Elisa Balsamo slumped to the floor and was in tears in the Roubaix velodrome after finishing second to Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in the six-rider sprint that decided this year's Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
The Lidl-Trek rider was perhaps the fastest finisher of the sextet and used her track skills to ensure she was up front and not boxed-in.
But Kopecky came from behind to surge past her and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) as the line approached.
Balsamo dried her tears for the podium ceremony and gradually began to see the positives of her great ride on the cobbles. Lidl-Trek had again shown their strength and tactical skills, with Balsamo’s second place coming after victories by Lizzie Deignan in 2021 and Elisa Longo Borghini in 2022.
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Balsamo was always able to follow Kopecky whenever she attacked and along with Vos, they formed the front group after the Camphin-en-Pévèle sector of cobbles.
Balsamo was distanced on the subsequent sector, which was exposed to the cross winds and her race seemed over.
Lidl-Trek later confirmed to Cyclingnews that she hadn’t punctured, rather she paced her effort and was able to get back to Kopecky and Vos with Georgi. The four caught her Lidl-Trek teammate Ellen Van Dijk and the impressive Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez) who had cleverly anticipate Kopecky’s attack.
Lidl-Trek then opted to protect Balsamo for the sprint on the Roubaix velodrome.
“The team was amazing and Ellen was really strong and impressive,” Balsamo said.
“She attacked a lot of times. She was just unbelievable. She was helping me 100%. I want to say thank you to Ellen and all my teammates and the team because the bikes were perfect and also after every sector we had staff with wheels and water. It was just really big teamwork today."
“We wanted to take the first three cobbled sectors all together in the front with the team but it was really really difficult because everyone was fighting and so it wasn't really possible.
“Then Ellen kept trying to attack because we know that arriving solo is the best solution in this race. But at four kilometres from the finish the team decided that Ellen would work for me for the sprint”
“I did a good sprint and had a good race, so I have to be happy. Maybe I could have started the sprint a bit later but after the race it's always easy to say. I was just really tired and I think I did the best that I could.”
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