Get your week started with the latest news in women’s cycling:
The Women’s Tour has announced that Colchester and Clacton will host stage 5 of the 2021 event on 8 October, with Colchester also being the starting point of the 2022 edition of the race.
The Amstel Gold Ladies Race has been given the go-ahead and will take place on 18 April. The 17km-long lap course will be closed to the public, but the race will be live-streamed and broadcast on TV.
Team Bike Exchange is increasing the wage of their women’s team to the same as the men’s minimum wage. This is double the required amount that is set by the UCI.
Trek-Segafredo has announced that it will donate their share of the crowdfunded prize money at Strade Bianche to support women’s cycling projects.
The Cyclist Alliance’s Rider Council has laid out four steps (Watch – Engage – Commit – Speak Up) that can be followed by everyone in order to build a better future for professional women’s cycling. Their list of suggestions can be found here.
Former Belgian champion, Liesbet De Vocht, who rode for Lotto Belisol Ladies and Rabobank Liv, has joined Doltcini – Van Eyck Sport-Proximus as team leader. She previously worked in administration with Lotto Soudal but will now guide her new squad from the team car.
The Olympics in Tokyo will not allow foreign visitors to the event. The IOC has requested that overseas guests linked to sponsors will still be allowed to attend, with a final decision on the latter expected to be made by the end of this month.
The Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta has announced that the province of Ourense will host the 7th edition of the Challenge, which is scheduled for September.
British Cycling has mapped a way forward in its endeavour to return to sanctioned activities and events in 2021. Their roadmap can be found here.
U.S. cyclocross and mountain bike rider Ellen Noble has announced the creation of the Noble Racing Mentorship Program. which will provide grants and personal mentorship to young riders across the country.
Zeus Sports, the organisers of the Tour of Scotland, have gone out of business, leaving teams and creditors with a substantial amount of money owed.
Arlenis Sierra of A.R. Monex Liv Women’s Pro Cycling Team was involved in a serious incident after colliding with a vehicle during a training ride in Italy. Luckily, the Cuban champion suffered only cuts and contusions, with no fractures or concussion. We wish her a speedy recovery.
The 6th edition the Vuelta a Burgos Femenina. scheduled for 20 to 23 May, will debut this year as a WorldTour event. It is one of the four WT stage races, including the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta (3-5 September), the Tour of Norway (12-15 August) and the Boels Tour of the Netherlands (24-29 August)
And in some encouraging news, 20 female Afghani riders have participated in the Jam Gohar Shad race in Kabul. The group rode the 35km course though various districts of the capital as part of the Right to Ride movement, an initiative that is aimed at facilitating the acceptance of women riding bikes in Afghanistan.
Results
GP Oetingen: Elisa Balsamo (Valcar – Travel & Serivce) took the win ahead of Jolien D’Hoore (SD Worx) and Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo – Visma Women)
Healthy Ageing Tour
Stage 1: Jolien D’Hoore (SD Worx) ahead of Alice Barnes (Canyon/SRAM) and Karlijn Swinkels (Team Jumbo-Visma)
Stage 2 (ITT): Ellen van Dijk (Trek – Segafredo) ahead of Amy Pieters (Team SD Worx) and Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit – WNT Pro Cycling)
Stage 3: Lonneke Uneken (SD Worx) ahead of Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) and Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling)
The overall winner was Ellen van Dijk, with second place going to Lisa Brennauer and third to Emma Norsgaard.
International Women’s Day
We asked three riders to tell us which women inspire them the most. Here is what Lauren Kitchen of FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Megan Jastrab of Team DSM, and Elena Cecchini of Team SD Worx had to say.
On International Women’s Day, Voxwomen x Peloton, in association with Pinarello, presented the International Women’s Day live show, hosted by Rebecca Charlton, with guests Mari Holden, Elinor Barker and Hannah Walker. If you missed it, you can watch it again here.
Zwift Blog
New Zealand rider Ella Harris has penned her first piece for us this year, in which she shares the events surrounding her crash, the excitement of working with a new coach, and how she’s looking forward to getting back to Europe after spending the off-season in New Zealand.
In her exclusive blog, Megan Jastrab of Team DSM reflects on how the year got off to a disappointing start due to a COVID diagnosis. You can read about her experience here.
Danish rider Amalie Dideriksen shares her experience of joining a new team. After six years with Boels-Dolmans, she made the switch to Trek-Segafredo, and tells you how the change has been so far, here.
Keep updated on social media!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep updated on our latest events and announcements, such as Instagram takeovers by pro-riders during the week, and much more!
This week in cycling history…
Annick Chapron’s birthday was on 6 March. The now 72-year old French rider won the national title in 1971. She only started cycling a few years before that. It was against her mother’s advice, but she was strong-willed and determined to achieve her goals. She rode in the peloton alongside world champions and national champions such as Elsy Jabobs and Geneviève Gambillon. In later years, her passion turned to cyclo-tourism, and she regularly takes cyclists on guided tours through the countryside of her home region Brittany.
Dutch rider and national track champion Adriana Visser became the first winner of the inaugural Healthy Ageing Tour, back in 2011.
On 13 March 1915, the creation of the Society for the Construction of Cycle Paths in the Netherlands was announced. The driving force behind this initiative was 44-year old Mrs J. Pos-Greidanus, who together with the society’s members, advocated for the construction of new dedicated cycle paths, as the increasing amount of motor traffic in the early 20th century was considered too dangerous for people to cycle. This society has shown great longevity and still exists today.
In addition to clothing, we’re also offering off-bike casual clothing for both women and men. Our organic cotton products are printed in the U.K. in a renewable energy-powered factory. And every purchase helps us to create more content!
