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2020 World Championships - now confirmed for Imola, Italy.

Page 53 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Interestingly, there was a Dutch article yesterday about if there is a crisis in Dutch women's cycling and how, unlike men's cycling where people like Pogačar, Evenepoel and Bernal are making huge waves, women's cycling is dominated by a group of 30+ riders.

The problem is, of course, that's only partially true even if you look at the Netherlands. If you look globally it's a completely different story, with Germany's best rider being 22, France's top 2 riders being 21, New Zealand making waves with riders who are 22 and 20, Russia's top rider being 20, and so on, plus that riders like Niewiadoma made their name aged 19 and Longo Borghini not long after. And it's not like that many major riders are THAT old. Longo Borghini is 29, van der Breggen is 30, Deignan is 31.

Plus, of course, Dutch cycling has Lorena Wiebes and Demi Vollering, 21 and 23 respectively.

The big long term concern for the Dutch is that they have had a generation of superstar riders who have come along at a similar time and that coincides with a time of increased professionalism in the women's bunch which has enabled them to make a living from it rather than retire super early as you often saw in the past (and still see in many countries in the present). Those top riders are elite talents who still merit the spots in the big races (and in Vos' case of course, were a young phenom meaning she's younger than people often realise), meaning there's less turnover at the top so to speak. However, the other problem is that it means the Dutch are likely to lose Vos, van Vleuten, van der Breggen, van Dijk, van den Broeck-Blaak and Brand in a fairly short period of time; once that happens, people like Wiebes, Vollering and Mackaij will ensure that the Netherlands are still prominent, but it won't be like it is now.

The problem at the moment for the racing is that they've got over some of the tactical disasters that cost them on big occasions, such as the European Games in Baku and the Worlds in Ponferrada, which means they're actually using their strength properly.
I never thought I’d say this but at this point I’m genuinely sick of long range solos.
 
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I don't think the problem is long range solos. It's long range solos where you don't feel the chase has any chance, so it just means the race is finished early. If there was impetus in the group because Anna had got away on tactics rather than by being the strongest of everybody, so people stiill felt they could win and were riding, so the gap was holding or reducing and we didn't feel "yea, Anna's won this comfortably", it'd be a different story.
 
He gave the reason why there are more professional female riders now than some decades ago: The looks and what you wear is more important now in cycling. To have a nice looking bike, a chic helmet, a nice kit... so more women are attracted to cycling.
So, having a more professional péloton with a better organised calendar so more women can make enough money to make a living from it isn't a factor? After all, we lost plenty of good riders young to academia, studies and early retirement, including a young Italian climber who beat van der Breggen on a very hilly course in the World Juniors.
 
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I don't think the problem is long range solos. It's long range solos where you don't feel the chase has any chance, so it just means the race is finished early. If there was impetus in the group because Anna had got away on tactics rather than by being the strongest of everybody, so people stiill felt they could win and were riding, so the gap was holding or reducing and we didn't feel "yea, Anna's won this comfortably", it'd be a different story.

That’s why I’m sick of them. In the women’s peloton at the moment it’s just one of the two superdutchies going off the front in what seems like every major race and then it’s race over, unless the other one is able to chase. It’s impressive, they are amazing, they deserve admiration and financial success, they should be icons of the sport. But really, the sooner they retire the better.
 
That’s why I’m sick of them. In the women’s peloton at the moment it’s just one of the two superdutchies going off the front in what seems like every major race and then it’s race over, unless the other one is able to chase.
Only in national team events, really, which are basically good fun for the middle section, between the initial salvos and then when we get to this kind of position where we know where the gold is going. When they're going against each other it can be great, like Altopiano di Montasio or La Course 2018.

This is also a problem of not enough mountainous races in the women's péloton, since we've had a good few super tough major championships lately where the gaps are more significant.
 
Suspect a bit like Burton Dassett in the Women's Tour, the strongest on the climb will be the same ones as last time. The only question now is if they believe they can make it back to Imola for the medals enough to go for it...

Et là. Uttrup goes, Longo Borghini and Deignan follow.

These girls need to keep Deignan at arms' length. Longo Borghini clearly the next best. Cille is cooked. Looks like Elisa will get bronze. She's got to put the hammer down to get a medal because she can't sprint. Vos and Deignan will have to do all work behind if the others have any sense at all, and Vos won't contribute with two Dutchies ahead, so it potentially could become an ITT here for the medals, Elisa vs. Lizzie.

I can maybe understand Lippert taking a pull but not Kasia or Cille. For Kasia and Cille, if they catch ELB/van Vleuten, they don't get a medal because Vos/Deignan outsprint them; if they don't catch ELB/van Vleuten, they don't get a medal because they don't catch them. If Deignan catches them they might be able to get away or the better sprinters may cook themselves. Lippert is the next best sprinter after Vos/Deignan so if anything happens she could be in for a medal.
 
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