The women set off from Denain, 50 kilometres south of Roubaix. Following two laps south of the former coal town – one small, one bigger – the riders head for the cobbles.
The riders are to navigate 17 ‘secteurs’, the first of which is the longest of the day. Running from Hornaing to Wandignies, the sector is 3.7 kilometres long and classified with 4 stars. No rest for the wicked, and the cobbles come thick and fast after this. Every 6 kilometres or so, a new set of cobbles from hell is served. No Forest of Wallers, but Mons-en-Pévèle is definitely included in the women’s race with its 2,985 metres of hardship on bone-crushing pavé.
Still eleven sectors remain after leaving Mons-en-Pévèle. The riders tackle the pavé of Mérignies à Avelin (700 metres), Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin (1,400 metres), Templeuve – L’Epinette (200 metres), Templeuve-Moulin-de-Vertain (500 metres), Cysoing à Bourghelles (1,300 metres), Bourghelles à Wannehain (1,100 metres), and Camphin-en-Pévèle (1,800 metres).
The riders hit the iconic Carrefour de l’Arbre with 16.5 kilometres remaining. At 2,086 metres, this stretch of pavé is feared for its sloped corners. After 1,200 metres, a tricky left-hand bend leads to a slight ascent. If specialists want to strike on their beloved pavé, the Carrefour de l’Arbre is their last opportunity. At the end, the riders turn right at Restaurant l’Arbre Gruson before they are treated to the heavenly feel of smooth asphalt almost all the way to the Velodrome in Roubaix.
Just two more harmless sectors, Gruson and Willems à Hem, lead the way to the last cobbled section, in Roubaix itself, which is a tribute to the race. The cobbles are neatly arranged to avoid major discomfort. Riders go from here into the old Velodrome with one and a half laps to go.
Last year’s race culminated in a six-up sprint at the Roubaix Velodrome. Earlier, a group featuring Amber Kraak, Ellen van Dijk, Lotte Kopecky, and Marianne Vos left the Carrefour de l’Arbre in the lead, before Elisa Balsamo and Pfeiffer Georgi bridged across 5 kilometres later. Kopecky left it late to launch her sprint, but powered through the outside lane to take the spoils ahead of Balsamo and Georgi.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2025.
Paris-Roubaix for women starts at 13:00 and the race is expected to finish around 17:00 – both are local times (CET)> See timings in the slideshow below for details.
Paris – Roubaix Femmes 2025: route, profile, videos
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