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Lizzie Deignan has announced a one-year contract extension with the aim of retiring at the end of 2025, bringing an illustrious almost 20 year career to a close. Widely regarded as one of the most decorated British riders of her generation, Deignan’s legacy extends far beyond her remarkable achievements on the bike. Her career is marked by 43 professional road victories, including triumphs in cycling’s most prestigious one-day races. Notably, she claimed the rainbow jersey at the 2015 UCI World Championships in Richmond, USA, and won the Commonwealth Games Road Race title in 2014. Deignan also holds multiple National Champion titles and secured a silver medal on home soil at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2018, she took a career break to start a family, somewhat a rarity in the women’s pro peloton at the time. Looking ahead to her retirement, Deignan will shift her focus to mentoring the next generation of riders at Lidl-Trek. “The team is full of young potential,” she said, “I believe the signings we’ve made are really smart, and I’ll be using my experience to help them manage pressure in the big races. Cycling is increasingly about marginal gains, but sometimes the basics are overlooked. I’ll be there to remind them of those basics – the feelings, the instincts, and the human side of the sport.”
For the 25th anniversary of Australia’s biggest cycling race, the Tour Down Under has added the women’s one day Classic to its program. The race will offer record UCI WorldTour points. The Schwalbe Women’s One Day Classic joins forces with the men’s final stage at the Tour Down Under on 26 January in the centre of Adelaide.
Canadian rider Rafaelle Carrier, silver medallist at the last Junior Women’s MTB Cross Country World Championships and part of the “detection programme” set up by the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team, will join the French squad on 1 August 2025 as a trainee. In the meantime, Carrier will benefit from the logistical support of the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team for her 2024-2025 cyclo-cross season.
Eline Jansen, who took her first Pro Tour stage victory at the Tour de l’Ardèche, and gained the white jersey at the Tour of Britain, has extended her contract with VolkerWessels for another three years, while Maud Rijnbeek joins Maikke Boogaard switching from AG Insurance-Soudal to VolkerWessels next year.
Japanese rider Eri Yonamine has announced her retirement after a decade-long career in professional cycling. Over the course of her career, she secured ten national titles and competed for a number of prominent teams, including FJD Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Wiggle High5, Ale Cipollini, Team TIBCO-SVB, Human Powered Health, and most recently, LABORAL Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi.
Former triathlete Lizzie Stannard, who rode for EF-Oatly-Cannondale this year, has announced her retirement. In a social media post, she reflects: “the 2024 season has for the most part been spent managing and rehabilitating an injury that is not compatible with competition. Many people have played a very important role in my year this year (and years past) and I am immensely grateful to all of you. It’s been a privilege, and I am proud to have done what I could to finish as I have.”
Seventy-four-time national champion and winner of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Coryn Labecky, features in EF Oatly-Cannondale’s latest YouTube video. The now 32-year-old started racing her bike at the age of 11 after a dare from a friend, and forged an amazing career before retiring at the end of this season.
DSM-firmenich Post NL’s Pfeiffer Georgi is finally able to ride again. The British rider was one of the worst affected in the multiple-rider pile-up which occured 6km from the finish on Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and as a result suffered a neck fracture and a broken hand.
DSM-Firmenich PostNL’s Charlotte Kool is back on her bike training. The Dutch rider was involved in a crash at the Simac Ladies Tour and as a result had to abandon with injuries.
It was announced earlier that Elisa Longo Borghini will be leaving Lidl-Trek after a very successful tenture with the team. In a recent interview, she explained that her decision to move on was driven by a desire for change and the pursuit of new challenges. At 32 years of age, Longo Borghini believes she still has more years to come at the top of the sport and feels that UAE Team ADQ offers the fresh environment she’s seeking. Looking ahead to 2025, her primary goals include the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and, of course, the World Championships in Rwanda, where she aims to contend for another podium finish.
The UCI has announced that the second edition of the UCI Snow Bike World Championships will be held in a new one-day format on Saturday 8 February 2025 in Châtel, Haute-Savoie, France. Already host of the first edition in 2024, Châtel has also been awarded the 2025 and 2026 UCI Snow Bike World Championships. The 2025 edition will again see athletes compete in both the Super-G and the dual slalom.
Results
Superprestige Niel: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (NED) ahead of Lucinda Brand (NED) and Norbert Roberolle Marion (BEL)
Voxwomen Cycling Hub
Exciting news! Voxwomen has just launched the Voxwomen Cycling Hub, a paid membership packed with exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, discounts, and more. By joining, you’re not only unlocking premium perks, but also directly supporting the growth of women’s cycling. Don’t miss out on this chance to dive deeper into the sport you love and be part of a community that’s driving real change. Sign up today and help us elevate women’s cycling together!
Blog
Franziska Koch reviews her 2024 season, from winning the German road title, to participating in the Olympics, two Grand Tours and the European and World Championships. Check it out in her latest blog.
The Women’s Cycling Podcast
Becca Charlton is joined by Hannah Walker, pro rider turned commentator, to discuss her career progression & share some emotional stories. We also talk with ultra-endurance racer Lael Wilcox & Sara Felton about her inspirational Tour de France feat. Listen to it here on Spotify.
Voxwomen Club
Calling all cycling enthusiasts! Join the Voxwomen Club for some exciting upcoming rides. The next one is coming up soon, so find out more here
This week in cycling history
Petra Rossner
One of Germany’s most accomplished riders, Rossner was born on 14 November 1966. Active in competitive cycling from 1987 to 2004, she achieved remarkable success both on the track and the road. Originally a runner, she transitioned to cycling, where she became a multiple-time national track and road champion. On the track, she earned world titles and Olympic gold, while on the road, she claimed stage victories in several prestigious races such as the Tour de France Féminin and the Giro d’Italia, among other notable wins. After retiring in 2004, she transitioned to coaching, taking on a leadership role with a women’s road cycling team, and playing a key part in the development of youth cycling in Germany. In recent years, Rossner has shifted her focus to triathlon, where she now coaches athletes aiming to break into the national squad.
WorldTour highlight videos
Catch up on the action from the Tour of Guangxi right here.
