MISSING THAT EXTRA EDGE IN PARIS-ROUBAIX FEMMES 2026

Off the back of her first two WorldTour top fives last week, most notably at Ronde van Vlaanderen, Zoe Bäckstedt had ridden herself into top contender status for Paris-Roubaix Femmes. Unfortunately, this wasn’t quite the year to translate her phenomenal form, and a hint of family pedigree, into a standout result at the ultimate cobbled Classics showdown.

Nicknamed the ‘Hell of the North’, this iconic race is characterised by its punishing pave, making it one of the toughest one-day events on the calendar. The 33km of cobbled sectors form a relentless sequence that tests raw power, bike handling, positioning, and, deep into the race, endurance and sheer tenacity.

The finish line inside the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in Roubaix offers a welcome sight, a historic and fitting conclusion to what is always an epic battle.

All six riders lining up for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto had previous experience of the race. Maria Martins was making her fifth start, while Chiara Consonni lined up for her sixth – one of only a handful of riders to have contested every edition to date. 

Less than 10km into the 143km race, Rosa Klöser launched an early attack and went away solo. Heading into sector 16 of 20 (counting downwards), just past the halfway mark, she had already been reeled back in from a maximum advantage of 90 seconds, with a tense peloton pushing with real intent and focus from the very start.

Inside the final 60km, Chiara and Zoe still looked comfortable in the bunch as they powered through sector 12, with the five-star, 3km Mons-en-Pévèle looming on the Northern France horizon.

With 45km to go, as the race exited Mons-en-Pévèle, Koch (TFS) piled on the pressure and, on the tarmac stretch that followed, the elastic snapped – a break of four including Koch going clear.

A few kilometres down the road, both Chiara and Zoe sat in a dwindling peloton that trailed the quartet by 40 seconds. Into the infamous Carrefour de l’Arbre, the second five-star sector with 17.1km to go, the gap was edging towards 90 seconds, while the chase group exploded with attacks – Chiara among those caught out.

Inside the final 5km, Zoe found herself in a nine-rider group pursuing a second move containing Kopecky (SDW) and Jastrab (UAD), with over two minutes to the now leading trio. In the closing kilometres, a group that included Chiara bridged back to Zoe’s, forming a larger 17-rider bunch that contested a messy sprint inside the Roubaix Velodrome, where Zoe finished 12th. There was, inevitably, a sense of disappointment for not landing a big result, but also acceptance. Hear from the riders:

Zoe Bäckstedt

“It was just brutal. Maybe not my best day on the bike in the end, but that’s also part of Paris-Roubaix. I had a puncture just after the second sector – it was a slow flat, so I only realised around 4km before the fourth sector [sector 16], and then I was basically chasing to come back. In the end, I just didn’t have it in me to follow the group that went. But yeah, we’ll come back next year and try again.

In the peloton, there just weren’t enough teams with enough numbers to sacrifice a rider. If we’d all worked together, maybe we could have brought the group back, but when you have one from SD Worx up the road and four in the group, then half the peloton isn’t working, so it is what it is.”

Asked if she was satisfied with her race:

“I don’t even know where I finished in the end, but for my standards and how I felt last week, I have to say no. I was really hoping for more, but… yeah.”

Rosa Klöser

“It was definitely fun again [racing Roubaix for a second time]. We had a bit of a different strategy this year – to be represented in the front breakaway with one rider, which was me.

That worked out, but unfortunately I found myself solo off the front, which is definitely a bit exhausting with a big, strong chasing bunch behind. It was still quite good because I stayed ahead for the first three or four sectors, so until kilometre 70, and then I was caught by the front bunch. I managed to stay with them until Mons-en-Pévèle.

Unfortunately, there was a small crash, and I must admit that I just didn’t have the punch anymore to close the gap then. Overall, maybe we didn’t achieve the result we came for, but I think everyone showed commitment, and that’s all we can ask for.

I think we all know that, maybe with my gravel background, we wanted to use my capacity to ride long and steady. In that regard, I would say job done.”

Unfortunately, Chloé went down in a heavy crash with 57km remaining, and was taken to hospital. Updates to follow on CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels regarding her prognosis.