Pfeiffer Georgi’s first experience of Paris-Roubaix wasn’t a positive one. “I thought it was the most painful race I’d ever done,” she says. It was 2021, the first ever women’s edition, and it was a washout. “I crashed two or three times – like everyone in the peloton – and I remember saying afterwards that I was never coming back. I really hated it.”

She doesn’t anymore. This weekend, the Picnic PostNL rider will be taking on the Hell of the North for a fifth successive time, a year on from finishing third. That toxic relationship is now a beautiful one. “We did the recon yesterday [Thursday] and just being here again brought all those nice feelings back,” she tells Rouleur on the eve of the race. “Since my first year I’ve had really good memories here and I’ve learned that the race really suits me and the power I have. It’s my favourite race.”

This article was published by Rouleur in April 2025. You can read the full article by clicking here.