Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[RedheadDane]

The third edition of the women's Tour de l'Avenir starts this afternoon. This year it will be held alongside the men's race throughout, but a rest day ahead of the last day of racing has been introduced in order to balance things out.

Might just be me, but I feel like there might have been an easier solution:
Just have the women ride the same number of stages as the men.

This event is listed as Women's elite in PCS (and probably elsewhere)

No it isn't.

23.08 - 29.08

Tour de l'Avenir Femmes

2.2U

WU

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

No it isn't.

23.08 - 29.08

Tour de l'Avenir Femmes

2.2U

WU

Found by using the "Women's Elite" filter.

We have a solutionto the matter: please just drop it.

 

[RedheadDane]

We have a solutionto the matter: please just drop it.

But just to be clear everyone: If the conversation had started in the U23 thread there would never have been a problem.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Might just be me, but I feel like there might have been an easier solution:
Just have the women ride the same number of stages as the men.

But you have to remember that the race is already one stage and 100 km longer than in 2023 and two stages and 160 km longer than last year. The difference in level and experience between Francesca Barale, who's been a WWT rider for four seasons, and Tsige Kiros or similar, who are riding their first ever stage race in Europe, is pretty big (Kiros has so ridden very well and is far from being the worst rider in the race, but that couldn't have been predicted beforehand).

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Nienke Vinke has waved goodbye to the race, splits have occurred during the stage, and Gery is unbeatable.

 

[Wyndbrook]

But just to be clear everyone: If the conversation had started in the U23 thread there would never have been a problem.
Guess it may be fair to say 'your problem' not anyone else's.

 

[RedheadDane]

@Wyndbrook, how on earth did you manage to keep your part of the text inside the quote?

The difference in level and experience between Francesca Barale, who's been a WWT rider for four seasons, and Tsige Kiros or similar, who are riding their first ever stage race in Europe, is pretty big (Kiros has so ridden very well and is far from being the worst rider in the race, but that couldn't have been predicted beforehand).

Honestly started to wonder if the step after Junior (U19) should just be a U21 category.

 

[Didinho]

Longo Borghini making the race hard in France, 75km to go. On the most faltering YouTube stream. Difficult to follow.

 

[Didinho]

Chapman missing the same corner in consecutive laps.

 

[Didinho]

Elisa solo with 2 laps to go. As expected.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Fine ride by Vigié, but she angered UAE and paid the price.

 

[RedheadDane]

Weird glitch by PCS, or did Chapman just turn into Andersen?

 

[yaco]

Strange result in KReiz Breiz women's race. Longo-Borghini wins easily with massive gaps in the peleton on a fairly standard parcours with good weather conditions.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Bunel and Holmgren have gapped everyone on San Carlo, but the French woman has to make up 45 seconds to win the race. Appleton is apparently solo, 40 seconds behind.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The gap has grown beyond 1:30 now. Realini completely cracked while in the lead two years ago, but that stage was twice as long and had another 1000m of climbing (they had been on their bikes for a bit before the official start today, but it should still be fairly different).

One or all of Blasi, De Schepper and Ciabocco will probably catch Appleton at some point.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They're still together over the top of PSB and the last climb, as well as the descent beforehand, should probably suit Holmgren more than Bunel. However Direct Velo says Holmgren has been doing all the work, so she could be the most tired of the two.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

DV claimed Bunel won the stage, but the results sites say it was Holmgren. Not that it changes anything in GC. Bunel still has to take back 45 seconds in the MTT, and I find that a hard ask after what we've seen in the race so far.

Appleton hold on to third with the Schepper coming in 21 seconds later. Ciabocco and Blasi both blew up.

 

[Red Rick]

Is the overall stage time right? Because that would mean the top 2 would have gotten top 30 on the men's stage, which is pretty wild

 

[yaco]

DV claimed Bunel won the stage, but the results sites say it was Holmgren. Not that it changes anything in GC. Bunel still has to take back 45 seconds in the MTT, and I find that a hard ask after what we've seen in the race so far.

Appleton hold on to third with the Schepper coming in 21 seconds later. Ciabocco and Blasi both blew up.

Appleton came 2nd in the Pro Velo Super League in Australia in which the winner got a spot on the Liv Alula Conti team in 2026. Liv Alula will be crazy if they have not locked her up for the Conti or WT team. I'll also add Australia picked a poor team for the women's under 23 team for the Worlds. Appleton was an obvious selection on that course. Further it was Sophie Marr who won the conti contract with Liv Alula jayco for 2026. She rode the L'Avenir and finished well down the GC, although, she is not a climber. In saying that, she has WT characteristics.

 

[RedheadDane]

The French rider with the Mountain Jersey and #1 is Bunel; they're actually very nicely showing both the men and the women today.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Appleton came 2nd in the Pro Velo Super League in Australia in which the winner got a spot on the Liv Alula Conti team in 2026. Liv Alula will be crazy if they have not locked her up for the Conti or WT team. I'll also add Australia picked a poor team for the women's under 23 team for the Worlds. Appleton was an obvious selection on that course.

If they haven't signed her up then she should definitely receive other offers after this. She's the revelation of this race, following in the footsteps of Bunel in 2022 (when she was only a staigaire at St. Michel and wasn't even riding for the national team) and Blasi last year.

 

[RedheadDane]

Stage 5a Top-10:

1	Holmgren Isabella	Canada	5	5		1:36:31
2	Bunel Marion	France	1	2		,,
3	Appleton Talia	Australia		1		2:46
4	De Schepper Lore	Belgium				3:07
5	Ciabocco Eleonora	Italy				4:39
6	Blasi Paula	Spain				6:43
7	Gery Célia	France				8:02
8	Reijnhout Rosita	Netherlands				8:12
9	Czapla Justyna	Germany				8:15
10	Oudeman Maud	Netherlands				8:19

Stage 5b Top-10:

1	Holmgren Isabella	Canada	5	5		28.59,87	21.312
2	Appleton Talia	Australia	1	2		1.02,3	20.575
3	Bunel Marion	France		1		1.10,88	20.478
4	Ciabocco Eleonora	Italy				1.35,31	20.205
5	Blasi Paula	Spain				1.36,86	20.188
6	Gery Célia	France				2.00,52	19.931
7	De Schepper Lore	Belgium				2.12,71	19.802
8	Reijnhout Rosita	Netherlands				2.20,0	19.725
9	Geurts Mijntje	Netherlands				2.50,13	19.414
10	Bego Julie	France				3.04,36	19.270

You might notice some similarities.

 

[jono]

Holmgren stomps on everyone in the MTT as well and wins the final GC.

I suppose that shouldn't come as much of a surprise given what she has already accomplished on the WWT this season.

 

[Brullnux]

Is the overall stage time right? Because that would mean the top 2 would have gotten top 30 on the men's stage, which is pretty wild

Holmgren is an absolute tank yeah. They had a rest day yesterday tbf, but Holmgren is absurdly good. I think her prologue put her in the middle of the pack for the men, too.

 

[yaco]

Holmgren showed at the Giro that she is a future GC winner. She gives me Vollering vibes.