nice, the young American’s power made all the difference on the roads of Dwars door Vlaanderen. He, too, can count on a reassuring team, with former winner Dylan van Baarle and European champion Christophe Laporte. Likewise, UAE Emirates had a strong line-up for De Ronde, with Nils Politt, Mikkel Bjerg and Antonio Morgado taking 3rd, 4th and 5th place, respectively. Soudal-Quick Step will likely have a strong squad with Kasper Asgreen, Yves Lampaert, Tim Merlier and Gianni Moscon. The list of contenders also includes regulars in the places of honour, such as Stefan Küng (3rd in 2022) or Matej Mohorič (5th in 2022). Still, it could also make room for on-form riders such as Oliver Naesen and Alberto Bettiol, Luca Mozzato, the runner-up to MVDP last Sunday, or even Norwegian Jonas Abrahamsen.

25 teams, the main contenders:

Australia
Team Jayco AlUla: Durbridge (Aus), Walscheid (Ger)

Bahrain
Bahrain-Victorious: Mohoric (Slo), Wright (Gbr)

Belgium
Soudal-Quick Step: Merlier, Lampaert (Bel), Asgreen (Den), Moscon (Ita)
Lotto Dstny: Van Moer (Bel), Guarnieri (Ita)
Alpecin-Deceuninck: Van der Poel (Ned), Philipsen (Bel), Groves (Aus)
Intermarché-Wanty: Girmay (Eri), Petit (Fra), Teunissen (Ned), Rex (Bel)
Bingoal WB: Desal (Bel)
Team Flanders-Baloise: Hesters, Vandenstorme (Bel)

France
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale Team: O. Naesen (Bel), Gautherat (Fra), Boasson Hagen (Nor), Bennett (Irl)
Cofidis Allegaert (Bel)
Groupama-FDJ: Küng (Swi), Bystrom (Nor)
TotalEnergies: A.Turgis, Dujardin (Fra), Van Gestel (Bel)
Arkea-B&B Hotels: Mozzato (Fra), McLay (Gbr)

Germany
Bora-Hansgrohe: Meeus (Bel), Herzog (Ger)

Great Britain
Ineos Grenadiers: Tarling, Rowe (Gbr), Viviani (Ita)

Israel
Israel-Premier Tech: Hofstetter (Fra), Sheehan (Usa), Van Asbroeck (Bel)

Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan Team: Bol (Ned)

The Netherlands
Visma | Lease a Bike: Jorgenson (Usa), Laporte (Fra), Van Baarle (Ned)
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL: Degenkolb (Ger), Eekhoff (Ned)

Norway
Uno-X Mobility: Abrahamsen, Kristoff, Tiller, Waerenskjold (Nor)

Spain
Movistar Team: Garcia Cortina, Lazkano (Spa), Norsgaard (Dan), Cavagna (Fra)

Switzerland
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team: Townsend (Irl)

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Bjerg (Dan), Politt (Ger), Wellens (Bel), Morgado (Por)

United States
EF Education-Easypost: Bissegger (Swi), Bettiol (Ita), Van den Berg (Ned)
Lidl-Trek: M.Pedersen (Den), Milan (Ita).

Key points:

For the 121st edition of Paris-Roubaix, set to start from Compiègne on Sunday, 7 April, spectators and riders alike will focus on Mathieu Van der Poel, who will attempt to retain his title and succeed the last winner in the rainbow jersey, Peter Sagan, in 2018. After his impressive showing in the Tour of Flanders, everyone knows he can do it.
However, the Queen of the Classics often holds surprises that could allow several candidates to make their mark and, why not, threaten the prohibitive favourite. That’s what contenders like Mads Pedersen, Matteo Jorgenson, Nils Politt, Kasper Asgreen, Stefan Küng, Matej Mohorič, and others keep in mind.

2024 Paris-Roubaix route map:

Paris-Roubaix Femmes Avec Zwift 2024 – Stars Take on the Myth
The first three editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift crowned three very different winners, through opposite scenarios. What will the winner of the fourth edition invent in order to succeed Elizabeth Deignan (2021), Elisa Longo Borghini (2022) and Alison Jackson (2023) ? A star studded peloton is gearing in Denain ahead of Saturday’s battles over the cobbles leading to the André-Pétrieux velodrome where dreams come true.

Icons such as Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and the UCI World Champion Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) are among the bigger names yet to raise aloft the iconic winner’s cobble at the end of the Hell of the North. The Dutch queen and her Belgian successor are cut for the myth, as highlighted by their places of 2nd in Roubaix (in 2021 for Vos, 2022 for Kopecky), but the triumph has escaped them so far, may it be due to tactics or bad luck.

In 2024, Kopecky heads a power duo alongside Lorena Wiebes (who keeps impressing with her progress in the Classics, underlined by her victory in Gent-Wevelgem) while Vos remains Visma | Lease a Bike’s main (and sole?) reference. Recent weeks have shown how strong they head into Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift…

Strong enough to tame the cobblestones as well as their rivals? The terrain is well known, with 17 sections (adding up to 29.2km of cobbles) to overcome. And the opposition is impressive as well.

After they won and placed two riders on the podiums of the first two editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, Lidl-Trek comes with strength in numbers again. Lucinda Brand came 3rd in the velodrome in 2022. Ellen van Dijk is firing on all cylinders since she returned to competition early March, after giving birth. And although Elisa Balsamo hasn’t been successful in her first attempts in the Hell of the North, she proved in recent weeks she’s back to her very best with back to back victories in Cittiglio and De Panne.

Her compatriot Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) is on an impressive roll as well but victory eludes her at the moment… Anyone coming to the velodrome with her should be wary of her speed and her stellar past as a track rider. Fast women such as Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) can also count on their sprints, while rising talents such as Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//Sram Racing) have the skills to animate the race.

After all, attacking often pays its dividends in Roubaix. Last year, six riders from the early breakaway narrowly resisted the peloton, and most of them will be back this week-end, in the wake of Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale): Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health), Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Deceuninck), Marion Borras (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) and Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team). How will they turn the race upside down this time?

24 teams, the main contenders:

Australia
Liv-AlUla-Jayco: Amber Pate (Aus), Letizia Paternoster (Ita)

Belgium
AG Insurance-Soudal Team: Kim Le Court (Mri), Ilse Pluimers (Ned)
Fenix-Deceuninck: Christina Schweinberger (Aut), Marthe Trugen (Bel)

France
Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women: Emilia Fahlin (Swe)
Cofidis Women Team: Victoire Berteau (Fra)
FDJ-Suez: Grace Brown (Aus), Amber Kraak (Ned)
St Michel-Mavic-Auber93: Marion Borras (Fra), Roxane Fournier (Fra)
Team Komugi-Grand Est: Chloé Charpentier (Fra)
Winspace: Constance Valentin (Fra)

Germany
Canyon//Sram Racing: Zoe Bäckstedt (Gbr), Elise Chabbey (Sui)
Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team: Nina Berton (Lux), Marta Lach (Pol)

Great Britain
Lifeplus Wahoo: Eluned King (Gbr)

The Netherlands
Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL: Pfeiffer Georgi (Gbr), Charlotte Kool (Ned)
Team SD Worx-Protime: Lotte Kopecky (Bel), Lorena Wiebes (Ned)
Team Visma | Lease a Bike: Marianne Vos (Ned)
VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team: Anneke Dijkstra (Ned)

Norway
Team Coop-Repsol: April Tacey (Gbr)
Uno-X Mobility: Anniina Ahtosalo (Fin), Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita)

Spain
Movistar Team: Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Den), Arlenis Sierra (Cub)

Switzerland
Roland: Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can)

The UAE
UAE Team ADQ: Chiara Consonni (Ita)

The USA
EF Education-Cannondale: Alison Jackson (Can)
Human Powered Health: Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Fra), Katia Ragusa (Ita)
Lidl-Trek: Elisa Balsamo (Ita), Lucinda Brand (Ned), Ellen van Dijk (Ned).

Key points:

The 4th edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift calls 24 teams of 6 riders to battle through the Hell of the North on Saturday 6 April.
Defending champion Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) leads the attackers willing to turn the race upside down.
The bigger guns, led by Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime), Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Lidl-Trek’s collective strength, will aim to control the chaos over 29.2km of cobblestones.

2024 Paris-Roubaix Femmes Avec Zwift route map:

The Paris-Roubaix Organiser Wants to Prevent Crashes in the Forest of Wallers
The 121st edition of Paris-Roubaix for men is scheduled for next Sunday. This is a course with some dangerous passages. One of these is the feared Forest of Wallers, where many falls occur every year. But if it were up to the riders’ union CPA, that would be a thing of the past.

The riders’ union has submitted a request to the organisation of Paris-Roubaix: the idea is to add a few chicanes in the run-up to the Forest of Wallers, a kind of bend network, in order to reduce the speed of the riders in the run-up to the dreaded cobblestone section of a good two kilometres reduction.

Course builder Thierry Gouvenou understands the wish. “The idea is to find bends in the run-up to the Forest of Wallers, in order to slow down the peloton and pull it together,” he told the French sports newspaper L’Équipe on Tuesday during the official presentation of the race. “It is a bit comparable to the chicane system on car circuits.”

“Currently they are arriving at a speed of about 60 km/h. If we could slow the riders down to 30 to 35 km/h, that would be less risky. And that would further emphasise the difficulty of the stretch, because the drivers would then have to start it without speed and momentum.”

It remains to be seen whether such a chicane system will actually be implemented: Gouvenou is still in discussions with the local authorities. The proposal does raise questions for the authorities. They think that the danger is then shifted from on to before the well-known cobbled section.

“I also presented this to the riders and they preferred to brake hard with the risk of falling on the asphalt, than to ride into the Forest at 60 km/h,” counters Gouvenou.

Chicanes to stop crashes in Wallers:

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