Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2022 was a day to remember. The dry conditions meant that the secteurs pavés threw up huge, suffocating clouds of dust, so severe that some riders said that they could barely see the direction of the road ahead.
Trek-Segafredo's Elisa Longo Borghini took an impressive solo win after attacking with 33km remaining of the race. A disappointed Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx took the sprint behind for second, as Longo Borghini's teammate Lucinda Brand rounded out the podium. It was a race which was rife with drama, attacks and crashes, firmly living up to Paris-Roubaix's nickname: The Hell of the North.
Related: Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2022 Debrief
Here are our favourite images from an iconic day for the women's peloton.
Credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet
The peloton speed through the opening town centre laps at the start of Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2022. They're only a few kilometres away from the first secteur pavé. Credit: Richard Abraham
Ellen Van Dijk leads the bunch through the first cobbled sector of the race, with Lonneke Uneken and Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx attentive on her wheel.Credit: Richard Abraham
Closer to the back of the bunch, the riders fight through dust clouds to stay in contact with the front of the race.
Related: "Crashes left, right and centre" – Tales of the Paris-Roubaix Femmes DebutantsCredit: Getty Images
The cobbles aren't kind to everyone. Two riders from Team UNO-X find themselves on the deck midway through the race.Credit: Getty Images
Elisa Longo Borghini puts in an impressive solo attack over the cobbles, the Italian would go on to win the race by over 20 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.Credit: Zac Williams/SWPix.com
In the post-race press conference, Longo Borghini explained that she knew her attack would take her to victory right from the beginning: "If you don't believe, you will never win."Credit: Zac Williams/SWPix.com
The Italian champion enters a packed velodrome, riding two victory laps with time to enjoy the moment.Credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet
"It's like going through the darkest hell and emerging in paradise." Longo-Borghini is elated to become the second ever Queen of Hell.Credit: Getty Images
Lotte Kopecky wins the sprint for second place, despite putting in some big turns to try and bring back Longo Borghini earlier in the race.Credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet
The Trek-Segafredo team celebrate the win together. Longo Borghini's teammates, Ellen van Dijk and Lucinda Brand, were crucial in her victory, disrupting the chase from the group behind.Credit: Richard Abraham
Emma Norsgaard of Movistar is exhausted after battling to the velodrome. The Danish rider had to chase back to the front of the bunch multiple times after punctures, but still finished inside the top 15.Credit: Zac Williams/SWPix.com
The effects of riding through hell: raw, blistered palms. Credit: Pauline Ballet
18-year-old Flora Perkins finished Paris-Roubaix for the first time and visited the iconic Roubaix showers post-race.Credit: Twila Muzzi
EF-Education Tibco SVB's Abi Smith battled all the way to the velodrome and needed stitches in her knee after the race.
Related: Women's Tour of Flanders 2022 GalleryCredit: ASO/Pauline Ballet
Elisa Longo Borghini lifts the cobblestone trophy, one of the most coveted prizes in cycling.