New Zealand’s Georgia Williams, Tour of Ardeche stage-winner Teniel Campbell and Jess Allen round out the five-strong squad; one head sport director Martin Vestby believes will gain plenty of experience from their French endeavours.
“It’s exciting for us to be racing the first ever women’s Roubaix,” Vestby said.
“It will be an interesting race; everybody is excited and motivated to see how the race will unfold and we will try to take as many positives out of this unique race as possible.
“I am sure everybody will learn a lot, and this will aid us for the next editions. It’s new for everybody, so there’s a lot of unknowns, but it will certainly be a memorable day for everyone.”
For Roy, the 116-kilometre course is a reward for her rapid recovery after being forced to withdraw from the Simac Tour in August due to a scaphoid injury.
The 35-year-old labelled the historic event a “new era” for women’s cycling, saying: “my hope is that it attracts a lot of global attention, a lot of new fans, and inspires more females to ride bikes and go pro.
“I would absolutely love to win this race some day but, being the first ever edition, we can’t really know what’s in store yet.
“Everybody knows anything can happen and no matter what, it’s going to be incredible.”
Watch the women's Paris-Roubaix Femmes on SBS VICELAND and SBS OnDemand from 10:30pm (AEST) this Saturday, October 2.
