Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[Izzyeviel]

there is "coverage" of all the stages this year,theres highlights on iPlayer, or via the Red Button channels each day, so 1030pm tomorrow is stage 2, if you can stomach the commentate by just reading a list of previous race victories style commentary per rider style by Simon Brotherton, at least Hayley Simmonds tries to bring a bit of balance but sheesh just get Marty MacDonald in and stop pretending you care about showing this stuff BBC.

like literally the guy is calling out Coryn Labecki as a rider to watch for victories, because she won the Ride London crit in 2017 & Womens Tour 2018 so she "knows British roads" !!!

sounds like a vast improvement from the 2012 olympics.

'The rider from the US'
'The Dutch rider'
'The rider from Australia'
'Lizzie's teamate'
'Lizzie & marianne vos the greatest rider are riding to the line with the russian'

 

[awavey]

sounds like a vast improvement from the 2012 olympics.

'The rider from the US'
'The Dutch rider'
'The rider from Australia'
'Lizzie's teamate'
'Lizzie & marianne vos the greatest rider are riding to the line with the russian'

a fair point Id tried to blank that commentary debacle from memory

 

[Izzyeviel]

The Thüringen race is looking rather interesting. 30Km to go & The solo breakaway is almost leading the virtual GC. The small GC group seem to be struggling a bit bringing her back.

Delayed coverage here:

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Looks like she's actually going to hold on, but Manly's jersey is safe.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They came close in the end, but a great victory for Yuliia Biriukova and Arkea (the team's first ever win outside of France).

 

[Samu Cuenca]

And another win for Wiebes in England.

 

[Izzyeviel]

They came close in the end, but a great victory for Yuliia Biriukova and Arkea (the team's first ever win outside of France).

This stage was more exciting than the Giro. Manly is a star in the making.

 

[yaco]

It was an intelligent ride by BEX BUT a poor one by two teams in the reduced peleton - BEX paced it so that other teams would have to contribute in the last 20kms - The two teams with three riders only rode from 7kms which was too late - Would like BEX to take Manly and Fidanza to the TOB>

 

[lemon cheese cake]

What is it with single teams/riders dominating races this year? Recently you've had Movistar going 3 from 3 and gc at Andalucia, Demi Vollering winning everything she possibly could in Itzulia, Bikeexchange winning the first four stages and Alex Manly winning 3 of those and now Wiebes winning both stages in the Tour of Essex and will most likely win again today.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What is it with single teams/riders dominating races this year? Recently you've had Movistar going 3 from 3 and gc at Andalucia, Demi Vollering winning everything she possibly could in Itzulia, Bikeexchange winning the first four stages and Alex Manly winning 3 of those and now Wiebes winning both stages in the Tour of Essex and will most likely win again today.

TBF Andalucía and Thüringen have been cases where there's only a couple of big teams. Itzulia was a bit like that, where the field clearly improved for Burgos afterward, and Essex is a combination of the péloton being split between Thüringen and there, and that the parcours simply wasn't selective enough to prevent sprints and she was the best sprinter there.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Coverage of stage 6 of the Thurigen race , I like how they made the parcour look brutal.

 

[RedheadDane]

And... another one for Manly.

 

[Izzyeviel]

And... another one for Manly.

A great win for her, the whole race has been quite fun

 

[yaco]

Reckon BEX could sneak a stage at either the Giro Donne or TDF Femmes which is good for a development year.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Sprint coming up in London.

 

[RedheadDane]

3/3 for Wiebes.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

DSM timed their leadout perfectly after the other teams had burned themselves up in the last few kilometres.

 

[yaco]

Rubbish parcours at Ride London - Better to keep it to a one day race if they serve up that rubbish.

I am surprised that one or two other WT teams did not ride Lotto Thuringen instead of Ride London, especially with Wiebes in the field.

 

[Skalman]

Julia B. adds another good performance this year in Ride London , good to see.

 

[awavey]

Rubbish parcours at Ride London - Better to keep it to a one day race if they serve up that rubbish.

I am surprised that one or two other WT teams did not ride Lotto Thuringen instead of Ride London, especially with Wiebes in the field.

well the one day race has usually been even worse since they only let the women ride a crit, not the full road course the mens race took.

but Ride London Classique is part of the WWT,somehow, so the WWT teams dont have a choice they have to turn up and enter a team of riders, the rest get invited, but there are also WWT points up to gain, so for instance Lotte Kopecky is now back leading the WWT individual standings, she wouldnt have gained that if she'd gone to Lotto Thuringen instead, and the smaller teams might have been hoping to grab some top 10 placings which helps them going forward.

and I dont think all the teams sent their best riders which shows what they thought of the parcours, DSM probably did but they had a race plan they knew Wiebes could be favourite to take the overall win if they drilled it, and mission accomplished, some of the other teams looked like they were treating as just high intensity training maybe warming up riders back from covid absences/injury for the Womens tour instead, we'll see who they pick.

 

[RedheadDane]

but Ride London Classique is part of the WWT,somehow, so the WWT teams dont have a choice they have to turn up and enter a team of riders, the rest get invited,

WWT teams don't have to enter WWT races - bit like how WT teams don't have to enter WT races that gained WT status in/after 2017 - for example, BEX didn't ride London. Instead they went to Germany, and had a fair bit of success.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I assume the idea of going to London seemed appealing to the teams and riders, though some of them weren't too impressed with the lack of live coverage.

Anyway the race was held after a two-year hiatus, and if it's true they got a deal with the BBC to show all stages next year (if it remains a stage race), then maybe it can grow further from there. It probably also depends on the future of the Women's Tour.

 

[awavey]

WWT teams don't have to enter WWT races - bit like how WT teams don't have to enter WT races that gained WT status in/after 2017 - for example, BEX didn't ride London. Instead they went to Germany, and had a fair bit of success.

I thought they had to turn up if they were invited, but guess Im confusing it with they have to be invited, though they may choose not to accept then, but that does seem a bit farcial if you run a WWT event, and the WWT teams can choose not to turn up and then go off and ride other competing non WWT events instead.

I suppose the assumption is a WWT event is supposed to be of high enough stature that teams wouldnt refuse the invitation.

 

[yaco]

well the one day race has usually been even worse since they only let the women ride a crit, not the full road course the mens race took.

but Ride London Classique is part of the WWT,somehow, so the WWT teams dont have a choice they have to turn up and enter a team of riders, the rest get invited, but there are also WWT points up to gain, so for instance Lotte Kopecky is now back leading the WWT individual standings, she wouldnt have gained that if she'd gone to Lotto Thuringen instead, and the smaller teams might have been hoping to grab some top 10 placings which helps them going forward.

and I dont think all the teams sent their best riders which shows what they thought of the parcours, DSM probably did but they had a race plan they knew Wiebes could be favourite to take the overall win if they drilled it, and mission accomplished, some of the other teams looked like they were treating as just high intensity training maybe warming up riders back from covid absences/injury for the Womens tour instead, we'll see who they pick.

Bike Exchange Jayco wisely rode the Lotto Thuringen Tour - AFAIK the women's WWT has no mandate for WWT teams to attend a race - It's pointless having a WWT stage race if the parcour only suits one style of rider - The women and the teams have been critical of the lack of live coverage of Ride London BUT it may have been a blessing in disguise in this case - Anyway if the same parcour is offered up in 2023 then expect more teams to drift to the Lotto Thuringen Tour.

 

[RedheadDane]

I thought they had to turn up if they were invited, but guess Im confusing it with they have to be invited

Well, if you have to turn up if invited, then it's not really an invitation, but an obligation.