Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[yaco]

I agree, but it looks like it was there purely because of the format of the race and having that two stages in a day thing again. which kind of wrecked it all abit as they curtailed 3a due to that crash but also to allow for 3b to start on time. If it had just been a normal stage I dont think theyd have shrunk it.

equally Id like to think Audrey might have had a shout on taking the ITT stage (Anna Henderson would have been favourite for it if Visma had turned up) . it didnt strike me as a field packed with ITT talent.

The bigger surprise is that Wiebes rode this race instead of the Giro Femmes.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

While I do appreciate that the Princess Anna Vasa Tour in Poland is now held over four days, even I must admit that having both a TTT and an ITT in four stages is overkill.

 

[yaco]

While I do appreciate that the Princess Anna Vasa Tour in Poland is now held over four days, even I must admit that having both a TTT and an ITT in four stages is overkill.

The TTT is a prologue distance of 3.2km and probably has 10 corners.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The TTT is a prologue distance of 3.2km and probably has 10 corners.

It doesn't look too bad, but they will have to turn at the halfway mark.
It seems like one of those where it could have been a good idea to split the teams in two.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/246788345

 

[RedheadDane]

Visma dominating slightly on the final stage of Anna Vasa Tour...

1	NOOIJEN Lieke	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8	5		0:17:41	46.145
2	MARKUS Riejanne	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	5	2		0:10	45.714
3	ACHTEREEKTE Carlijn	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3	1		0:35	44.672

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Visma dominating slightly on the final stage of Anna Vasa Tour...

1	NOOIJEN Lieke	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8	5		0:17:41	46.145
2	MARKUS Riejanne	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	5	2		0:10	45.714
3	ACHTEREEKTE Carlijn	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3	1		0:35	44.672

Maybe they thought it was the Anna Henderson Tour.

Nooijen has really stepped up this season after moving to Visma.

 

[JR1012]

Blanka Vas, Pieterse and Van Annrooij are all added today on the startlist for the Tour on the PCS side.

Will be the first Tour for Blanka Vas and Pieterse.

 

[awavey]

Lifeplus Wahoo to shutdown after 2024, but have already raced their last race

Lifeplus-Wahoo to close after 2024 season

Lifeplus-Wahoo, the UK's longest-running UCI women's team run by Drops Cycling, will close at the end of the year, ending their current tenure under this name.Drops, the organisational entity behind Lifeplus-Wahoo, revealed in a statement, "Despite securing a full stable of premium product partn

procyclinguk.com

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Lifeplus Wahoo to shutdown after 2024, but have already raced their last race

Lifeplus-Wahoo to close after 2024 season

Lifeplus-Wahoo, the UK's longest-running UCI women's team run by Drops Cycling, will close at the end of the year, ending their current tenure under this name.Drops, the organisational entity behind Lifeplus-Wahoo, revealed in a statement, "Despite securing a full stable of premium product partn

procyclinguk.com

It's very sad. The Varneys have avoided closures before, so perhaps there's still a very small chance that the news can attract new sponsors. If the Hess team continues, which at least seems to be the owner's vision, then I could see some of the LW riders end up there.

We've already seen stricter rules kill off Spanish teams ahead of this season, so it's no surprise that the new ProTeam division will have consequences as well, even if it is a step in the right direction.

 

[awavey]

It's very sad. The Varneys have avoided closures before, so perhaps there's still a very small chance that the news can attract new sponsors. If the Hess team continues, which at least seems to be the owner's vision, then I could see some of the LW riders end up there.

We've already seen stricter rules kill off Spanish teams ahead of this season, so it's no surprise that the new ProTeam division will have consequences as well, even if it is a step in the right direction.

I'd like to see them continue obviously, but it feels like they don't have the heart for it anymore, too many obstacles and costs to bear,and the conti level road cycling scene in the UK is basically dead now anyway. You basically get a team of riders together but no races to ride in, so what's the point.

I mean even before Tour of Britain and the sponsor issues again (which seems a recurring theme with them over the years), there was an article where they said the costs were too high for them to travel to certain races in Europe anymore.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'd like to see them continue obviously, but it feels like they don't have the heart for it anymore, too many obstacles and costs to bear,and the conti level road cycling scene in the UK is basically dead now anyway. You basically get a team of riders together but no races to ride in, so what's the point.

I mean even before Tour of Britain and the sponsor issues again (which seems a recurring theme with them over the years), there was an article where they said the costs were too high for them to travel to certain races in Europe anymore.

Yeah, you can't really blame them for losing some of their passion along the way, but while it obviously isn't what it used to be, I still have the feeling there are worse teams to ride for at the moment.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Lifeplus Wahoo to shutdown after 2024, but have already raced their last race

Lifeplus-Wahoo to close after 2024 season

Lifeplus-Wahoo, the UK's longest-running UCI women's team run by Drops Cycling, will close at the end of the year, ending their current tenure under this name.Drops, the organisational entity behind Lifeplus-Wahoo, revealed in a statement, "Despite securing a full stable of premium product partn

procyclinguk.com

Some good news, Pro Noctis 200 Coffee were in danger with Pro Noctis not continuing their sponsorship, but now have a new sponsor Smurfit Westock as from January.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The Vuelta a Colombia started today. It will likely become a rematch between Lilibeth Chacón and Diana Peñuela. Last the year the former won by 11 seconds ahead of the latter. Elizabeth Castaño won the first stage ahead of Peñuela. There were some crashes in the final, but I don't know if any bigger names were involved. Two unipuerto stages and a time trial will determine the overall winner.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Vuelta a Colombia started today. It will likely become a rematch between Lilibeth Chacón and Diana Peñuela. Last the year the former won by 11 seconds ahead of the latter. Elizabeth Castaño won the first stage ahead of Peñuela. There were some crashes in the final, but I don't know if any bigger names were involved. Two unipuerto stages and a time trial will determine the overall winner.

SOON.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

SOON.

The MTF tomorrow should definitely give her an opportunity to shine.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Surprisingly, it's Chacón's teammate Esther Galarza who's on her way to win today's stage ahead of former 3 time GC winner Ana Sanabria.

Now Estefania Herrera has ridden past Sanabria like a steam roller, but Galarza manages to hold on and get the victory. Chacón finished 3rd ahead of Nadia Gontova and Sanabria.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Still think most of those are going to need more time on stage 5 to hold Lilibeth back given the 28km CRI on the final day. Galarza and Herrera only gained around 20" (plus time bonuses) and in last year's Vuelta a Colombia TT, Galarza gave up three and a half minutes to Chacón - and that was in a hilly TT too. Herrera had some OK time trial results back in 2022 but not a lot to go on recently. Sanabria could be a threat against the clock on past evidence in this kind of field, though.

 

[awavey]

typical English Bank holiday weather for the GP de Plouay Classic Bretagne Lorient Agglomération Trophée Ceratizit...
(what a mouthful) race

Treks line up surprised me, both that ELB is back fit already, and that Lizzie D isnt being rested.

whilst DSM appear to have started with only 4 riders.

and SDWorx still getting owned in comments with their posts with people reminding riders to look out for yellow things and not ride into each other, got to laugh havent you

 

[Libertine Seguros]

and SDWorx still getting owned in comments with their posts with people reminding riders to look out for yellow things and not ride into each other, got to laugh havent you

That one is going to run and run, you'd think. I think this last couple of years in the car has really cost van der Breggen a lot of her goodwill (she's also got up to some non-bike-related shenanigans that have rather hurt her PR too) and regardless of what may have transpired to make the team less than fully supportive of Vollering, the team has been almost universally perceived as the villains here and it's turned Vollering into a far more popular figure than she previously was.

It kind of feels like a wrestling angle or something. Van der Breggen is the villainous star of yesteryear who can still go in the ring but mostly serves as manager/advisor and cheats from the outside. Vollering is the leader of the faction, but the manager has grown distrustful of her power. Kopecky and Wiebes are members of the faction who are at a similar level to Vollering, and the remainder are lackeys and lesser members. There's been a power struggle for a bit, but the faction is just so strong that it keeps dominating. Wiebes has gone full super-heel and attacked Vollering for her own goals, but instead of stopping the insurrection, van der Breggen has come into the ring with the steel chair, then swerved the fans and clocked Vollering with it, commanding the other wrestlers in the team like Fisher-Black and Vas to join the beatdown. Nobody comes to the aid of Vollering because she's a member of the hated heel faction, but when she then loses the title in a valiant fight against the firm fan favourite Niewiadoma later in the night, she fights with honour and she fights hard, knowing she has no backup, but just doesn't have enough after being betrayed and abandoned by her usual support team. The fans cheer because the underdog they've been waiting to see win the title for years finally got to shine, but it isn't quite as satisfying because it wasn't a clean victory and suddenly Vollering is getting cheers too because she's fought against the odds due to being backstabbed by the hated faction.

 

[awavey]

final lap, less than 10km to go now, Amber Kraak still with a 30sec gap on the peloton

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Liane!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Komm Liane, auf geht's!

Would probably back Bredewold in a sprint of these three, but anything can happen with three. Including them playing about all through the final k and losing the race, of course. Dygert needs a gap realistically, and she has one, Bredewold is bluffing Lippert all the way.

Massive crash in the placement battle. Absolute mess of a finale. It worked out for Bredewold, she rode the coattails of Lippert to keep Dygert in sight and made the sprint to take it, but ugh, that final straight was a mess.

 

[awavey]

Bredewold it is

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Lippert shouldn't have taken any pulls after she was caught, and specially not after Dygert's attack.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lippert shouldn't have taken any pulls after she was caught, and specially not after Dygert's attack.

She tried to react straight away which I think was fine (after all Dygert probably wants to drop them both so would likely have been able to be turned into an unwilling lead-out) but when she couldn't close the gap straight away she should have sat up rather than basically carrying Bredewold to 200m to go. But she may well have been under instruction not to jeopardise the podium as it's not like Movistar were likely to get anything from the sprint behind, they had Steels and Erić but they can't exactly be expected to be leant on in a bunch gallop from a group with Balsamo, Kool and Bujak in it.