Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[Samu Cuenca]

Also reduced to five days.

That should at least make the costs smaller. The new rules also require WWT races of six days or more to have 7 riders teams in them, which would have made it more expensive for the organiser, although I doubt all teams would actually have brought 7 riders to the race.

It's a shame that the Women's Tour is suffering when the RideLondon Classique seems to have the funding in place with the backing of Ford and a BBC deal. Having two UK (or rather English) races is of course not bad in itself and it probably also helps both races to attract better riders, but if it could be possible to have one great race instead it would be a lot better. If Lorena Wiebes wins 2/3 of the stages again or close to it, then it probably won't be too entertaining.

 

[awavey]

That should at least make the costs smaller. The new rules also require WWT races of six days or more to have 7 riders teams in them, which would have made it more expensive for the organiser, although I doubt all teams would actually have brought 7 riders to the race.

It's a shame that the Women's Tour is suffering when the RideLondon Classique seems to have the funding in place with the backing of Ford and a BBC deal. Having two UK (or rather English) races is of course not bad in itself and it probably also helps both races to attract better riders, but if it could be possible to have one great race instead it would be a lot better. If Lorena Wiebes wins 2/3 of the stages again or close to it, then it probably won't be too entertaining.

well the Classique has a named sponsor but I suspect theres not much money changing hands for that in reality, which would be the problem for the Womens Tour, Im sure there are stacks of sponsors willing to get involved with them,just not many to cover the 500k shortfall the Guardian is reporting theyve got.

Ride London is really funded via TfL/Mayors Office, Essex County council, hence their likely absences from the Womens Tour this time as both in the past have hosted stages and then theres the whole London Marathon Events structure. Ford are on board to advertise to all the people doing the main rides and spectating those, that they can stick their name on a race is probably a bonus to them.

and we still remember the BBC coverage right ? so thats not necessarily a deal to be excited about, and probably again linked the London Marathon which the Beeb gives the kind of treatment to you cant imagine them ever considering for a bike race.

 

[awavey]

part of me suspects the course profiles havent been set on yet, even in draft form, theres talk of a mid April decision point if the race even proceeds at the moment.

and Id agree stage 3 was the only one that really interested me from a racing pov and from a spectator to visit. It depends what route they pick of course, Im sure theyll loop into Pickering as they did for the TdY visit to Scarborough, just to get the helicopter shot of the steam train, but I know theres a road I drove across the North Yorkshire Moors area around there that was one of those wish you could keep stopping and taking pictures, which could be spectacular to see, whether it makes it a good race I dont know, but I suspect youre right it will be bonus secs victory again, and the rest of the stages arent inspiring me yet at all

its sad as it really feels like its gone backwards as a race, to the point I mean you could see & feel even last year they were struggling with it and its certainly been overtaken by lots of the other races. it doesnt feel like the premium top level sports event it used to be, or should be anymore, and I suspect most of the top teams wont be sending their best riders

the East Anglian stages were always good for me, meant I didnt have far to travel , though I agree their route design was terrible, they literally were just either following sustran routes and zigzagging past as many schools as they could find on a map, and then a cramped sprint finish, largely designed because thats what the hosting councils wanted I think because they want to bash the boards and feel its exciting and assume thats what the public wants as well.

there was a thing recently in the local papers about how many millions the stages had boosted the local economy & how pleased the local councils were with it, so I dont think the area is out of favour, they might just be swapping over to the ToB this year instead.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Neff took another stage win in Italy, while today's race in Drenthe got cancelled. I hope the WWT race tomorrow won't get cancelled as well.

The short opening TTT of the Vuelta Extremadura will be streamed soon. I had hoped Eider Merino would be taking the first victory of the year for Fundación Euskadi, but she's once again been hit by health issues. Nikola Nosková looks like the biggest favourite now. I was impressed by Adèle Normand in last year's Alpes Gresivaudan Classic, but there might be other riders here who are in better shape than her.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yo7vNLVp8I&ab_channel=SPORTPUBLICTV

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Arkéa won the TTT and two birthday girls got to see some cakes, before they were ruthlessly taken away from them. I guess they must have ridiculed RhD or something.

 

[jmdirt]

So the UCI is investigating a glucose monitor?
A) Why is there a rule against continuous monitoring?
B) OK, there is a rule against continuous monitoring, the investigation should already be over because it would be very easy to check.
C) Change the rule.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Bad news for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB - The SVB sponsor is in financial trouble

 

[yaco]

So the UCI is investigating a glucose monitor?
A) Why is there a rule against continuous monitoring?
B) OK, there is a rule against continuous monitoring, the investigation should already be over because it would be very easy to check.
C) Change the rule.

I wonder how do you prove that the item was a Glucose monitor ? I can't see the investigation going anywhere unless the UCI checked Faulkner directly after the stage.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

I wonder how do you prove that the item was a Glucose monitor ? I can't see the investigation going anywhere unless the UCI checked Faulkner directly after the stage.

I guess it's in the place the Supersapiens monitor usually goes and looks like one of those, there again that's just making assumptions based on other things. It seems the only reason it's being investigated is because it was brought to the attention of the UCI when the new media company, Escape Collective, asked for a comment on it.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I wonder how do you prove that the item was a Glucose monitor ? I can't see the investigation going anywhere unless the UCI checked Faulkner directly after the stage.

It looked like a duck, but the chance to check whether it swam like a duck or quacked like a duck has passed, so there will always be plausible denial that it was a duck.

 

[RedheadDane]

It looked like a duck, but the chance to check whether it swam like a duck or quacked like a duck has passed, so there will always be plausible denial that it was a duck.

I seem to have missed something important here... why are they forbidden? Don't they just... monitor?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I seem to have missed something important here... why are they forbidden? Don't they just... monitor?

The UCI needs to authorise its use beforehand to make sure the team won't have direct access to the data within a race. However glucose levels are not allowed to be monitored during races, not even by the riders, so therefore is seems this device is illegal, unless a riders gets an exception for being diabetic for instance.

 

[samhocking]

I seem to have missed something important here... why are they forbidden? Don't they just... monitor?

UCI split the performance monitoring rules into physiological and metabolic data. Metabolic data isn't allowed to be captured, but the wording is a little unclear as it switches between 'transmitting and capturing' and just capturing randomly. The glucose devices cache the data, but without a Garmin/Wahoo or iPhone nothing can be transmitted and captured for use in competition. I think she read the rules in good faith that she didn't want to remove the device as they last two weeks, are expensive and can't really be attached again once removed.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I seem to have missed something important here... why are they forbidden? Don't they just... monitor?

Mick Roger's rule, has to earn his corn since retiring.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Bad news for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB - The SVB sponsor is in financial trouble

Gone from being in trouble to no longer ceasing to exist.

 

[Izzyeviel]

That's quite the start to the broadcast.

 

[jmdirt]

Bad news for EF Education-TIBCO-SVB - The SVB sponsor is in financial trouble

Collapse is a better word. I hope that the team can survive (was there escrow money for the team?).

 

[jmdirt]

The UCI needs to authorise its use beforehand to make sure the team won't have direct access to the data within a race. However glucose levels are not allowed to be monitored during races, not even by the riders, so therefore is seems this device is illegal, unless a riders gets an exception for being diabetic for instance.

The device isn't illegal.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Wiebes won the sprint by a mile.

 

[Dk one]

Good work by uno-x, Dideriksen and MGC to help them get their biggest result so far.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Arkéa are bossing it in Extremadura. 5 km to the top of Piornal and they have three riders in the five woman leading group.

And now Clara Emond and Megan Armitage are alone.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

And Armitage won the sprint against Emond with Maaike Colje in third. A pretty good dayfpr Arkéa!

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Apparently Armitage is now the first ever Irish woman to win a uci ranked stage race

 

[fmk_RoI]

Looks like it's official - the airbrush has been taken to the results

https://twitter.com/x/status/1635590496339763201

View: https://twitter.com/fmk_RoI/status/1635590496339763201

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Double boo. Firstly it seems a petty disqualification in the circumstances (I would probably feel differently had she come 3rd from a sprint, although she did block Demi and nearly cost me points in both women's cycling forum games), and secondly the delay in doing so means they denied us a Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig podium interview.