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Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
Danish champion Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig has extended her contract with FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope until the end of 2024. Marie Le Net, Vittoria Guazzini and Jade Wiel have also extended with FDJ-SUEZ-Futuroscope until the end of 2025, while Victorie Guilman will stay with the French squad until 2024.
Dutch all-rounder Nina Buijsman, who is currently riding the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, will stay with Human Powered Health until the end of next year. Currently also at the Tour de Femmes avec Zwift, US Olympian Lily Williams has re-signed with Human Powered Health until the end of 2023.
Team BikeExchange has signed Junior Australian road and ITT champion Alyssa Polites and road and track rider Amber Pate until the end of 2024.
A new U.S licensed Continental professional women’s team, Cynisca Cycling, has been launched. The squad aims to bring more U.S. riders to Europe and the WorldTour. Initial funding for the team is provided by Solution Tree, a company that delivers professional development to K-12 educators around the world. The team is led by DS Marion Clignet, a six-time world champion, former world-record holder, and Olympic medallist.
A new UCI race will be launched next year, the Altitude Tour Féminin, which will take place from 2 to 5 June 2023 in France and, as the name suggests, will be a race for the climbers.
Team BikeExchange Jayco will continue until 2025, with their sponsor having committed to the next three years. The squad has big plans for the development and progress of their women’s team heading into next season.
With the goal of becoming the flagship team of Basque women’s cycling, LABORAL Kutxa aims to join the WorldTour squads from 2024. The squad will consist of Basque riders and several outstanding international athletes. The squad hoped to have a budget of more than 1.8 million Euros for their women’s program.
The family of Amy Pieters has donated her champion’s jersey to the Lucinda Brand Foundation to raise money for brain research. Amy is still recovering from a training accident that caused a brain injury, and her family is very committed to furthering the cause of research into brain damage.
Team SD Worx wore a jersey designed by Amy Pieters during the first stage of the Tour de Femmes avec Zwift. The team wanted to show that Amy, who is going through a long rehabilitation process due to her severe training accident, is still an important part of the team.
Results
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
Stage 1: Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma Women) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx).
Zwift Blog
Neve Bradbury of Canyon//SRAM reflects on her year of racing so far, in what’s been her second year as a professional rider. Check out her progress and what she’s learned along the way here!
Niamh Fisher-Black has sent us her mid year check-in from the mountains, reflecting on the classics and looking ahead to the racing that is still to come. Catch up with her here!
Podcast: Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift p/b Liv
During the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, keep up with all the latest from the race with our daily podcast episodes, featuring recaps of the stages, important race moments, tactical analysis, and insights from riders! Check it out here.
This week in cycling history
Millie Robinson
Born on the Isle of Man, Robinson was the winner of the first-ever Tour de France for women, the Grand Boucle Féminine, in 1955 ahead of British rider June Thackeray. Growing up in Peel and after some time in the Women’s Land Army during WWII, she moved to England and started competing in races at the age of 25. As an amateur and with not much prize money on offer, the Manx rider drove a van for a living but was also handy at shearing sheep. After a successful career, she retired in 1960, quietly disappearing from the public eye but leaving a wake of wins and records. In regards to the first women’s Tour de France, without financial and public support, it remained a one-off event, fading away until 1984.
Judith Arndt
The German rider’s birthday was on 23 July. She started her career mainly as a track cyclist and time triallist. Arndt participated in five Olympic Games, winning three medals in three different disciplines. She was World Champion four times and won a further twelve silver and bronze medals at World Championships on the road and the track. She was also German Champion twenty-one times in six different disciplines. She rode for the Australian squad GreenEdge Cycling, now known as BikeExchange Jayco, at the end of her career, and after retiring in 2012 as a pro cyclist, she moved to Melbourne, Australia. Following that, she went back to university to obtain a Bachelor’s degree and now owns a cycling coaching business offering training programs for road and track cyclists.
Zwift Rides of the week
Watch the Femmes Mission
It’s the final week to complete the Watch the Femmes Mission. Complete 8 events complete the mission. For every two events you complete in the mission, you’ll earn another chance to win an official Santini winner’s jersey from the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, signed by a champion. More info here!
Watch the Femmes Events
The inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is officially underway and it’s time to tackle a monument of your own. Eight events. Eight stages. Modeled after the races of the real-life Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Get involved here!
From our online shop
Voxwomen T-shirt – £20
Get yours this summer! Wear our new t-shirt to show your support for the sport. Everyone will know you’re an avid follower of women’s cycling when you wear this item to support Voxwomen! Get yours here!
