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Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
The Dutch squad Team SDWorx has topped the WorldTour classification with no fewer than 20 victories including 11 wins at WorldTour level.
Tegan Phillips of the Homestretch Foundation (a non-profit organisation working for equality for female professional athletes) is riding on her bike solo from Cairo to Cape Town in an attempt to set not only a woman’s record but also an overall record for the trip across Africa.
British rider Lizzie Holden, who has been riding for Le Col-Wahoo, will move up to the WorldTour with UAE Team ADQ next season.
Amber van der Hulst of Liv Racing Xstra has been diagnosed with a blockage of her femoral artery and will have to undergo surgery. She is hoping to be back in form after her surgery and we wish her all the best.
British Cycling’s Junior Academy has revealed its new riders. Track endurance: Awen Roberts, Isabel Sharp, Holly Ramsey, Ella Jamieson, Cat Ferguson, Carys Lloyd, Imogen Wolffe, Esther Wong. Track sprint: Anna Whitworth-Hay, Sarah Johnson, Georgette Rand. MTB Cross Country: Emily Carrick-Anderson, Libby Bell, Daisy Taylor, BMX racing: Ava Brown, Betsy Bax, Freia Challis, BMX Freestyle Park: Sasha Pardoe, Holly Pipe.
According to a study commissioned by the BBC, women’s sport has attracted an estimated 4 million more fans in the UK over the past year. While the report details different sporting disciplines, it also shows how individual sports are at different stages in fan development, depending how established they are. Cycling has a larger fan base of seven years or longer compared to other sports such as soccer, which only started to attract fans more recently.
Former rider Fabiana Luperini will join men’s Team Corratec as a Sports Director, and will become the first female sports director at an Italian men’s team. Luperini was multiple national road champion, won the Giro d’Italia Femminile a record five times, and the Grande Boucle Féminine three times consecutively.
The fastest sprinter currently in the peloton, Lorena Wiebes has a passion for cyclocross and was at the start of the Superprestigecross in Niel last Friday. Although her main goals remain in road cycling, she will leave her options open regarding cyclocross during the season.
Cyclocross rider Annemarie Worst will be out for a while, after a scan revealed she has inflammation in her knee following an injury at a cyclocross race in Namur. We wish her all the best for her recovery.
Swedish climber Hannah Nilsson of CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling had successful illiac artery endofibrosis surgery last week and is now recovering from the procedure.
The UCI and its partner Zwift have announced the format for the 2023 UCI Cycling Esport World Championships, which will take place on 18 February 2023. The event will consist of three short events that promise to make for exciting racing. Qualifying races were held over the weekend.
Results
Superprestige CX Niel: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado ahead of Denise Betsema and Inge van der Heijden (all NED)
UCI Track Champions League
Scratch: Katie Archibald (GBR) ahead of Tania Calvo Barbero (ESP) and Jennifer Valente (USA)
Elimination: Anita Stenberg (NOR) ahead of Jennifer Valente (USA) and Lily Williams (USA)
Keirin: Martha Bayona (COL) ahead of Kelsey Mitchel (CAN) and Lea Friedrich (GER)
Vox Performance Project
Vox Performance Project participant Amy Cuthbertson writes about how she managed to hit her target at Ironman Vouliagmeni and shares some tips that helped advance her progress. Check it out here!
Zwift Blog
Maud Oudeman of Canyon//SRAM Racing recounts what is was like to go from once watching the Simac Ladies Tour to actually participating at the race in her home country. Have a read of her experience right here!
This week in cycling history
Nicolle van den Broeck
Van den Broeck was born on 9 November 1946 and was one of the greatest Belgian female riders in history. She won the national road title five times and became world champion in Barcelona in 1973 at the age of 25. She was the last female Belgian winner of the elite road world championships. She was also a formidable track rider, becoming Belgian champion in the Pursuit several times. With not much sponsorship money available, and in order to make ends meet, she worked in a local milk shop and trained after work. Her success was also the motivation behind the launch of the first women’s cycling team in Belgium, a squad she rode with for some time. She passed away in 2017.
Marie Curie
Born on 7 November 1867, Marie Curie is well known for her work on radioactivity but she was also keen on cycling, something that at the time was a rare activity for women. But at the time, Curie was a trailblazer on many fronts. She became the first woman to be awarded a doctorate in France, and in 1903 the shared the Nobel Prize for Physics and also won a second Nobel Prize, for chemistry, in 1911. A remarkable woman in the field of science but also in her belief in the bicycle as a mode of transport and exercise for women.
Zwift Rides of the week
Tour of Makuri Islands
Six stages built for Zwifters who want to explore the best Makuri has to offer! From Neokyo’s neon, urban, non-stop action to the ancient land of Yumezi’s countryside, and the all-new coastal wilderness—it’s waiting for you. More info here.
Urukazi
New gravel roads. More fast fun. And a land that has stories to tell. Welcome to Urukazi, the coastal oasis of the Makuri Islands. Getting here from Yumezi and Neokyo is easy: just head south. But bring a sleeping bag, you’re going to want to explore. Find out more here.
From our online shop
Be Part of the Journey Mountain Hoodie – £45
Since the launch of Voxwomen, we have always used the message, “Be Part of the Journey.” Women’s cycling has been on a journey and the development of the sport continues. This mountain design links with this message and looks great on this relaxed hoodie. Wear before or after an event, and it will be sure to keep you warm. Get yours here!
