Your News
Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
Mountain bike cross-country short track world champion Sina Frei rode her first race for Team SD Worx at the Tour of Scandinavia. The squad hopes she will be able to join them for more races as she combines road racing with her mountain bike career.
Team SD Worx has reported that after the concussion she sustained at the Tour de France Femmes, Marlen Reusser is feeling a little better, but is still easily fatigued, suffers from headaches when exerting herself, and can currently only train on the rollers in a darkened room.
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will postpone her retirement and join AG Insurance – NXTG. Read all about it here.
While the men’s Team Coop – Hitec Products is in danger of folding due to a lack of funding, team management has announced that the women’s squad is unaffected and will continue in 2023.
Welsh rider Zoe Bäckstedt has signed with EF Education TIBCO-SVB, stepping up from originally joining as a trainee. The current junior world champion in both road and cyclocross will race for the U.S. squad in both disciplines.
Mavi Garcia will join LIv Racing Xstra for the next two seasons. With the Spanish road and time trial champion the Dutch squad will add a strong GC rider to their team. Read more in our news piece.
Team DSM will strengthen their squad with three new riders: European and French junior champion Eglantine Rayer, double Italian junior champion Eleanora Ciaborro and Australian track rider and multiple national champion Maeve Plouffe, who all singed contracts for the next two years. Read all about it here.
Maaike Boogard has signed with AG Insurance-NXGT. The Dutch rider was previously with UAE Team ADQ and produced some good results this season.
Bike Exchange-Jayco has signed Norwegian rider Ingvild Gåskjenn. The young athlete has been riding with the Norwegian Hitec Products squad for the past six seasons and had some good results in the last two seasons in particular.
After three years, Brodie Chapman will be leaving FDJ – Suez Futuroscope, She has not announced a new team as of yet.
In an initiative by the popular Australian women’s cycling group Chicks Who Ride Bikes, and co-designed by cycling commentator and former world champion rider Katherine Bates, a new app has been launched with the goal of providing a hub for female cyclists to connect and stay active through bike riding. The app helps find others by location, level and/or discipline in Australia and internationally. It also contains mini workouts, training sessions, skills and techniques for riding your bike and maintaining it.
With some continental teams folding in Australia, there is a new women’s squad emerging to support young female riders’ development. Former rider turned commentator and coach Pat Shaw aims to fund the new team with sponsorship money but has also set up crowdfunding to make up the shortfall.
Among the riders who had to withdraw from the Tour of Scandinavia were Niamh Fisher-Black, who sustained a fracture at the end of her collarbone, and teammates Anna Shakley and Demi Vollering, who were involved in a heavy crash at the race and withdrew as a precaution. Brodie Chapman also had to leave the race due to injury. We wish all riders a speedy recovery.
Results
Tour of Scandinavia:
Stage 1: Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma Women) ahead of Megan Jastrab (Team DSM) and Shari Bossuyt (Canyon//SRAM Racing)
Stage 2: Marianne Vos ahead Emilia Fahlin (FDJ-Suez Futuroscope) and Barbara Guarischi (Team Movistar)
Stage 3: Marianne Vos ahead of Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez Futuroscope) and Shari Bossuyt.
Stage 4: Alexandra Manly (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) ahead of Chloe Hosking (Trek-Segafredo) and Laura Tomasi (UAE Team ADQ)
Stage 5: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig ahead of Liane Lippert (Team DSM) and Julie van de Velde (Plantur-Pura)
Stage 6: Marianne Vos ahead of Shari Bossuyt and Barbara Guarischi
General Classification: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig ahead of Liane Lippert and Alexandra Manly
La Périgord Ladies:
Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez Futuroscope) ahead of Simone Boilard (St Michel Auber 93) and Rachel Neylan (Cofidis)
European Championships Munich:
Team Pursuit: Germany ahead of Italy and France
Team Sprint: Germany ahead of the Netherlands and Poland
Scratch: Anita Stenberg (NOR) ahead of Jessica Roberts (GBR) and Nicola Wielowska (POL)
Time Trial: Emma Hinze (GER) ahead of Olena Starikova (UKR) and Miriam Vece (ITA)
Individual Pursuit: Mieke Kröger (GER) ahead of Lisa Brennauer (GER) and Vittoria Guazzini (ITA)
Elimination: Lotte Kopecky (BEL) ahead of Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) and Mylene de Zoete (NED)
Zwift Blog
Abi Smith of EF Education-TIBCO-SVB shares an A-Z of the things she loves most about cycling. Find out what they are here!
We check in with Megan Jastrab of Team DSM who recounts her experience of racing her first Grand Tour: from helping her teammates to learning about grupetto life and taking one day at a time. Read more here.
This Week in Cycling History
Paulette Porthault
Born on 10 August, Porthault passed away at the age of 105 and was truly a remarkable woman. Well into her later years, the French former rider still enjoyed riding her bike and was passionate about cyclo-tourism, riding all over Europe, at a time when it was very rare for women to embark on such endeavours. She won several climbing competitions and was a good friend of René Herse, the French builder of high-quality touring, randonneur and racing bicycles. She crested Mount Galibier at the age of 75 and when she was 90 she still completed 40 km rides. When asked how she managed to keep that fit at her age she replied: “I haven’t done anything special. I ate normal food, lived a normal life, but I rode my bike a huge amount.” And perhaps it was just that, the magic of riding a bike.
Kristin Armstrong
11 August was Kristin Armstrong’s birthday. The now 48-year-old former pro rider is the most decorated U.S. female rider. She is a winner of three Olympic gold medals in the time trial in 2008, 2012 and 2016, two-time World Champion and holder of six U.S. national titles. Armstrong is the oldest female rider to ever win an Olympic medal, when she won in Rio a day before her 43rd birthday. The Idaho native has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology and after her retirement six years ago, is now engaged in public speaking and serves as a Manager of Community Health in Boise in her home state. She currently also works as an endurance performance director with USA Cycling, assisting a new generation of athletes to achieve their potential in international competitions.
Zwift Rides of the Week
Off the MAAP Stage 4
Four stages. Four chances to blast off into a retro-inspired party. Take a victory lap as you dive straight into the final stage. Missed a stage? Make-up events are available August 18-22. Find out more here!
Rocacorba August Racing Series
As we get ready for the next Zwift Racing League, the Rocacorba Collective is organizing a series of 5 women only races, to build up your strength and stamina. Everyone is welcome, just choose your category and get going. Up this week, a points race on 4 laps of the Richmond Rollercoaster. 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!
