Alison Jackson won Saturday’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes after helping a long breakaway survive over the cobbles of the one-day classic, then holding off Katia Ragusa and Marthe Truyven in a sprint finish at the Roubaix velodrome.
The 34-year-old Canadian, who returned to the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB team this year, threw up her arms as she crossed the finish line. After falling to the ground from exhaustion, Jackson got back up and began dancing on the infield.
“When we gave way and drove around this velodrome, all I dreamed about was winning,” Jackson said, “but often those dreams just remain dreams. Realizing this in real life is unreal. I only have a few words.”
Most of the big hitters in the women’s race missed the early 18-rider breakaway, including Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini. The breakaway managed to traverse the slippery, cobbled sectors with ease for the most part, and they were able to maintain a lead of about 10 seconds on the peloton as the six leaders entered the velodrome for a final lap.
Jackson moved up the track and used a big sprint to cross the finish line first.
Kopecky finished seventh as she passed the remnants of the peloton including three-time world champion and former Olympic gold medalist Marianne Voss. Borghini, the bronze medalist at the Tokyo Games, was a few seconds behind them.
Dylan van Baarle is back to defend his title in Sunday’s men’s race, although Milan-San Remo winner Mathieu van der Poel and Olympic silver medalist Wout van Aert are favorites along with Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna.
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