Paris-Roubaix: Elisa Balsamo hoping to make better memories on the French cobbles

As the team that has won two of the three editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes so far, all eyes will be on Lidl-Trek when the race gets underway in Denain on Saturday. But with winners Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini not in their midst, the American team will have to look to a new rider as their leader.

Who that rider could be is not necessarily decided, but after the spring she’s had, Elisa Balsamo would likely be the first choice. The only drawback? The Italian hasn’t had the best results in Roubaix so far.

A 57th, a 58th and an unfortunate disqualification is Balsamo’s record here, having never really made it into the final selection, so her aims on Saturday are perhaps more humble than a victory.

“I don't have really good memories about this race, but I'm here to try to make good ones. I really believe in a good race for Saturday,” Balsamo told GCN two days ahead of the final cobbled Classic.

What exactly that might mean for Balsamo is not yet clear, with the race plan not fully decided, but it will be about being in the moves at the right time, and hoping for a finale that could suit her strengths – likely not a long solo effort that carried Deignan and Longo Borghini to their victories.

Read more:

• A beginner's guide to Paris-Roubaix
• Spring Classics 2024 – Essential guide to the races and riders

“I really want to fight, and I also know that it's the kind of race in which if you keep on fighting, then maybe you also have the opportunity to come back,” she said.

“I think that for me, the perfect scenario would be a small group sprint, but I know that in this race it's always really hard to be there in the final, and I'm sure that it's not going to be a big group.”

Though that kind of scenario may be increasingly rare in Roubaix, Lidl-Trek are perhaps one of the few teams who may be able to at least attempt to control things in their favour and play a numbers game into the finale.

“We have a really strong team, and also Lucinda [Brand] was third [in 2021] and she's super strong now. Ellen [van Dijk] is a really strong rider, so I think we can have a good race and try to play our cards,” Balsamo explained.

“We also have riders like Elynor [Bäckstedt], Lauretta [Hanson] and Ilaria [Sanguineti] who are really good TT riders and so they can really help a lot to set a good pace from the beginning.”

Even though Deignan and Longo Borghini won’t be lining up alongside Balsamo on Saturday, she’s still ridden most of the Classics with the two former Roubaix winners and picked up some advice from them.

“For sure they did amazing races when they won. The first year Lizzie was super brave and she did all the race alone, but also Elisa did a really long breakaway solo. I think they are a really good example that in this race, to be in the front is always better than being in the back. I think this is the best advice,” she said.

‘We are a team who takes responsibility’

Balsamo herself may not necessarily be the top favourite for Roubaix, but Lidl-Trek as a team will be, and as their successful streak in the Classics continues, they are increasingly being looked at as the team to challenge SD Worx-Protime.

“We are a team who takes responsibility when we have to,” Balsamo said of any extra pressure or expectations being put on their shoulders from within the peloton.

“We don't have to watch the others, we just make our tactic from the beginning to the end and try to work as a team like we did in the last races. This was really good for us. I think that being a team is our strength, so for sure we will try again.”

That means we can likely expect to see Trek take things up early in the day, to challenge their rivals, and particularly make sure there isn’t a repeat of last year, when the peloton never brought back the early break.

“I don't think that there's going to be a big breakaway in the beginning like last year, because then it was a mistake, so I don't think we're going to make the same mistake this year. They were really strong, but five minutes or something was too much,” Balsamo said. “But for sure it's going to be a really hard race, and I know that it's all about surviving.”

To survive the chaos and still be successful, teams will have to be able to adapt to an ever-changing race situation, and it’s clear that at Lidl-Trek, they have both the ability to plan and adapt, with the riders and directors alike proving very tactically astute so far this year.

Read more: Lidl-Trek women's team embrace latest tech trends for Paris-Roubaix

“In a race like this, we know that anything can happen, so we really need to be flexible. We will start with a plan, and we will try to follow the plan,” Balsamo said.

“Lucinda is a really good road captain because she is really able to adapt and tell us what we can do, so I think having her is a plus.

“This year we are really going to the races with a good plan, and also we don't want to waste too much. A lot of the time we want to do something, maybe before the other teams, and this is working well so I think we will keep doing this.”

For Balsamo and the team, the goal on Saturday is clear, and it involves seeing yet another Trek rider lift a cobblestone in Roubaix, but it doesn’t have to be Balsamo.

“A win for the team is a dream,” the Italian said. “It's an iconic race, so I think it's a dream for everyone to win this race. But every win of my teammates is also my win, so this is the dream.”

Whether she wins on Sunday or not, Balsamo will come away with two wins and two more second-place finishes this spring. Having made the most of better luck and good form, she worked hard to return after her difficult 2023.

“It has been really nice because last year it was a really difficult one for me. It was a really bad injury and then coming back is never easy, but the team always trusted me and for me this was the most important part, because if they trust me then I always try to give everything.

“For sure it was a really good spring for me,” she concluded. “I'm honestly really happy, but it's not finished yet.”