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Canadian Alison “Action” Jackson, the queen of cobble traction, wins Paris-Roubaix

The day's breakaway stays away

April 8, 2023
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Alison “Action” Jackson won Saturday’s third running of Paris-Roubaix Femmes from a breakaway that stayed away. It’s the biggest win of her career and EF Education-TIBCO-SVB’s first WorldTour victory of the season.

Introduction and Course

Could anybody stop SD-Worx? Not only had the team taken five of the last seven rounds of the WorldTour, it had also won non-WWT competitions like Dwars door Vlaanderen and Scheldeprijs. WorldTour leader Lorena Wiebes and red-hot Lotte Kopecky were SD Worx’s two aces. Reigning champ Elisa Longo Borghini headed up a strong Trek-Segafredo squad. Marianne Vos was looking for her first victory of the season.

The Canadian contingent was comprised of Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Cofidis), Simone Boilard of St Michel-Mavic-Auber93, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB duo Jackson and Sara Poidevin, and Maggie Coles-Lyster of the financially beleaguered Zaaf squad, who was eighth at Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs. Jackson was the top Canadian in the first two editions. Her teammate Zoe Bäckstedt used her father’s pedals from when Magnus won Paris-Roubaix in 2004.

Backstedt and Jackson at the start.

The route was 145.5 km long with 18 cobbled sectors equaling 29.2 km. The last 84 km of the men’s and women’s races are identical, so the brutal five-star sections of Mons-en-Pévèle (3 km long) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (2.1 km) were on the route, but there was no Trouée d’Arenberg early in the course.

Jackson was part of large breakaway that started forming 15 km outside the start town of Denain. Only six squads, including Jumbo-Visma or Movistar, weren’t represented. A crash in the peloton that split it into two parts played into the fugitives’ hands, and by the time they reached the first cobble sector, four-star Hornaing à Wandignies, the gap was nearly 6:00.

Jackson led onto the cobbles.

Fugitive Daniek Hengeveld (The Netherlands/DSM) scampered away from her breakmates and bounced along the Warlaing à Brillon and Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières solo. Back in the peloton, a mechanical for Vos meant she was behind the bunch. Coles-Lyster was also off the back by the three-star Beuvry à Orchies stretch.

On the dirt between four-star Auchy à Bersée and the dreaded Mons-en-Pévèle, Kopecky attacked and Longo Borghini, Lucinda Brand, Pfeiffer Georgi and a handful of others were able to go along. Coming out of Mons-en-Pévèle, Jackson’s group caught Hengeveld, and the Kopecky gang was +3:15. Forty-four kilometers remained.

Kopecky attacks with 50 km remaining.

The Kopecky group was eating up Jackson et al’s lead with 10 sectors still to negotiate. A crash on the dirt before three-star Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin delayed Kopecky’s group. Now Kopecky and Longo Borghini were behind Vos, who had been doggedly chasing for 30 km.

With 22 km to race, Jackson tried to scamper away, but ended up reducing the group.

Jackson tries to go solo with 22 km to ride.

The final five-star sector was Carrefour de l’Arbre. Marta Lach tried to leave Jackson and company behind. Jackson was on her six. Jackson and Lach’s further-reduced group was under a minute clear of Longo-Borghini, Kopecky and Brand upon exiting Carrefour de l’Arbre. Fifteen kilometres and three sectors remained.

With only the Espace Charles Crupelandt cobbled just before the turn in to the velodrome remaining, Jackson’s lead with wee. Oh, it was tight: 12 seconds, 2 km to race! Jackson’s intrepid septet entered the velodrome with 10 seconds. One of the fugitives crashed.

It was Jackson’s day. She got off the bike and danced. Boogie down, Alison. Boogie down.

She can’t believe it.

2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes
1) Alison Jackson (Canada/EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) 3:42:56
2) Katia Ragusa (Italy/Liv Racing) s.t.
3) Marthe Truyen (Belgium/Fenix-Deceuninck) s.t.
39) Simone Boilard (Canada/St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) +1:45
68) Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada/Zaaf) +11:21