In the infield of Roubaix's Vélodrome André-Petreault, a wry smile was initially on the face of British champion Pfeiffer Gheorghi, who was recovering from his struggles in Paris-Roubaix Fam.

Georgi finished fourth in the sprint, narrowly missing the podium.

But as her eyes focused on the large screens dotting the velodrome, and Soinier wiped the dust from a day on the cobblestones, her frown turned to joy when she saw the flash of third place, the final confirmed result: 3rd place: Pfeifer Georgi

Photo Looking at the finish, she was still ahead of Vos. In other words, Georgi was on the podium with winner Lotte Kopecky and runner-up Elisa Balsamo, and her dsm-firmenich PostNL teammates gathered to congratulate her.

"When I crossed the finish line, I didn't know if I was fourth or third, so I was hoping to get on the podium," Georgi recalled at the podium winners' press conference. [I was very emotional when I saw it on the screen. It really means a lot because getting on the podium was my main goal this year.

For Georgi, 2024 is yet to see a big win. Last season he won the Classique Bourges des Pannes, but after finishing third in Omloop van Het Hagelan, top 10 in Ronde van Drenthe, and fifth in Trofeo Alfredo Binda, podium finishes in the biggest and toughest races of the classic season, the dsm leader It remains a spring of progress for the dsm leader.

Georgy cut in at the front as Kopecký accelerated in the four-star sector of Canfin-en-Pevere, some 20 km from the line.

However, she soon found herself just behind the leading group of five, but she did not give up the chase and fought through Carrefour de l'Arbre alone, picking up the fallen Balsamo, and the two crossed the line with 12 km to go.

Such tenacity is not uncommon in a race like Paris-Roubaix. She launched a dash down the back straight, found a second wind as she rounded the final bend, and passed Vos to take the all-important third place.

"Going into this race, I think I believed I belonged in the top group. But I'm obviously happy that I was able to confirm and reassure myself that I was at that level."

"I think this result shows my potential this spring. I think this result is something that will carry me through the rest of this year and into next year when I want to step it up again."

Georgi said he felt the pressure as he entered the velodrome in a group with the legendary Vos, former world champion Balsamo, and Kopecký, the number one rider for 2024.

"It's a rare opportunity to come across a situation like Roubaix," said the rider who has two top-10 finishes, although not in the top group

"Everything has to go right all day, including luck and leg entry, so I didn't want to mess up. I didn't want to mess it up. I've raced on circuits many times before, so I was careful not to get boxed in.

"It was a difficult challenge to beat them in the sprint. You never know what can happen at the end of Roubaix, so I made a big jump at the end to get on the podium.

Georgi said that one of the factors that made this year's race different was that there was not one team that was completely dominant. Tactically, the race started and stopped a bit, then stopped and stopped. Still, at the finish we had a small group."

With 17 cobblestone sections on the 149-km route, there is no doubt that Paris-Roubaix is one of the toughest and most challenging races. In fact, the race has been so challenging in the past that Georgi initially doubted whether the race was for him. However, she has progressed year after year, culminating in this podium finish. And now she is enjoying the pavement, ready to return, and aiming for the cobbled trophy of victory.

"The first edition was crazy for me," Georgi said of her 2021 race debut (58th). 'I had a lot of crashes and bad luck.'

"Then I came back and had two solid top-10 finishes. Now I think my dream race is to win it, so I'm going to come back and keep fighting for it."

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