'The last three years we weren't so lucky' – SD Worx-Protime chase first Paris-Roubaix Femmes title

Belgian Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx pictured at the start of the third edition of the women elite race of the ParisRoubaix cycling event 1454 km from Denain to Roubaix France on Saturday 08 April 2023 BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS Photo by JASPER JACOBS BELGA MAG Belga via AFP Photo by JASPER JACOBSBELGA MAGAFP via Getty Images
SD Worx ahead of the start of the 2023 Paris-Roubaix, with Lotte Kopecky (centre) again likely to be the key contender for the team

SD Worx ProTime may have been the dominant force of recent seasons in the women's peloton but turn to the Paris-Roubaix Femmes and that domination melts away. Of the nine podium spots through the race's three-year history, the Dutch team has only taken one, a second with Lotte Kopecky in 2022. 

Lidl-Trek, on the other hand, have taken four, with two of those being wins. The riders who netted those victories, Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini, may not be lining up at the race but that hasn’t made SD Worx any less wary.

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.