Voxwomen, the leading women’s cycling media hub, has today announced the shortlist of riders who are in the running to win the inaugural ‘Voxy’ Voxwomen Road Rider of the Year Award in partnership with the Rouleur Classic, the world’s finest road cycling exhibition.
The shortlist is made up of celebrated female road professional cyclists who have achieved standout performances throughout 2016.
The riders that have been shortlisted are:
Lizzie Deignan (Boels-Dolmans)
There was no rainbow jersey curse for Deignan. She flew out of the blocks, winning Strade Bianche, the Trofeo Binda and the Tour of Flanders in the first months of the season. Aviva Women’s Tour victory followed before missing out on a medal at the Olympic Games.
Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv)
Olympic road race gold was the eyecatching highlight of her season, but the flying Dutchwoman was also on top at the Flèche Wallonne and the European championship road race.
Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans)
The neuroscience student-turned-racing cyclist was ruthlessly consistent throughout the year, winning the Giro d’Italia and Tour of California, while rarely finishing out of the top ten in the spring Classics. It led to her emphatically claiming the inaugural women’s WorldTour.
Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM)
A crash at March’s Trofeo Binda cast the German veteran’s career into doubt, forcing her to have a kidney removed. Yet remarkably, she was back and racing within three months, winning the German national TT championship and later helping Canyon-SRAM to World Championship silver.
Chloe Hosking (Wiggle High5)
Hosking was arguably the best bunch sprinter this year. Her tally of seven wins included La Course by Le Tour de France, a Giro d’Italia stage and a stage and the overall at the Tour of Chongming Island.
Emma Johansson (Wiggle High5)
The Swede claimed two stages and the Euskal Emakumeen Bira. She also took the silver medal in the Olympics road race and was second and third at the Ronde and Strade Bianche respectively, denied both times by Lizzie Deignan.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5)
Longo Borghini ended the season strongly, showing characteristic attacking flair to claim Olympic road race bronze and victory on home soil at the Giro dell’Emilia.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Rabo-Liv)
The youngest rider on the shortlist at 22, Niewiadoma was hard to beat in the hills this season, winning the Festival Elsy Jacobs and Giro del Trentino back-to-back and pushing Deignan closest at Strade Bianche.
The winner will be awarded at the Rouleur Classic, which runs from November 3-5, 2016. Further details will be available shortly.
This is the first time Voxwomen has launched an award of any kind, and it is already being heralded as a highly sought after accolade.
Anthony McCrossan, Voxwomen Founder, said: “We have appointed a panel of experts made up of journalists, cycling broadcasters, industry and event promoters, all of whom support women’s cycling and help promote it. They are already voting to decide who will take the title for 2016 and pick up the first ever Voxy. Whoever it will be, will certainly be a worthy winner. And there’s no better place to announce the winner than at the Rouleur Classic – we’re delighted to be working with such a highly regarded media team. Watch this space.”
Bruce Sandell, Managing Director of Gruppo Media, added: “I am delighted to team up with Voxwomen for this award and am excited to be celebrating the very best in women’s racing at our show. We created the Rouleur Classic to champion the very best in road cycling – so it is only fitting that we launch this fantastic award there.”
The Voxwomen expert panel will be announced shortly.
For further information about Voxwomen, visit www.voxwomen.com
To find out more about the Rouleur Classic Show and to purchase tickets, visit www.rouleurclassic.cc
