Cat Ferguson Paris-Roubaix crash caused by 'spectator stepping onto course'

Cat Ferguson suffered a heavy crash on debut at Paris-Roubaix, the British classics prospect saying her fall was caused by a spectator stepping onto the course as the race thundered across a cobbled sector.

The 18-year-old is in her first season in the WorldTour and was making her first appearance at the Hell of the North, the women's edition won by French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot this afternoon.

> Pauline Ferrand-Prévot fights back from crash to win Paris-Roubaix... and calls famous win "good training" for the Tour de France

However, Ferguson — who won the world junior TT and road race at last year's World Championships and finished in the top 20 of her debut at both Milan-San Remo and last weekend's Tour of Flanders, did not make it to Roubaix's iconic velodrome as a crash on the Tilloy – Sars-et-Rosières ended her chances of another promising debut result.

The incident was missed by the TV cameras, the live broadcast returning to the scene as Ferguson lay near the exit to the four-star sector, a police officer attending to her while another ushered passing riders to the other side of the road.

Movistar soon confirmed that Ferguson was back on her bike, however the results sheet states she did not complete the 148km route. In a later post, the team said their rider had been treated by their doctor and suffered "bumps and bruises" but fortunately "no serious injuries". "Good news after a tough day on the cobblestones," they added.

Ferguson then shared a post on Instagram suggesting the crash had not been a racing incident but caused by a roadside fan.

"No serious injuries thankfully," she wrote. "Just disappointed to end my race after a spectator stepped out onto the course into me."

The eventual winner of the race, Visma-Lease a Bike's Ferrand-Prévot also crashed, her fall coming around 15km after Ferguson's when a number of riders fell on entry to another cobbled sector.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins Paris-Roubaix (credit: TNT Sports)

Ferrand-Prévot was quickly back in the race and eventually distanced the rest of the favourites with around 20km to go, building up a one-minute advantage and soloing to an impressive victory.

Earlier in the week, while on a recon ride, Wout van Aert somehow avoided hitting the deck while riding the infamous Arenberg sector, the Belgian suffering a puncture and losing control of his bike while travelling at speeds close to 40km/h.

Wout van Aert almost crashes in the Forest of Arenberg during Paris-Roubaix recon ride, 2025 (credit: VTM)