Your news
Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling
Clara Kloppenburg will be rejoining Team Cofidis after a one-year hiatus, having raced for EF-Oatley-Cannondale this season. She had previously been with Team Cofidis for two seasons. Victorie Guilman has also signed a two-year contract with the team, after having spent the past season with St Michel-Mavic-Auber93.
Italian rider Barabara Guarischi has extended her contract with Team SD Worx – Protime for another two years. She joined the Dutch team in 2023 and has played an important role in its sprint train, as well as in the classics.
Polish all-rounder Marta Lach has signed a three-year contract with Team SD Worx-Protime. At 27, Lach is currently situated in the top 40 of the UCI rankings and secured a 10th place finish in the road race at the Paris Olympics. Team Sports Manager Danny Stam commented on the new signing: “We are excited to integrate her into our classics team. Lach has already demonstrated her potential with a strong sixth-place finish at Paris-Roubaix in 2023. Her addition will be a valuable reinforcement for us in the Flemish classics.”
Martina Fidanza, who won two stages in this year’s Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour, will be moving to Team Visma | Lease a Bike. She commented on the transfer: “This is a dream come true. I am super proud to be part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike next season because I consider it one of the best teams in the world.”
Eglantine Rayer has signed a two-season contract with FDJ-SUEZ. The promising rider recently clinched a stage victory at the 2024 Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and played a crucial role in Juliette Labous’s win at the 2024 French Road Championships in Normandy. With a strong background as a multiple French time trial and road champion in the youth categories, as well as winning the European Junior Championships, Rayer has shown impressive progress across various terrain.
The talented Ana Vitória ‘Tota’ Magalhães has signed a contract with Movistar Team for the next two seasons. The Brazilian Road race champion of 2023 and winner of the national time trial last June has showcased her talent in several WorldTour events, including Flèche Wallonne, Strade Bianche, Omloop Nieuwsblad, Vuelta a Burgos, and the Giro d’Italia. In the 2024 Giro, she made a notable impact with two breakaways and earned the Maglia Azzurra. She also recently competed in the road race at the Paris Olympics.
Ricarda Bauernfeind and Antonia Niedermaier have extended their contracts with Canyon//SRAM for the 2025 season. Niedermaier started with the development team, Canyon//SRAM Generation, and joined Canyon//SRAM Racing in 2023. The young German rider claimed victory at the Tour de l’Ardéche in 2022, took a stage win at the Giro d’Italia in 2023 and a win in the UCI U23 ITT World Championships. Bauerfeind tallied six wins and two UCI Road World Championships medals in 2022, followed by four top-ten GC placings in WorldTour stage races in 2023, including a phenomenal Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stage victory.
Italian puncheur Carlotta Cipressi has stepped up to the WorldTour, signing with Human Powered Health through 2026. She developed her climbing ability over the past three years of racing professionally with Valcar-Travel & Service and the UAE Development Team.
Newly crowned European Junior Time trial champion Paula Ostiz will start as a stagiaire with Movistar Team in August 2025 and following that, will become full member of the team from 2026 to 2028. She won the Watersley Challenge and two titles at the Spanish Nationals last July.
Mauritian Kim Le Court has concluded her season due to a wrist injury sustained earlier in the year and will now focus on her long-term health. We wish Kim a swift and complete recovery!
Martina Fidanza has been involved in an accident with a car during a training ride. Although scans did not show any fractures, she will need to sit out racing for the time being. We wish her all the best for a speedy recovery.
Fariba Hashimi from Afghanistan has achieved a remarkable victory by winning the queen stage on Mont Lozère at the Tour de l’Ardèche. Hailing from Faryab, one of Afghanistan’s most isolated and conservative provinces, Fariba grew up in an environment where it was virtually unheard of for women to ride bikes. Determined to pursue her passion, Fariba leveraged connections within the cycling community to move to Italy. There, she joined a cycling team and received professional coaching for the first time, which propelled her to this impressive success.
After months of media advocacy, Ethiopian national champion Trhas Teklehaimanot has been granted an asylum interview in the U.K., following a year-long wait. The 22-year-old rider will only be able to compete in the upcoming UCI World Championships if she receives refugee status and obtains a travel document.
Elite racing at the Road World Championships will commence on 22 September with the women’s time trial, featuring a 29.9km course that begins in Gossau and includes 327 meters of elevation gain. On 25 September, the 53.7km mixed relay team time trial will start and finish at Sechseläutenplatz. Teams will complete two laps of a circuit that heads toward Pfaffhausen, climbs past Witikon, and then descends back to Lake Zurich, with a total elevation gain of 948 meters. The women’s elite and U23 road race on 28 September will cover 154.1km. Riders will face two significant climbs (Zürichbergstrasse and Witikon) on each of the four 27km laps, consisting of 2,384m of elevation. The race will finish with a relatively flat 5km stretch to Sechseläutenplatz.
The Great Britain cycling team did not participate in last week’s European Road Championships, Although the squad had a strong performance at the previous year’s event, British Cycling cited an “incredibly dense” race calendar and the need for rider recovery as key reasons for their decision to forgo the event in Belgium.
The 2027 European MTB Marathon Championships will take place on the trails in Jerez de los Caballeros in the Extremadura Region of Spain.
Lauren Stephens successfully defended her title at the US Gravel National Championship in Nebraska with a commanding solo ride. Lauren de Crescenzo claimed second place, while Paige Onweller secured third. Despite a recent crash at SBT GRVL three weeks prior, which resulted in a broken collarbone and cast doubt on her participation, De Crescenzo made a remarkable return to competition. The top seven finishers split half of the US $40,000 prize purse for elite athletes, with Stephens earning US $10,000 for her victory and De Crescenzo receiving US $5,000.
Lotte Kopecky and Puck Pieterse have announced their participation in the World Gravel Championships, scheduled for Sunday 6 October.
38 Year-old Alaskan Lael Wilcox has broken the women’s Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by bikee. She left Chicago on 26 May 2024 and returned to Chicago 108 days, 12 hours and 12 Minutes later, having completed 29,169 km across four continents and 22 countries. Wilcox also battled illness, flat tyres, mechanicals and terrible weather.
Unfortunately, British races are increasingly disappearing from the domestic calendar. The Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, previously a fixture in the National Road Series, will no longer be held. Notable past winners include riders such as Olympic and World Road Champion Nicole Cook. The event organiser has expressed a commitment to exploring alternative opportunities for hosting a race in Yorkshire as part of the National Road Series in the future.
The new cyclocross season in the U.S., which began in Englewood, has introduced a fresh approach to tackling littering by competitors. To address this issue, race organisers have implemented a 5 minute time penalty for any rider caught littering. In addition to this penalty, riders must also complete 30 minutes of course cleanup after the race before the penalty is lifted. This strategy aims to encourage a cleaner race environment and instil a greater sense of responsibility among participants.
Results
European Championships:
Elite ITT: Lotte Kopecky (BEL) ahead of Ellen van Dijk (NED) and Christina Schweinberger (AUT)
U23 ITT: Anniina Ahtosalo (FIN) ahead of Antonia Niedermaier (GER) and Marie Schreiber (LUX)
Junior ITT: Paula Ostiz (Spain) ahead of Fee Knaven (NED) and Viktoria Chladonova (SVK)
Elite Road: Lorena Wiebes (NED) ahead of Elisa Balsamo (ITA) and Daria Pikulik (POL)
U23 Road: Sofie van Rooijen (NED) ahead of Scarlett Souren (NED) and Eleonora Gasparrini (ITA)
Junior Road: Puck Langenbarg (NED) ahead of Messane Bräutigam (GER) and Stepanka Dubcova (CZE)
Mixed Relay Elite: Italy ahead of Germany and Belgium
Mixed Relay Junior: Netherlands ahead of Germany and Norway
Zwift Blog
Ever wondered what it’s like to ride a Grand Tour? Franziska Koch takes you behind the scenes at the Giro, sharing the highs, lows and everything in between. From unexpected challenges to unforgettable moments, have a read here!
The Women’s Cycling Podcast
In our latest episode, Rebecca Charlton is joined by Olympian Lucy Martin to discuss her racing career and subsequent work in pro cycling. They also explore the progression of women into top roles within the sport. We meet Moroj Adil, the first Saudi woman to sign for a WorldTour team, for an inspirational chat. And finally, we look ahead to the World Championships with Liv AlUla Jayco DS Shawn Clarke Listen to it on Spotify here or on Apple podcasts here.
Voxwomen Club
Calling all cycling enthusiasts! Join the Voxwomen Club on Zwift for some exciting upcoming rides. The next one is coming up soon, so find out more here
This week in cycling history
Monica Valvic
Valvic’s birthday was on 15 September. As a rider, the now 54-year-old was particularly noted for her strong climbing abilities and tactical prowess, which made her a formidable competitor in stage races and one-day classics. She won Norway’s first world road title in Agrigento in 1994 and was victorious on five occasions at the Norwegian National Road Race Championships. Following her retirement, Valvic has contributed to the organisation of cycling events and races, where she draws on her experience as a former competitor. She has also taken on roles as a coach and mentor, working with both amateur and professional cyclists.
Alison Sydor
Alison Sydor, born on 9 September 1966, is a retired Canadian professional cross-country and MTB rider renowned for an exceptional career. In 1994, she clinched the World Cup Series title, signalling her rise as a leading figure in cycling. Her prowess continued with multiple World Cup victories and back-to-back World Mountain Bike Championship titles in 1996 and 1997. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Sydor competed in the inaugural Olympic mountain biking event, delivering a stellar performance that earned her a silver medal. After a distinguished career, she retired in 2010. In recognition of her achievements, Sydor was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Following her retirement, she has remained active in the cycling community through coaching, mentorship, and advocacy. She now resides in Vancouver, where she continues to engage with the sport and has taken up skiing as a leisure activity.
WorldTour highlight videos
Watch a preview of the Elite Road Race courses of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships in Zurich right here!
