Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling:
The HR company SD Worx will take over title sponsorship of Boels Dolmans through to 2024. SD Worx will join the team this year as co-sponsor and from next year the team will be riding under its new name SD Worx Cycling.
CAMS-Tifosi will be the only British women’s team to ride the Amstel Gold Race 2020. The first of the Ardennes classics takes place on Sunday 19 April.
The Women’s Tour of Dubai, the only women’s cycling event in the Middle East, will run from 17 to 20 February. 16 international women’s teams from 13 countries will go on the start of this inaugural event, setting the stage for the expansion of women’s cycling to this part of the world.
The UCI has updated its regulations on the use of gravel in pro road races. Gravel sectors must be planned well ahead by the race organisers and be designed with the safety of riders and spectators in mind. Detailed descriptions of the unpaved part have to be forwarded to teams ahead of the race and organisers need to make sure the sections can be ridden safely in any weather condition. The UCI however, has the final decision over whether a gravel sector can be included in a race or not.
Bicester will host the opening stage of the Women’s Tour. The council hopes that the tour will inspire more people to ride bikes and making it also part of a better way to commute. The venue of the final stage, also in Oxfordshire, will be announced at a later date.
USA Cycling has announced the squad for the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Germany. Chloe Dygert, Megan Jastrab, Jennifer Valente, Madalyn Godby, Mandy Marquardt, Kendall Ryan, Emma White and Lily Williams will be at the start of the event in Berlin from 26 February to 1 March.
Germany has named its women riders for the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships: Lea-Sophie Friedrich, Pauline Sophie Grabosch, Emma Hinze, Charlotte Becker, Franzisca Brauße, Lisa Brennauer, Katharina Hechler, Lisa Klein, Mieke Kröger, Gudrun Stock, Laura Süßemilch and Lea-Lin Teuteberg
In 2019, ahead of its women-only debut, the Colorado Classic used cutting-edge and cost-efficient bonded cellular technology to capture live coverage of the race, which was streamed for free each day in its entirety. This year the organisers aim to improve their reach and develop a platform for increased exposure to women’s cycling.
At the New Zealand national road championships, Teresa Adam took the Elite ITT ahead of Georgia Perry and Brownwyn MacGregor. Ella Harris took out the U23 ITT title ahead of Mikayla Harvey and Niamh Fisher-Black. Fisher-Black also won the national Elite and U23 road title.
At the TelenetSuperprestige Middelkerke in Belgium, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took out the win ahead of Denise Betsema and Annemarie Worst.
Zwift Blog
In her first blog of the year, Chloe Hosking writes about starting the season riding for Rally Cycling and what it means to be part of a new team. Have a read of her piece “A new decade brings a new team” and find out what’s important when a rider moves from one team to another.
Leah Kirchmann writes about her season opener in Australia, her first period of racing since her injury four months ago.
Jess Pratt has penned her first blog in which she tells us how she got into cycling, the importance of her family’s support, her job as a registered nurse and winning the 2019 Zwift Academy.
#ICYMI from Voxwomen
The GoZwift VoxTour is back again this year with a brand new I Ride In Style-designed limited edition jersey. Sign up to ride with Laura Winter, Hannah Walker, Dani Rowe, Jess Pratt and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio. The jersey will carry the inspiring message “Together we can do more than we ever will alone,” created by last year’s winner of our competition, Mary Wilkinson. Are you ready to ride with us? For more information and to sign up to this fantastic event click here!
Have you read our article, UCI women’s World Tour: What you need to know for 2020? Voxwomen has all the information for you: race dates, riders to watch, young riders classification information, and a preview of what to expect.
The Voxwomen Podcast
The first episode of our podcast 2020 is here. Chloe Hosking, Amanda Spratt, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and Kimberley Conte talk about the Tour Down Under, giving their insights and comments on the Australian cycling event. Join us and be part of what’s happening in women’s cycling.
This week in cycling history…
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå celebrated her birthday on 10 February. She is a Norwegian cross-country and marathon mountain biker with an outstanding palmarés. Dahle won the women’s cross-country gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, ten World Championships and nine European championships in cross-country and marathon. She claimed 30 career World Cup victories, four of which came in a row. In 2018, she retired at the age of 45 after 22 years in competitive sport. She is still involved in mountain biking, working as an ambassador to the sport and travelling around the world to promote mountain biking and share the experience of her long career with other women.
Voxwomen Online Shop
Looking for some cycling clothing and accessories, then visit our online shop for a selection of quality items. Every purchase from our online store will support Voxwomen and make it possible for us to provide you with the latest from the world of women’s cycling. So check out our online shop!
