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Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
The route for the women’s ITT and road race at the Paris Olympics has been revealed. The course for the ITT will be the same as for the men and is flat and 32.4km long, while the road race takes the riders over 158km of undulating terrain.
Marta Bastianelli was farewelled at the final stage of the Giro Donne by the entire peloton. The 36-year-old Italian has now retired after a long and successful career.
After her crash at Ride London, Elisa Balsamo is now able to train on the road again and is focusing on returning to racing soon.
The UCI has made a statement on sweat sensors and confirmed that, as per the UCI Regulations, sweat rate sensors fall under the physiological sensor category and therefore are permitted for use during UCI sanctioned races.
UCI President David Lappartient has suggested to charge spectators for watching certain road cycling event in order to bring in more money for organisers and other stakeholders.
Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek was involved in a crash at the Giro Donne and was taken to the hospital, where she underwent an X-ray of her pelvis and right shoulder, which ruled out the presence of fractures. She also underwent a brain scan, as she hit her head during the crash, which came back negative. A neurological consultation ruled out further consequences, however she suffered contusions and abrasions to the right side of her body. As she was still in considerable pain the next day, it was decided for her to not continue the race. We wish her a speedy recovery.
Antonia Niedermaier who won stage 5 at the Giro Donne was involved in a crash on stage 6 and was forced to abandon the race. Although she has no fractures, she sustained some facial injuries and will now recover back home in Germany. Urska Zigart also had to abandon the race as she was involved in a crash. We wish both riders well in their recovery.
Lorena Wiebes decided not to start on stage 7 at the Giro Donne in order to rest up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, while teammate Elena Cecchini had to withdraw on stage 7 after feeling unwell.
Results
Giro Donne
Stage 4: Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) ahead of Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team)
Stage 5: Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM Racing) ahead of Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) and Niamh Fisher-Black (Team SD Worx)
Stage 6: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) ahead of Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team)
Stage 7: Annemiek van Vleuten ahead of Juliette Labous (Team DSM) and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek)
Stage 8: Blanka Vas (Team SD Worx) ahead of Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team)
Zwift Blog
Megan Jastrab of Team DSM shares some travel tips to make your airport experience more enjoyable in her latest blog.
New Podcast: “Just 3 Questions”
Want to submit your own question to be answered by our experts? Send a voice note to us at info@voxwomen.com!
In our second episode, three questions asked by you are answered by experts David from Supersapiens & Chris from Precision Fuel & Hydration. Topics include:
– Fuelling strategies for early morning training
– How to fuel for training vs. racing
– If there’s an upper limit for fuelling during exercise?
Listen on Spotify here!
Listen on Apple Podcasts here!
Listen on Amazon here!
This week in cycling history
Maria Canins
The Italian rider and cross-country skier was the first winner of the Giro d’Italia Femminile, currently branded as Giro Donne, which took place in 1988. She won ahead of Australian rider Elizabeth Hepple and Petra Rossner of the former East Germany.
Connie Paraskevin-Young
The American former sprinter turned 62 on 4 July. She’s a four-time world cycling champion and five-time Olympian (3-times in cycling and 2-times in speed skating) and a ten-time national sprint champion. She was the only American to win a cycling medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea and was ranked top 3 in the world for over 10 years. After her retirement in 1996, she became a motivational speaker and coach and founded the Connie Cycling Foundation in California. This organisation aims to bring children and families of all backgrounds and abilities together through cycling, providing opportunity for education, competition, and development.
Marie Curie
Born in Poland and later becoming a naturalised French citizen, Curie passed away on 4 July 1934. Best known for conducting pioneering research on radioactivity, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win it twice and the only person to win it in two different fields of science. What has she got to do with women’s cycling? Curie was an avid cyclist. She and her husband took many trips by bike throughout Europe. Her prized bicycle gave her the freedom to relax from her very dedicated work in her laboratory. She was not only on the forefront of scientific research but also showed that cycling in the late 19th and early 20th century was something that women could do. Nowadays there are many cycling charity events held all around the world in her name to honour this remarkable woman and raise awareness for charitable causes.
Performance Corner
Which race nutrition products are right for you?
Understanding how much carb you need per hour to sustain peak performance should be your #1 concern when putting together a fueling plan.
Once you’ve got a handle on that, the next logical question is “what’s the optimal way to get that amount of fuel on board?” After all, there are practical and logistical considerations – not to mention preferences around taste – to take into account.
In this video, we explore the main pros and cons of each of the 4 major fueling formats commonly used by athletes: drinks, gels, chews and bars.
Questions? Email hello@pfandh.com. Click here to get 15% off fuel and electrolytes – proud partners of Lotto Dstny and Team DSM.
Zwift Rides of the week
Voxwomen Zwift Rides
Join, ride, share, and be inspired! Join others and celebrate women’s cycling through a women’s cycling fan club on Zwift. Be part of the journey and complete rides that cater to our busy lives, and find motivation and enjoyment through riding!
The rides are open to everyone and there are two rides every other Thursday. The next one is on 29 June. The times of the ride are 7am and 7pm GMT (8am and 8pm CET) and are 40min in duration with special guests leading the rides! The pace will be set to open, but “rubberbanding” will be turned on which keeps everyone together regardless of how hard they are pedaling – so it is a no-drop ride as long as you keep pedaling. On the ride days, one ride will be a standard group ride, while the second ride will be Zwift’s Aerobic Conditioning Workout. Find inspiration from each other and have fun challenging yourself! We hope you join us in the virtual world of cycling!
Take advantage of the club chat and be a part of the women’s cycling community also – there will be some giveaways from time to time, so be on the lookout!
From our Online Store
Women’s hoodie
This organic hoodie features the Voxwomen Club logo with the words “Join, ride, share and be inspired.” Show your support for women’s cycling and support Voxwomen, with this stylish cotton hoodie. Buy yours here!
Men’s hoodie
This certified organic cotton pullover hoodie features the Voxwomen Club logo! Show your support for women’s cycling and support Voxwomen at the same time, with this stylish hoodie. Get yours here!
