Paris-Roubaix. The riders' reactions

Apr 13, 2025, 12:50 AM

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Photo credit : Xavier Pereyron

They did it. The 6 riders from Winspace Orange Seal came to the end of the legendary Paris-Roubaix Women's race with Zwift. A day to remember. Here are their reactions.

Aurela Nerlo: "It was perfect"

"I was up front. I felt it was the right time to attack. At first nobody followed me, but then I managed to get into the breakaway. We worked well together. I was hoping to ride on the first cobbled sectors at the front. That was perfect. That was the plan."

Constance Valentin: "I was capable of aiming for a better place"

"Last year, it was tears of emotion for my first participation. Today, it's more tears of pain and disappointment. I changed bikes three times. I took big holes, which meant that my saddle was raised. The saddle would go right up. It was impossible to ride. The first time I was able to change. And the second time, that's what caused me to fall. My body tipped forward. As I had the hangers on, I didn't check anything. It was on the Carrefour de l'Arbre. The cobbles were broken. I made a mistake on the left. Other runners came up on me. I tried as hard as I could to get back in. I'm happy to finish with Aurela. As usual, she amazes us. It's always a learning curve. I was capable of aiming for a better place."

Marie-Morgane Le Deunff: "The whole team gave it their all"

"I'm finishing the race. That's already a positive. But I'm a bit disappointed. I had a bad back and fell on my head fifteen kilometres before the first sector. It took me a while to get back. We weren't in a very good position in the first sector and that cost us. Then there were a few breaks when we were in a big group. I never managed to get back. The whole team gave it their all. It was a great experience with lots of people. Exceptional."

Florence Normand: "It's very satisfying to finish the race"

"It's a great satisfaction to finish the race especially after the last few difficult races due to a virus. The positioning was difficult in the first sectors. I went into the first cobbled sector in a bad position. Then we had a good group with Camille. I didn't feel like I was at Paris-Roubaix, even after all the cobbles and before entering the velodrome."

Fiona Mangan: "Taking part in this race was already a victory"

"Taking part in this race was already a victory after my injury. I'm happy to have finished. I was around 60th and then I had a puncture with 25km to go. I lost a lot of time and places. I'd told my surgeon that I wanted to do Paris-Roubaix. It was five weeks after the operation. I did everything I could to be there. I didn't have much time to train on the cobbles. At the start, I found it hard to get into position. I got into the first sector in the middle. I'd like to find my form again in the coming weeks."

Camille Fahy: "It's incredible"

"I wanted to do my best and try to finish without injury. I haven't done many cobbles this season. It was quite difficult. I gave it my all. We tried to place ourselves as a team in the first sector. I finished between Florence and Fiona. At the moment, I'm a bit sore all over but it's still mythical. I used to watch the race when I was younger. People cheer for the first runners as well as the last. It's incredible."