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Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
The two-time Slovenian ITT Champion Urška Žigart, who joined BikeExchange-Jayco in 2021, has extended with the Australian team through 2024.
The City of Paris will be involved in professional cycling next year by becoming the main partner of the squad led by Jérôme Pineau, current manager of the B&B Hotels team. The organisation will also establish a women’s squad next season.
A string of crashes unfortunately occurred during the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Among them Cofidis rider Alana Castrique who suffered a heavy fall on stage one and had to be transported back to a Belgian hospital by ambulance. On stage 2, one of the favourites Marta Cavalli of FDJ Futuroscooe – Suez then left the race. Laura Süßmilch from Plantur-Pura Cycling Team broke two vertebrae but her fractures are stable. Amanda Spratt was not able to start stage 3 due to pain and lack of movement sustained in a crash. Charlotte Kool had to abandon on stage 4 due to feeling unwell and suffering from fatigue. Emma Norsgaard succumbed to an injury on stage 5. The Danish rider hit her head, neck and left shoulder in a pile-up and was taken to a hospital in Épinal but no fractures were detected. Marjolein Van ‘t Geloof of Le Col-Wahoo was unable to start stage 6 as she suffered broken ribs on the previous days. Following a crash on stage 5, CERATIZIT WNT Pro Cycling’s Marta Lach had to abandon the race and return home to recover. Stage 4 winner Marlen Reusser could not start on stage 7 as examinations revealed she had suffered a concussion after a recent crash. Lorena Wiebes, who suffered a crash on stage 6, did start the following day but had to abandon due to effects from her injuries of the previous day. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who rode a strong Tour, was unable to start the final stage, suffering from an infection. We wish the riders all the very best in their recovery!
Barbara Malcotti of Human Powered Health was disqualified from the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for receiving mechanical assistance from the team car after having pulled over to the side of the road from the front of the bunch. The UCI rules state that a rider may only receive assistance from the rear of the bunch and she must be stationary.
According to France TV statistics, 3 million domestic viewers watched Sunday’s opening stage of Le Tour de Femmes avec Zwift.
Interest in an international depart for the Tour de France Femmes is growing, with the mayor of Valkenburg expressing his interest in hosting the start of the 2024 edition.
Team AG-Insurance NXTG announced their new elite team for 2023. The squad aims to be part of the WorldTour in the very near future. Team management is also interested in signing Lotte Kopecky, winner of Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders this year, as the squad aims to attract more experienced riders.
The organizers of the Tour de Normandie announced a women’s Tour de Normandie to replace the men’s race in 2023. The new event will take place over three days, from March 17 to 19 and will host up to seven WorldTour teams.
Fiona Kolbinger, previous winner of the Transcontinental Race and currently racing in the 2022 Transcontinental Race (from Belgium through to Bulgaria) has had her tracker stolen from a hotel in the Czech Republic, a necessary tool to demonstrate her journey to Organisers post race. Efforts are underway to replace her tracker as soon as possible.
Ashleigh Poolman Pasio, who announced her retirement earlier in the year, has decided to keep cycling for another season. She feels that the Tour de France Femmes has created such a momentum in the sport for women, which she has been a part for so long that she prefers to stay around for another year.
In a gesture to the winner of the first women’s tour in 1955, a stand at the finish of this year’s Tour de Femmes has been named after the Manx rider Millie Robinson.
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).
Stage 2: Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) ahead of Silvia Persico (Valcar – Travel & Service) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
Stage 3: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ – SUEZ – Futuroscope) ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (Team SD Worx)
Stage 4: Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) ahead of Evita Muzic (FDJ – SUEZ – Futuroscope) and Alena Amialiusik (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
Stage 5: Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) ahead of Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma)
Stage 6: Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) ahead of Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)
Stage 7: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) ahead of Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ – SUEZ – Futuroscope).
Stage 8: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) ahead of Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) and Silvia Persico (Valcar Travel & Service)
GC: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) ahead of Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
Zwift Blog
Catch up with Neve Bradbury who is now in her second year as a pro rider. Read about her experience and what she has learned in that time in what she describes as her dream job. More 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
If you missed any of our podcasts with the recaps of the stages, important race moments, tactical analysis, and insights from riders, you can still check out all of our episodes here.
This week in cycling history
Julia Shaw
The British rider celebrated her 57th birthday on 28 July. She specialised in time trials, winning several national titles and a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games time trial event in 2010. She didn’t pick up the sport until her late twenties when she got hooked on cycling. Shaw was awarded the Beryl Burton Trophy, which is presented to the CTT’s female Champion of Champions, eight times. Shaw also holds a degree in physics and currently works as a research scientist.
Connie Carpenter-Phinney
On 30 July 1984, 12 years after her first Olympic appearance, Connie Carpenter-Phinney became the first women cyclist to win a gold medal at the Olympic women’s cycling debut event in Los Angeles. After having to give up a speed skating career due to an ankle injury, she took up cycling and won 12 national titles.
Zwift rides of the week
Off the MAAP Stage 1
A can’t-miss exploration of Zwift, Off the MAAP is a four-stage tour that weaves you through our immersive worlds. Stage 1 starts off relatively mellow with routes designed for athletes at every level. Consider it a temperature check that gets you primed and ready for the rest of the series. More info here!
Women’s Zwift Classics – Yorkshire Grand Prix
These fun, action packed races provide the perfect level up for your training and a great way to fit racing into your daily schedule. Open to all levels and abilities, Zwift Classics consists of 7-weeks of racing on some of Zwift’s best racing routes across seven iconic worlds. More info 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!
