Your news
Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
The GP Oetingen, which was originally scheduled for 8 March, has been moved to 19 August 2023. The race was called off at the last minute after overnight snowfall but race organisers have received permission to host the event in August with the intention of keeping the same course that had been planned for March.
Julie de Wilde of Fenix-Deceuninck suffered a fracture of her right scapula at Brugge-De Panne. Letizia Paternoster was also involved in a crash and suffered a mild concussion. Hannah Barnes sustained a fractured radius at the same race. We wish them all a speedy recovery.
The Tour de Suisse has announced the teams that will be participating in this year’s edition of the race, from 17 to 20 June.
The Ford Ride London Classic routes have been revealed, focusing on Essex for the first two stages and finishing in central London with a circuit race taking in some of the sights of the capital.
Zaaf Cycling Team has reportedly not paid some of their riders and are being investigated by the Spanish Cycling Federation. Should the issue remain unresolved, the Federation will use the team’s UCI bank guarantee to pay riders and staff on 31 March.
As of last Sunday, the Women’s Tour has reached approximately £15,000 of the £100,000 goal of its crowdfunding campaign. More funds are still needed to cover the cost of running the event.
The semi-annual Bicycle Leadership Conference, which took place in Southern California, centred around the post-pandemic fall in demand for bikes combined with oversupply. While some brands are struggling, others are surprisingly thriving in the current climate. Giant Chairwoman Bonnie Tu also made an inspiring speech on the subject of fully committing to inclusivity in the industry.
A study has pooled data from 41 studies, involving 2,265 people with depression, which showed that exercise such as cycling, walking and running substantially reduces symptoms. The findings show you don’t have to run marathons or train strenuously to gain benefits. “Something is better than nothing,” as one of the exercise scientists from Germany commented. The study’s authors hope the finding will spur a move to make exercise a standard therapy for those with mental problems.
Federal lawmakers in the USA have reintroduced a bill that would give tax breaks on the purchase of new electric bikes. The Electric Bike Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act would cover 30 per cent of the cost of an electric bike, up to US $1,500. Cycling UK has urged the UK government to follow the USA’s lead, stating that subsidies are a cost-effective to get people out and riding their bikes.
We really value you as part of the Voxwomen community, enjoying our newsletters, Monday Briefing and other content! We’d love to have your thoughts on what we do, so if you have a few moments, please take some time to answer our survey here.
Results
Gent – Wevelgem: Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) ahead of Megan Jastrab (Team DSM) and Maike van der Duin (Canyon//SRAM)
Brugge – De Panne: Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM) ahead of Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx)
Zwift Blog
Our new Blogger Franziska Koch has penned her first exclusive piece for Voxwomen. Get to know more about the Team DSM rider right here.
Vox Performance Project
Just like you have to put in the work during training, you equally have to show the same effort and consistency in nutrition and hydration. This realisation was a steep learning curve for Jade, who reflects on her journey about learning to train the gut, in order to perform to the best of her ability in her latest blog.
This week in cycling history
Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel
One of the greatest cyclists of all time celebrated her 53nd birthday on 22 March. The former Dutch rider is a two-time world road and time trial champion. At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, she had the most successful Olympics ever by a female cyclist, winning the individual pursuit in world record time, the road race and the individual time trial, and also added to that a silver medal on the track. She held the Hour Record from 2003 until 2015. However, all was not smooth sailing. For eight years during the 1990s, she battled anorexia but was eventually was able to overcome the illness. After retiring from the sport, she started to run Leontien huis, a place where survivors of anorexia and sufferers of the illness can come together to learn from and support each other.
Rebecca Twigg
Born on 26 March 1963, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Twigg is a six-time world champion in the 3000m individual pursuit. She began racing while still in her teens, earning her first national championship at 18 and her first world title a year later. This gifted athlete is also the holder of 16 US championships and two Olympic medals. Twigg is one of the most successful riders in the history of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Graduating with a computer science degree, she later worked as a programmer but found the transition from professional sport to another career rather challenging, suffering from mental illness that left her at times homeless and without the necessary support needed. She refused to accept governmental help, saying that there are others worse off then she is, but urged governments to build more affordable housing for those in need.
Performance Corner
Should you use caffeine as part of your fueling strategy?
Caffeine is a strong performance enhancer for the vast majority of athletes if used intelligently.
How much you take (and when you take it) will be influenced by body size, genetics, personal preference, race duration, previous experiences, tolerance, and sensitivity. Find out more here.
Questions? Email hello@pfandh.com. Click here to get 15% off fuel and electrolytes.
Zwift Rides of the week
The Voxwomen Club
Get ready for the next ride on 28th March! 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 at 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. The first ride is this Tuesday, so be sure to join us here!
