We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled broadcasting to bring you this story from the World Tour side of our sport, because it’s just too damn inspiring not to! Erik Mathy had the fortuitous opportunity to witness this year’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes race where dark horse and EF Education-Tibco-SVB Team rider, Alison Jackson, took the top step on the podium after a five-up sprint in the velodrome. Erik shares before and after portraits and interviews with Alison and her teammates about her momentous result!
Paris-Roubaix is, to put it mildly, a legendary race. Known as The Hell of the North it was first run in 1896. Originally conceived by two Roubaix textile factory owners who wanted to promote their newly built velodrome, it is arguably the most difficult and brutal of the Spring Classics. The race is most notably known for the rough sections of pavé (cobblestone), and it is often on the cobbles that deciding attacks are made. So much so that the original 1896 course designer, Victor Breyer, wanted to call the whole thing off after spending a day riding them because he felt they were too dangerous. After a meal and some (perhaps, several) drinks he changed his mind and Paris-Roubaix was born. Today, temporary barriers are often placed on the borders of these rutted, bumpy tracks, so that riders are forced to embrace the pavé.
Since it’s inception the only two things that have ever kept Paris-Roubaix from happening are events straight out of the Apocalypse: War, namely World War I and World War II, and Pestilence in the form of the COVID global pandemic.
The original organizers never, ever, conceived of there being a women’s edition of their race. In 1896 such a thing wouldn’t have been even the most distant consideration. It took until 2021 for the cycling industry to rally behind a first edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes. The race was as fiercely ridden and dramatic as any of the men’s editions that had come before. Coming into this year’s race the favorites were SD Worx, who had been winning almost everything, and Trek-Segafredo, who both of the previous Paris-Roubaix Femmes winners were riding for. None of the pundits counted the EF Education–TIBCO–SVB team as having a possible Paris-Roubaix Femmes champion amongst their squad.
They were wrong. Canadian Alison Jackson, a former national champion, 2020 Olympian, and highly experienced pro, got into an early breakaway and pulled it all the way to the end where she won in a tight, tense final sprint with five other racers. It was, to put it mildly, one of the best bike races I’ve ever seen.
So what is it like to go from being a cyclist on an underdog squad that nobody expects to win to being a winner of the infamous Hell of the North? How does that feel in the morning before the race and then afterwards when your teammate has gone and won the damn thing? To find out I asked each EF Education–TIBCO–SVB racer the same set of three short questions both before and after the race. They are accompanied by portraits that were also taken directly after each interview to show their physical states.
Zoe Bäckstedt (18, Wales)
Before
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling excited. I’m looking forward to it.
What do you want to happen today?
That I finish. Pretty much, that’s about it.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
That I’m able to think ahead whilst riding on the cobbles you know, like, sometimes you can see that a crash is gonna happen, or you can see a bunch of people bunching up on one side of the course and being able to try and move around it and just, yeah, playing to my strengths, pretty much.
After
Now how are you feeling?
Absolutely dead right now.
What happened out there today?
I just ran out of legs a few sectors in and was struggling with my positioning a little bit but, yeah, I made it to the finish so here we are.
What are you taking away from this experience?
That AJ (Alison Jackson) is an absolute legend!! *laughs*
Letizia Borghesi (24, Italy)
Before
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling excited for the race but also happy to be here and a little bit nervous.
What do you want to happen today?
I hope to be able to give my best and cross the finish line with a smile and be happy with my performance.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
This is for sure a race that will make me grow. I want to bring home the support of the public and new skill on the cobbles.
After
Now how are you feeling?
100% happy. Really happy and without words. It’s crazy what happened today!
What happened out there today?
To me? My race was really difficult from the start. I had a lot of problems but then I was in the chasing group. And then before the last five star sector, I broke a wheel. So I had to stop and change the wheel. And then it was over and I just tried to finish.
What are you taking away from this experience?
I think that what I will bring always with me is the lesson that AJ gave to us, because she was so confident to do bigger results here and she really believed that she was capable of doing it. And so I really want to learn from her.
Clara Honsinger (25, USA)
Before
How are you feeling?
Nervous but excited. Excited!
What do you want to happen today?
I want a top 10 in this race.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
I want to lift that cobble. That’s what I want, to lift that cobble on that podium. Past that, to finish the race completely empty.
After
Now how are you feeling?
Ecstatic!
What happened out there today?
Ahhhhhh, I didn’t hit the ground. I made it through all the cobbles.
What are you taking away from this experience?
I know that AJ is going to need some help carrying that cobble!
Alison “AJ” Jackson (34, Canada)
Before
How are you feeling?
Good. I am feeling pretty excited. I think always at Paris-Roubaix I’m pretty chill at the start because there is a lot you can’t control so you just have to roll with it.
What do you want to happen today?
I want us to win. I want us to be in the action. Be in the early break, be ahead of some of the, you know, the big hitters that are expected to win.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
One of those big rocks!
After
Now how are you feeling?
No words. It’s just…unbelievable.
What happened out there today?
*laughs* We won the bike race!!! *laughs some more*
There was an early break that I was in. Most teams were represented and then we just rolled it. Because most teams were in there we got quite a bit of a gap and then, I mean, that’s what you need. Now we go into the cobbles having to manage those people. Not everyone wanted to contribute or pull but I knew I was strong so the few of us that wanted to commit went all in. The group was getting a little smaller by the end and we were close to getting caught. There were only four of us in that group of seven who really wanted to work. But that’s the thing, you work so hard to get out into the front so I wanted to leave everything out on the course. We entered the velodrome and I was the second wheel. I started my sprint around 300m, got passed, but used that momentum to get a higher place on the banking and passed back and won.
In the end you’ve got to have the legs and there is a lot of heart. I rode with a lot of heart.
What are you taking away from this experience?
A big motherf*cking rock!!!
Sara Poidevin (26, Canada)
Before
How are you feeling?
I feel nervous and excited. Just a lot of excitement around this race that is already kind of building. I’m excited to get started because the wait is always a bit long.
What do you want to happen today?
I’m just hoping each of us can just really take whatever opportunities are presented today. I think for all riders today there’s going to be a lot of just unexpected chaos. I mean, you can plan all you want, but in a race like this, a lot is going to be just adapting to the moment. And so I am just hoping that each of us can pick whatever opportunities come, fight hard and see what happens.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
For myself? Yeah, I’m just hoping to fight as hard as I can for as long as I can. And yeah, see what happens.
After
Now how are you feeling?
I just feel super excited! In about an hour I’m gonna crash but for now I feel super excited.
What happened out there today?
I was working with the team to just cover those moves because we really wanted someone in whatever early break went. And yeah, when Alison’s move went I just followed a bunch of counter attacks, just in case and also to kill them, make sure that gap went up. And then I crashed in the cobbles.
What are you taking away from this experience?
I was just thinking about our interview yesterday when I was talking about how sometimes races are won by riders who think it can be won in a different way and who don’t wait for the favorites to go. And that’s exactly what happened today.
Lauren Stephens (36, USA)
Before
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling good.
What do you want to happen today?
I just want to have a fun day on the bike.
What do you hope to take away from this experience?
I want to walk away knowing I left it all out there and be a part of the race.
After
Now how are you feeling?
I feel very excited for Alison!
What happened out there today?
I was caught up in a crash before the first cobbled section decided to stop in one of the feeds.
What are you taking away from this experience?
If you put your mind to something you can make it happen. Alison’s been excited about this race since the first one a few years ago and she put her mind to it. She did it today.
About the Images
I love doing Before/After images and interviews. It’s a fascination with what people bring with them to an event, be it race or a protest, versus what they take home with them. I want to know how they were affected physically, emotionally and mentally. Asking three basic questions and taking a portrait is my way of exploring this in a simple, effective way.
The Before images were made with a 1970’s era Polaroid 800 that I converted to use 4×5” sheet film. It’s a wonderful camera, a little quirky, but sharp and capable of making really great portraits. It’s also a little time consuming vs other cameras. This is why the After images were made with a Fuji GFX50R medium format digital body and a Nikon 105mm f/2.5 manual lens.
After Alison won Paris-Roubaix Femmes the squad was swept up in the post race activities. By the time I was able to connect with them for their interviews and portraits they were cold, tired, and wanting nothing more than to get to the fabled Roubaix Velodrome showers. The digital camera was therefore the best option to get the After portraits without further inconveniencing them.
The opportunity to do this project with some of the most elite athletes on the planet at Paris-Roubaix Femmes was a dream come true, and I can’t thank everyone in the EF Education-Tibco-SVB organization enough for allowing me into their world. Watching Alison win the race was the icing and cherry on top of an already incredible cake!