Your news
Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
Mireia Benito of AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step crashed at the beginning of stage 1 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Scans and examinations showed a concussion but no other serious injuries. Megan Jastrab of Team DSM-firmenich crashed as well but battled on. The US rider had swapped the track world championships for the Tour in order to prepare for her first Road Worlds in August. Eva van Agt of Team Jumbo was part of the leading group, when she crashed hard on the wet final descent and had to be taken to hospital. She suffered a concussion, bruised lung and needed some stitches. Ahead of stage 5 Lorena Wiebes of Team SD Worx-Protime had to withdraw from the race after falling ill. Veronica Ewers of EF Education-TIBCO-SVB had to abandon due to a broken collarbone sustained during a crash on stage 6. Elisa Longo Borghini was also forced to withdraw after stage 6 as she had a painful skin infection which required hospital treatment. Elisa Balsamo, who had just returned to racing after suffering a crash at RideLondon Classique, had to leave the race after stage 6 due to fatigue. We wish all these riders a speedy recovery.
Lotta Henttala of AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step was disqualified after stage 6 of the Tour de Femmes avec Zwift. According to the jury, the Finnish rider held onto her team car during stage 6. Director sportif Servais Knaven, who was driving the team vehicle at the time, has also been excluded from the race.
Team SD Worx-Protime manager Danny Stam drafted Demi Vollering back to the peloton on stage 5. As a result, he was excluded from the remainder of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift by the jury and has been fined 500 Swiss francs. Vollering received a time penalty by the UCI for streaming behind her team car.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio plans to start a new team in 2025 to support African women in making the difficult step into the European peloton. The South African rider, currently with AG Insurance – Soudal – QuickStep, already oversees an E-Sports team through the Rocacorba Collective but hopes that her goal of establishing a new team will be realised in a couple of years.
The UCI and its World Cycling Centre have announced that they are providing support for a Refugee Cycling Team to compete in the UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3 to 13 August. The team consists of five road athletes (three women and two men) and a male mountain bike athlete. All riders are living in European host countries but are originally from Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.
Results
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
Stage 2: Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) ahead of Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)
Stage 3: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) ahead of Marianne Vox (Jumbo-Visma) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Stage 4: Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) ahead of Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Anouska Koster (Uno-X Pro Cycling)
Stage 5: Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//SRAM Racing) ahead of Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx-Protime) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team)
Stage 6: Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) ahead of Charlotte Kool (Team DSM-firmenich) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime)
Stage 7: Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) ahead of Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team)
Zwift Blog
Franziska Koch of Team DSM-firmenich reflects on the spectacle and significance of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in her latest exclusive blog. Read all about it here!
Podcast: Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Daily p/b Liv
Look back on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with our daily podcasts directly from the road as the fireworks flew during this groundbreaking race.
All episodes can be found here!
This week in cycling history
Julia Shaw
Born on 28 July 1965 in England, Shaw was a time trial star, winning 30 national time trial championship titles over a hugely successful career. She was a late comer to the sport, first starting triathlon and then switching to track when she was in her later twenties. She retired in 2016 due to her asthma but kept involved in the sport through coaching. Shaw has a degree in physics and also worked as a research scientist specialising in fibre optics.
Connie Carpenter-Phinney
On 30 July 1984, twelve years after her first Olympic appearance, Connie Carpenter-Phinney became the first female cyclist to win a gold medal in the Olympic women’s cycling debut event in Los Angeles. After having to give up her speed skating career due to an ankle injury, she took up cycling and won 12 national titles in her career.
Performance Corner
How to train your gut (to consume more carb)
The carb per hour recommendations for athletes are often significantly higher than many are used to taking in. Use our Fuel & Hydration Planner to get advice on how much you might need for your next big ride and, if it’s more than you’re used to, read our guide on training your gut. Learn more here!
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 10 August. 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!
