Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[RedheadDane]

She made it!

 

[awavey]

We now have a stage 3 for the ToB, a loop around the Warrington area.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/r...nveiling-of-stage-three-route-in-Warrington-0

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Goes to Alderley Edge

Doesn't climb Swiss Hill

0/10

 

[awavey]

The way it's going I wouldn't be shocked if they just did 200 laps of the Manchester velodrome and then went straight to Leigh.

 

[Wyndbrook]

The way it's going I wouldn't be shocked if they just did 200 laps of the Manchester velodrome and then went straight to Leigh.

Probably, but I'm just glad we've got a race and the world champion is coming.

 

[awavey]

Probably, but I'm just glad we've got a race and the world champion is coming.

I'd rather we had a race to be proud of, to inspire and generate the interest that secures its future as a proper race, rather than something that just bears a name is cooked up on the fly and a teensy bit embarrassing

But each to their own

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'd rather we had a race to be proud of, to inspire and generate the interest that secures its future as a proper race, rather than something that just bears a name is cooked up on the fly and a teensy bit embarrassing

But each to their own

Hopefully that will be the case from next year on.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

A lot of attacks in Itzulia, but it seems most likely that the first stage will end in a group sprint.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Stupid run-in.

Movistar tried to do a team lead out for Sierra, but Reusser and Vollering completely destroyed them, and Bredewold easily won.

 

[Didinho]

Fleur Moors with a really good 5nd place.

 

[Izzyeviel]

The way it's going I wouldn't be shocked if they just did 200 laps of the Manchester velodrome and then went straight to Leigh.

Too much climbing. It'll never happen

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Stupid run-in.

Movistar tried to do a team lead out for Sierra, but Reusser and Vollering completely destroyed them, and Bredewold easily won.

Basque race organisers' stage designs this year have been really mad. It's like they're trying to be as un-Basque as possible.

 

[JR1012]

If have to say this time, SD Worx worked really well together.

But the descent of the last climb was horrible with speed bumps and no signals of any marshal.

So the questions is now, can Bredewold defend the jersey tomorrow?

2. Stage:
1. Bredewold
2. Garcia
3. Labous

 

[Libertine Seguros]

If have to say this time, SD Worx worked really well together.

But the descent of the last climb was horrible with speed bumps and no signals of any marshal.

So the questions is now, can Bredewold defend the jersey tomorrow?

2. Stage:
1. Bredewold
2. Garcia
3. Labous

This at 28km from home, and the last - and really, because this is an absolutely awful Itzulia route, only - chance for the climbers. Bredewold will be dropped, but the question will be if they distance her by enough that she can't get back on, especially as I would suspect any moves are going to be marked to the nth degree by Vollering.

 

[yaco]

Another day of a SD Worx rider getting into the final select group and refusing to work.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

So it looks like Vollering will keep SDW's perfect Itzulia win streak alive today. Even if Reusser and NFB weren't in the group behind, they probably wouldn't be able to close a 50 second gap in the final 20 km.

 

[RedheadDane]

I just love the term "Labousen Taldea".
Though, I suppose it's a good thing the group isn't named for Rooijakkers... "Rooijakkersen Taldea"?

Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out how Basque works.

 

[yaco]

I am surprised that the second group did not work harder to keep away the third group as it cost some riders GC spots.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I just love the term "Labousen Taldea".
Though, I suppose it's a good thing the group isn't named for Rooijakkers... "Rooijakkersen Taldea"?

Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out how Basque works.

Yes, Rooijakkersen Taldea. There are two different genitive cases in Basque (one for animate objects and one for inanimate) though they are irregular and Basque grammar is an absolute maze which requires supreme dedication to get even half a head around. Rooijakkers (person) -en (genitive suffix) talde (group) -a (definite article): "The Rooijakkers group."

Anyway, it worked out more or less exactly as I anticipated. I didn't know whether or not Bredewold would get back to the rest to sprint and get 2nd on the GC, but her being dropped and then chasing back while Vollering escapes to win was pretty much what I foresaw. She is just peerless in País Vasco, she won out in 2022, she could have won out but deferred to Reusser when she escaped on the final stage last year, and then took the win and GC here for good measure.

 

[JR1012]

That the third overall has only a gap of 15 sec to place 13 and that from 13 to 28 place they have the same time overall speaks for the teribble stage design this year.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yes, Rooijakkersen Taldea. There are two different genitive cases in Basque (one for animate objects and one for inanimate) though they are irregular and Basque grammar is an absolute maze which requires supreme dedication to get even half a head around. Rooijakkers (person) -en (genitive suffix) talde (group) -a (definite article): "The Rooijakkers group."

I can now go to that Basque Book Shop BR spoke about and actually be able to read the books!

 

[awavey]

Final stage route of ToBW announced https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/r...Cycling-welcomes-world-s-best-female-riders-0

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lol, it's almost like we could have predicted it all well in advance. Hyping the difficulty of a 1km climb which comes 50km from home and celebrating the "punchy kickers" that will "do more damage" that follow, before a completely featureless, flat final third of the stage to "set the stage for a spectacular finish" with Ellingworth (surely he should be aware of what makes a race selective with all his experience?!) talking up the "incredibly tough" route with "a series of challenging climbs", none of which are placed anywhere that's going to actually result in any meaningful action.

Just maddening. You could have such a good race in Britain, and somehow they've managed to produce something with all the same drawbacks as the old Women's Tour but without the excuse of travelling through the East of England where you do actually have to do some work to find meaningful obstacles; around the parts of the country this race is travelling you could dump a plate of spaghetti over a relief map and come up with a better bike race route. All of the negative aspects of Sweetspot, gone but not, well, gone.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Racing continues today with Durango-Durango. The big story is of course that it'll be Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig's return to racing. I haven't found a full start list yet, but Muzic looks like the biggest favourite.

 

[yaco]

Same as last week - Teams riding Burgos but not this race. It makes no sense at all.