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Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
Coryn Labecki of EF Oatly Cannondale has decided to retire. The U.S. rider’s career includes 74 national titles in road, track, mountain bike, and cyclocross as well as victories at the Tour of Flanders, RideLondon Classique, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and stage wins at the Giro d’Italia, the Women’s Tour, the Thüringen Ladies Tour, and the Lotto Belgium Tour.
Rosita Reijnhout and Maud Oudeman will remain part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women for the next few years. Both 20-year-old riders have extended their contracts with the Dutch team until 2027 and 2026, respectively. This year, Reijnhout won the Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race in Australia, her first World Tour victory.
Josie Talbot will joim Liv AlUla Jayco for the next two years. The Australian rider has been riding for Cofidis for the past two years and this year won a stage at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées and La Périgord Ladies.
Newly crowned Olympic MTB and multiple World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is refocusing on road races, hoping to win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift next season. She will be announcing her new team the second week of August. Unfortunately, Ferrand-Prévot’s French teammate, Loana Lecomte, was involved in a crash at the ITT at the Olympics in a descent that left her unconscious, and was carried out on a stretcher. She is on the path to recovery with some injuries to her arm and chin, and cuts to her cheek.
Puck Pieterse. who had to be content with fourth place at the recent MTB race at the Olympics following a flat tire, will be competing at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift from 12 to 18 August. It will be the Dutch MTB and cyclocross rider’s first Grand Tour.
Chloe Dygert suffered a hematoma on her right leg after a heavy crash in the Olympic Games ITT. The U.S. rider, however, was determined to be at the start of the road race last weekend, and will also be competing in the team pursuit.
Uno-X Mobility’s Danish rider Solbjørk Minke Anderson was hit by a car on the Paris Olympics road race course while undertaking a recon. She suffered a broken collarbone and was unfortunately no longer able to compete in the race last weekend.
Charlotte Kool of DSM Firmenich-PostNL has had a challenging season and is struggling with fitness ahead of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Dutch rider is unsure of the reason behind her lack of form. “My racing and training values have improved but I haven’t felt my best all year. I just don’t know what’s going on. It’s complicated”, she explains.
French cyclocross and junior road rider Celia Gery will join FDJ-SUEZ team until 2026. The young rider has already achieved World and European titles in cyclocross, along with successes on the road. She will continue with cyclocross while representing the French WWT team on the road.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio of AG Insurance-Soudal hasn’t raced since her early June crash at the Volta a Catalunya Femenina, where she broke her T10 vertebrae, but has recovered to be at the start of the Olympic Games road last Sunday.
Human Powered Health Cycling will sport a changeout jersey and bike for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. This collaboration with an acclaimed fashion house is a first for this year’s edition of the race.
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift participant Lucinda Brand of Lidl-Trek has launched “Fietsfanatics,” which aims to inspire children and adults alike to enjoy cycling. The 34-year-old multiple World Champion from Lidl-Trek worked in healthcare as a movement therapist and saw first-hand in her immediate environment that cars are increasingly replacing bicycles or walking, and hopes to change this one step at a time.
A team of 25 female cyclists will take on an iconic challenge by riding all stages of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift route, just one day ahead of the professionals, with the aim of raising funds for Cure Leukaemia, the official UK charity partner of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. If you think you’ve got what it takes to ride this challenge, here are some more details.
The countdown has begun for the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, marking an exciting chapter in the world of cycling esports. This edition will see competitors battle it out in their homes ahead of a live final in Abu Dhabi. Riders can choose between three open qualifiers, with the top riders from each qualifier and gender category offered a place in the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships Semi-Final. More information can be found here.
After much controversy, SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs will go ahead this year with some changes to the race on 18 August. Residents of last year’s edition had complained about disruption to the agricultural community and disrespect from riders and visitors during the event. Further details can be found here.
Results
Olympic Games Road Race: Kristen Faulkner (United States) ahead of Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) and Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Kreiz Breizh Elites Féminin: Anouska Koster (Uno X Mobility) ahead of Alice Wood (Human Powered Health) and Marta Jaskulska (CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling)
Voxwomen Survey!
Help shape our new membership community! Take a few minutes to complete this short survey. Your input will assist us in creating a membership community that truly meets your needs and interests. You can complete the survey here. Thank you for your continued support!
Voxwomen Club!
Calling all cycling enthusiasts. The Voxwomen Cycling Club is hosting a series of exciting rides on Zwift with our ambassadors and we’re inviting YOU to join. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or just starting out, let’s pedal together, have fun and stay fit! More information can be found here.
The Women’s Cycling Podcast p/b Liv
Powered by Liv, our latest podcast episode now available on your favourite podcast platforms! In an epic new episode, host Rebecca Charlton dives into the gravel scene with Geerike Schreurs and Felt UN12D rider Danni Shrosbree. Rebecca also chats with Letizia Paternoster and gets insights into tech and developments in gravel from Jen Audia of Liv and a TDFF update from Liv AlUla Jayco DS Shawn Clarke. Catch it here on Apple Music or here on Spotify!
Zwift Blog
Why are women’s races shorter than men’s? In her latest exclusive blog, Lizzie Stannard examines historical conventions, physiological insights, and current regulations to delve into the reasons behind this disparity and what can be done to bridge the gap. This compelling read can be found here.
This week in cycling history
Leontien van Moorsel
Van Moorsel was the first rider (male or female) to win the ITT and road race at the same Olympic Games. The now 54-year-old Dutch rider won both races at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Yvonne Reynders
Born on 4 August 1937 in Schaarbeek, Belgium, Reynders’ career in cycling is marked by extraordinary accomplishments. She loved speed from a young age and initially wanted to become a runner, but coaches convinced her to take up discus throwing instead, as they felt she wasn’t fast enough for running. However, Reynders then found her true calling in cycling, becoming a remarkable figure in both the road and track disciplines.
The now 87-year-old Belgian won multiple world titles, securing her place as one of the top athletes of her era and becoming the first Belgian woman to win a Road World Championship title. She claimed the World Road Race Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1963, and 1966), demonstrating her consistency and dominance on the international stage. Additionally, she excelled in track cycling, winning several World Championship titles in the individual pursuit.
Reynders utilised some unique training regimes when transitioning into the world of competitive cycling, which included, for example, undertaking a rigorous routine of delivering coal to customers around Antwerp on a specially-made transport bike.
After retiring from professional cycling, Reynders became a pedicure specialist. In honour of her remarkable career and contributions to the sport, a UCI race, the GP Yvonne Reynders, is organised annually on 15 August.
Janelle Parks
U.S rider Janelle Parks’ birthday was on 1 August. Parks began competing in local races at a young age and quickly caught the attention of coaches and scouts before she then went on to compete on the road and track at national and international events. Besides winning a national road title, the now 61-year-old won the silver medal at the World Championships in 1986. After her retirement from active competition, she settled in Western Australia and worked as a cycling coach.
WorldTour highlight videos
Catch up on all the action from the latest WorldTour races, like the Giro d’Italia Women, right here.
