Cyclist Laury Milette concluded her first participation in Paris-Roubaix at 75e rank, but above all, “in one piece”, arriving at the legendary André-Pétrieux velodrome.
The one who wears the colors of the Komugi – Grand Est team was relieved when she crossed the finish line of this 148.5 kilometer course, which has 17 paved sectors. She had just completed the fourth edition of the women’s section of Paris-Roubaix without falling, in a particularly combative World Tour circuit peloton.
“Riding on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix and seeing everyone cheering you on, hearing the helicopter for television, it’s quite an experience. It made me emotional entering the velodrome, then seeing my teammates arrive and join me,” Laury Milette told Sportcom.
“I was really happy to finish! It’s very difficult with the cobblestones and anything can happen. I was happy to cross the line in one piece. Just that was already a victory. »
World champion Lotte Kopecky from the SD-Worx – Protime team won for the first time in her career. The Belgian runner, who triumphed at Strade Bianche at the beginning of March, stood out in the sprint against five other competitors, including the Italian Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and the British Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) , second and third.
Laury Milette was one of the two representatives of the Komugi – Grand Est team to complete Saturday’s race. Four teammates finished outside the time limit, including Quebecer Joséphine Péloquin. The Frenchwoman Victoire Joncheray still stood out by escaping for around twenty kilometers at the start of the day.
“It was difficult with the wind and it was a really fast race. Afterwards, it’s such a race where you have to be lucky and where anything can happen, I didn’t want to put too many expectations on myself, confided Milette, originally from Gatineau. I would have liked to make a breakaway, try to show our team’s jersey, but my teammate (Victoire Joncheray) left at kilometer 0 and we were still able to show our colors. »
“I was not very well positioned at the critical moment, at the entrance to the first cobbles, where all the teams install a train at the front to position the leaders,” continued the 21-year-old Quebecer. This is a more stressful time to position yourself. When you’re in a small team, people don’t pay too much attention to you and you have to make your way! »
This was the second World Tour event of Laury Milette’s career, she who was ranked 104e of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, in Belgium, last February.
She will race at La Flèche Brabançonne on Wednesday, just like Joséphine Péloquin. Olivia Baril, Simone Boilard and Magdeleine Vallières will also be in action in Belgium.
Sunday, Guillaume Boivin will be the only Quebecer at the start of the 121e edition of Paris-Roubaix for men. Victim of a fall at the Tour of Flanders, his teammate Hugo Houle felt symptoms of concussion and did not receive the green light from the medical staff.