Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2023: 'A lot of times dreams stay dreams… it’s unreal' – Shock winner Alison Jackson

“When we did the pre-ride and we rode around this velodrome, I dreamed of winning. But a lot of times those dreams stay dreams. It’s unreal to make it happen in real life.” Alison Jackson (EF Education–Tibco–SVB) let the emotion flow as she basked in a stunning victory at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, where she helped stave off a group of pre-race favourites to deliver a career-defining win.

Ad Jackson, part of an 18-strong breakaway that was eventually whittled down to seven, was instrumental in keeping the chase group at bay in a thrilling finale – dropping a series of attacks and marshalling her rivals to ensure the lead never dropped below 10 seconds. Paris — Roubaix'You never stop learning' — Paris-Roubaix recon with Rowe and Ineos GrenadiersAN HOUR AGO So often the chief animator in the break fades in a sprint showdown, but Jackson mustered up one final burst to take a brilliant win in the Roubaix Velodrome ahead of Katia Ragusa (Liv Racing TeqFind) and Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Deceuninck). “I wanted to be part of the action," said Jackson.

«I wanted to be ahead of the race, I didn’t want to wait. Our team for this spring has just been waiting and it hasn’t been working. “In that final the group was coming back to us and there was only four of us seven that actually wanted to ride.

Either you don’t ride and you lose the race or you ride hard and you maybe have a chance. “It’s a dream come true. To cross the finish line first of any bike race is a special type of fun.