Paris-Roubaix Femmes: history, route and TV

The first Paris-Roubaix for women takes place one hundred and twenty-five years after the first men’s race. Paris-Roubaix began life in 1896, the same year the first modern Olympic Games was held.

Since 1896, men have been to the moon, motor cars have become mass-produced, the floppy disc has been and gone, and the internet was invented. Yet it’s only in 2021 that we’re seeing the invention of the greatest cycling classic in the world for women: Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2021 begins in Denain on Saturday 2nd October 2021. After three circuits in the town, the peloton will ready Hornaing where the men’s and women’s routes converge. The remaining 85 km promise to be a white knuckle ride for all who dare to race.

The cobbled sectors are categorised based on their difficulty: one star means relatively easy while five stars means very technical. The women’s route features two five-star sectors: Mons-en-Pévèle (3 km) and the Carrefour de l’Arbre (2.1 km).

After traversing the trickier terrain, the race reaches a crescendo inside the boundary of Roubaix’s outdoor velodrome. The mixture of relief and euphoria from the leading riders will be almost as deafening as the celebrations from the crowds that fill the arena.

This race is not to be missed, not least because the women’s peloton has been missing a race like this on their calendar for over a century.

Annemiek van Vleuten’s name has become synonymous with victory in these races. She won the Tour of Flanders and Dwars door Vlaanderen, second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, third in Amstel-Gold and fourth in both Strade Bianche and La Fleche Wallonne.

Kasia Niewiadoma is a safe bet for Canyon/SRAM with her form going into the race. She came fourth in the European Championships and has a number of top 10 finishes from the Spring Classics races.

Whoever wins the first edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes will go down in history and we’re excited to see it all play out in front of our eyes.