Your Monday Briefing

28 January 2019
|
7:03 am

News

Voxnews

This is all you need to know from the world of women’s cycling to get your week started:

The organisers of Gent-Wevelgem announced the 24 teams that will participate in this year’s edition of the race. The top 15 squads in the UCI’s recently-released rankings are automatically invited, including Team Virtu, the team of defending champion Marta Bastianelli. In addition, we’ll also see Armitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano, Astana Womens Team, BTC City Ljubljana, Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport, Drops and Biehler Pro Cycling, Health Mate Ladies Team, Hitech Products Birk Sport, Lotto Soudal competing in the March classic.
Sho-Air TWENTY20 is expanding its mountain bike division, with the signings of riders such as Olympian and two-time world champion medalist mountain biker Lea Davidson and U23 U.S. National Champion Savilia Blunk.
Kim Palmer, an experienced coach and former rider, has joined WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling Team as Assistant Sports Director.
The North Star Grand Prix is bringing back its women’s stage race, citing the growth of women’s cycling in the United States as one of the key motivating factors behind this decision.
USA Crits recently announced that all 19 teams will be participating in all races in the series this year, with accompanying live streaming of events. Their aim is to create storylines that fans are able to consistently follow throughout the season.

Recent results

Cuban rider Arlenis Sierra won the fifth edition of the Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race in Geelong, Australia, ahead of some serious talent, including Amanda Spratt and Lucy Kennedy, who rounded out the podium.
Lotta Pauliina Lepistö won the sprint competition and her Trek-Segafredo team took out the team classification at the Towards Zero Race Melbourne criterium in Australia.
Katie Archibald won her third consecutive national title in the individual pursuit, while Laura Kenny sprinted to victory in the scratch race at the British Cycling National Track Championships. Jess Crampton won the keirin, Shanaze Reade and Blaine Ridge Davis won the team sprint, Team Breeze successfully picked up the women’s team pursuit title, Sophie Capewell won the sprint, Neah Evans claimed the points jersey, while Ellie Coster took home the time trial.
At the Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong the Italian national team won the team pursuit, ahead of Germany, with Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters taking out the Madison, and Asian Games champions Lin Junhong and Zhong Tianshi proving the fastest in the team sprint.
Danish rider Trine Schmidt leads the general classification at the Six Day in Berlin ahead of compatriot Julie Leth.
Marianne Vos secured the Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup classification after her win in Pont-Château, and thereby netted her first overall World Cup win in her longstanding career.
Lucinda Brand was victorious on the final round of the Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands.
Brodie Chapman won the inaugural 113km long Gravel and Tar La Femme on a tough parcours of tarmac and crunch which was held in New Zealand, and also claimed the polka dot jersey in the Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race.

Zwift Blog

Giorgia Bronzini gives you an insight into what it’s like to make the transition from being a rider to becoming a Trek-Segafredo sports director, and what she’s realised along the way.
See what Christine Majerus had to say in response to the question recently posed to her by a journalist: “Why do you keep riding after all these years, it must get boring?” In her blog, she explains the state of cyclo-cross in Luxembourg, as well as potential problems she faces as a rider from this small Benelux country.
Have you read Elisa Longo Borghini’s thoughts about the ups and downs of last season and life at Trek-Segafredo? Or how new blogger Audrey Cordon-Ragot’s new year’s resolution is making a difference to the environment?

Voxwomen announcements and events

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the “Voxwomen Big Week Off,” seven days of social riding, alongside nutritional advice and yoga sessions, in the picturesque Spanish countryside from October 13th to 20th, all provided by Rocacorba Cycling. Limited places are available to purchase now from the Voxwomen Online Store.

This week in history…

Audrey McElmury, born on 24 January 1943, was the first American cyclist to win the Road World Championship, which was held in Brno in former Czechoslovakia in 1969. Despite crashing on the wet course and having to remount, she still managed to take the win. In so doing, McElmury was also the first American to win a world championship title since Frank Kramer in 1912.