Your news
Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
The Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour (1 to 7 May) will start in Torrevieja and conclude in Lagos de Covadonga. The race will cover a total of 730.5km over seven stages, and includes a team time trial, two mountain stages, a mid-mountain stage and three flat stages. More information can be found here. La Vuelta Femenina has also published the teams that will be participating in this year’s edition. 12 WorldTour squads and 12 continental teams will be lining up at the start.
The start and finish venues for the 2023 Ford RideLondon Classique have been announced. The three-day stage race, which is part of the UCI Women’s World Tour, will take place from Friday 26 May to Sunday 28 May and will once again have two stages in Essex, before the final stage in central London. All three days will be broadcast by the BBC in the UK.
Ellen Van Loy ended her cyclo-cross career last week in Oostmalle. The 42-year-old Dutch rider started riding competitively at the age of 28 and won several large races such as Gavere and Diegem, all the while working in a care centre for those with mental disabilities. We wish her well in her future endeavours!
The IOC has announced the Olympics Esports Series 2023, with the winners to be crowned at the finals in Singapore from 22 to 25 June. The athletes, including cyclists, will compete in front of fans for the title of Olympic Esports Series champion. The finals will be streamed globally across Olympics.com and Olympic social platforms.
The Superprestige Gavere used drones for a short time until the UCI banned them during the race. However, from 1 March, drones will be allowed, within certain limits. The UCI is currently in dialogue with race organisers regarding their obligation when capturing images from the air in an attempt to improve rider safety. The concern arose after drones were used at a men’s race last week that potentially interfered with riders’ safety.
Emma Norsgaard has sustained multiple right side collarbone fractures at Strade Bianche and will be out for some time. We wish her a speedy recovery.
Nicole Steigenga of AG Insurance Soudal Quickstep will be out for a while with concussion, which she sustained in a crash near the end of Le Samyn des Dames. We wish her well in her recovery.
Marta Cavalli had to withdraw from Strade BIanche due to injuries she had sustained at last year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Italian rider has not fully recovered from the accident and will now take some time off from racing until she is able to race at her usual level. We wish her all the best for a speedy recovery.
The municipality of Oud-Heverlee in Flanders will host the first historic edition of the Gravel European Championships that will take place on Sunday 1 October 2023. The program and all details about the event will be revealed in the next few days.
Overlapping race dates often make it difficult for teams to cover several races at the same time. Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling has announced that due to logistical reasons the squad will not be able to attend La Vuelta Femenina as this event clashes with the CERATIZIT Festival Elsy Jacobs, a race that is of special importance to the team.
Ribble cycles has launched a multi-discipline, multi-gender new project, known as the Ribble Collective, with the aim of providing support and backing to a group of various British privateer riders across all cycling disciplines. With the support of the brand, the aim of the new project is for Ribble Collective riders to be able to set out and achieve their own cycling goals across a diverse range of events. Planned races include UK based races, as well as Unbound in the USA and the Rift gravel race in Iceland.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which initially made an Adverse Analytical Finding for Capromorelin regarding Czech cross-country skier and cyclist Katerina Nash, has determined that she bears no fault or negligence. As a result, no sanction has been imposed by USADA. The prohibited substance entered Nash’s body when liquid pet medication came into inadvertent skin contact on her hands while she was administering the medication to her dog, who was nearing the end of its life. The 45 year-old Nash who has been in the sport for three decades is also the president of the athletes’ commission for the UCI.
Cycling is now the “single largest vehicular mode counted during peak times on the City of London streets,” as stated by a report to the transport committee of the City of London Corporation. At peak times, cyclists represent 40% of road traffic in the city and 27% throughout the day. Walking is still the most popular mode of transport, but cyclist numbers are at 102% of pre-pandemic levels.
Results
Le Samyn des Dames: Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) ahead of Maria Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) and Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-SUEZ)
Strade Bianche: Demi Vollering (SD Worx) ahead of Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) and Kirsten Faulkner (Jayco-Alulua)
Vox Performance Project
“A key message of the Project is becoming a better version of yourself, and that resonated with me. Cycling is my hobby, my passion but it’s also a key aspect of my physical and mental well-being.” Have a read of Christine O’Connell’s amazing story in her blog.
Check out Jemma McConville-Roe’s first blog. After a tough two years, she talks about how the project is helping her get back to her best and achieve her sporting goals. Read all about it here.
Zwift Blog
Our new blogger Amanda Spratt has written her first blog about racing during the Australian summer of cycling with her new team Trek-Segafredo. Have a read here!
This week in cycling history
Elsy Jacobs
Jacobs was born on 4 March 1933 and passed away on 27 February 1998. She was a Luxembourgish road cyclist who became the first ever women’s World Road Race Champion, winning the inaugural race on 30 August 1958 in Reims. In the same year she broke the women’s hour record in the Vigorelli velodrome in Milan, a record that stood for 14 years. Jacobs also held the national championship title 15 times. In 2008, the Grand Prix Elsy, which leads around her hometown of Garnich, was established on the UCI race calendar in honour of this highly-accomplished rider.
Performance Corner
Are carbs more important than protein for athletes’ recovery?
Mention recovery and the first macronutrient that usually springs to mind is protein. But if your training is primarily endurance-based, consuming enough fuel during and after exercise to top up your glycogen tanks should not be overlooked. Learn more here!
Questions? Email hello@pfandh.com. Click here to get 15% off fuel and electrolytes.
Zwift Rides of the week
The Voxwomen Club
Celebrate women’s cycling through our new club on Zwift! Here, you can be part of the journey and complete rides that cater to the busy lives we live and find motivation and enjoyment through riding. The rides will be held every other Tuesday @ 7am/11am/1pm PST (3pm/7pm/9pm GMT). Rides are approximately 40 minutes and feature special guests to lead the events.
It’s also open pace and no drop, thanks to the Zwift bubble feature, which keeps everyone together so you can ride at your own pace without being dropped from the group. Be sure to join us here!
