The Lesser Known Women's Road Racing Thread 2023

[RedheadDane]

Sweet, an FDJ-designed Dannebrog will almost certainly be amazing.

That, of course, would be extra awesome. But I was just thinking in terms of hopefully the women will get a route that's as hard as the one the men gets.

 

[Koronin]

I'll put this here. Valverde Team (Valverde's amateur team) is adding a Women's Cadet and Women's Junior Team for next year. These teams will be added the school (mixed boys and girls which they started with), a men's Cadet team, a men's Junior team, and the men's U-23 and elite teams they added last year.

 

[RedheadDane]

Cadets are U17, right?

 

[Koronin]

Cadets are U17, right?

I'm not sure on the ages between Cadets and Juniors.

 

[Tonton]

Cadets in France is (was?) 14-15, Juniors 16-17. That's when I quit racing, Junior 2nd year, guys that I competed with in as a first year Junior becoming so much better overnight.

 

[Koronin]

Tonton, thanks.

 

[Koronin]

I'm placing this link here. Movistar has had to announce one of their signings for their women's team won't be able to join them due to her also working with the police. Apparently there is a requirement for women's WT teams that the riders aren't allowed to have other jobs. I do not think this is very helpful for women's racing.

Sofia Bertizzolo will not join Movistar Team’s 2020 roster | Movistar Team

Italian rider unable to ride with Blues next season, due to legal restrictions because of her membership in the National Police.

movistarteam.com

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Then how has she been riding for Virtu this season and Astana before that? Is this a new requirement?

For years niche sports athletes have had shell jobs, Tatiana Guderzo represented Valdarno when she was World Champion but also the Italian prison service. Wintersportsmen and women almost all have secondary roles in the military, the Zollverein, the police and so on, or sports scholarships like college athletes in the US and Canada, and even have independent championships for these professions.

That's also a real blow for Movistar because Bertizzolo is really good. The question will then be, what happens? Is it just some wrangle? Does she end up not able to ride at the top level at all because she can't race for a WT team? (And if so, surely whatever non-WT team she ends up on will surely be welcomed at the majority of top races, she was 4th at the Ronde van freaking Vlaanderen this season)

 

[Koronin]

Then how has she been riding for Virtu this season and Astana before that? Is this a new requirement?

For years niche sports athletes have had shell jobs, Tatiana Guderzo represented Valdarno when she was World Champion but also the Italian prison service. Wintersportsmen and women almost all have secondary roles in the military, the Zollverein, the police and so on, or sports scholarships like college athletes in the US and Canada, and even have independent championships for these professions.

That's also a real blow for Movistar because Bertizzolo is really good. The question will then be, what happens? Is it just some wrangle? Does she end up not able to ride at the top level at all because she can't race for a WT team? (And if so, surely whatever non-WT team she ends up on will surely be welcomed at the majority of top races, she was 4th at the Ronde van freaking Vlaanderen this season)

From what Movistar is saying it sounds like it's a new requirement only for teams that have the new World Tour license. So she could still race for a team that doesn't have the World Tour license and keep her job with the police.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Then how has she been riding for Virtu this season and Astana before that? Is this a new requirement?

For years niche sports athletes have had shell jobs, Tatiana Guderzo represented Valdarno when she was World Champion but also the Italian prison service. Wintersportsmen and women almost all have secondary roles in the military, the Zollverein, the police and so on, or sports scholarships like college athletes in the US and Canada, and even have independent championships for these professions.

That's also a real blow for Movistar because Bertizzolo is really good. The question will then be, what happens? Is it just some wrangle? Does she end up not able to ride at the top level at all because she can't race for a WT team? (And if so, surely whatever non-WT team she ends up on will surely be welcomed at the majority of top races, she was 4th at the Ronde van freaking Vlaanderen this season)

According to the Italian Federation it isn't a problem because of the UCI rules, but because of Spanish law.
Source: http://www.cicloweb.it/2019/11/25/womens-world-tour-bertizzolo-movistar-legge-spagnola/

 

[Koronin]

According to the Italian Federation it isn't a problem because of the UCI rules, but because of Spanish law.
Source: http://www.cicloweb.it/2019/11/25/womens-world-tour-bertizzolo-movistar-legge-spagnola/

Interesting. Thanks. So according to that law you can't have more than 1 job?

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm gonna assume this doesn't include studying. Especially with how young the women tend to turn pro (because there are no separate U23 class), there might be some turning pro who hasn't even finished high school.

 

[Breezy1985]

Is it maybe because she is working for the police. Some countries have laws against police holding other jobs or business interests due to corruption.

I believe the Gardai in Ireland have such a law

 

[andrew_s]

My understanding was that the police job doesn't allow another full time contract, and that on an Italian team, that would be got round by framing the cycling contract as a self-employment contract. However, such contracts aren't allowed in Spain.

 

[Koronin]

My understanding was that the police job doesn't allow another full time contract, and that on an Italian team, that would be got round by framing the cycling contract as a self-employment contract. However, such contracts aren't allowed in Spain.

This appears to be what is happening. This is actually from cyclingnews' article:

Cyclingnews understands that athletes from nations such as Italy, Germany and France, among others, who have paid full-time contracts through the government are not permitted to simultaneously hold paid full-time contracts of employment elsewhere.

Bertizzolo would either have to give up her government contract in order to sign with a Women's WorldTeam or instead compete with a second-tier UCI Continental team that is not obliged to offer riders a base salary.

Bertizzolo has taken to social media to confirm her situation saying that Italian law prevents a female cyclist from signing professional contracts. She stated that while there are exceptions to this rule in Italy, such self-employed contract adjustments would not be legal in accordance with Spanish employment laws.


It appears that this is a situation where we have an Italian law that is not compatible with a Spanish law where employment is concerned.

 

[RedheadDane]

Huh, here's a strange little detailed I just noticed; according to PCS Uttrup's contract with Bigla actually expired on 01/10 this year, why? Not like she's done a whole lot of races in the interweening period. Some sort of trick so she'll be allowed to train in FDJ kit already?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Bertizzolo will race with CCC now, as the Dutch employment laws are more compatible with the Italian ones.

Bigla do do some odd things with contract periods, compared to most teams. Carmen Small did a contract with them which was a 12 month contract running July 1st to June 30th, for example.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Huh, here's a strange little detailed I just noticed; according to PCS Uttrup's contract with Bigla actually expired on 01/10 this year, why? Not like she's done a whole lot of races in the interweening period. Some sort of trick so she'll be allowed to train in FDJ kit already?

It sounds like a way to avoid paying her during the off season.

 

[RedheadDane]

Hey, there's a mistake here, right? They're Swiss now, if I'm not mistaken.

Bigla-Katusha 2020

Bigla-Katusha was the name of the cyclingteam in 2020. The main riders on the team this season were Marlen Reusser, Emma Norsgaard and Elise Chabbey.

www.procyclingstats.com

 

[Finn84]

Lotta Lepistö got married in the off-season and she's now known as Lotta Henttala.

Her husband is Team Novo Nordisk rider in men's PCT level.

 

[yaco]

The commentators at the Bay Crit's referred to her as Lotto Lepisto.

 

[RedheadDane]

The commentators at the Bay Crit's referred to her as Lotto Lepisto.

If commentators haven't quite caught up with the name change yet…
And talking about name changes; according to Boels Dolmans Chantal Blaak is now Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak, but I suppose it's possible she'll still ride simply as Blaak.

 

[christopherrowe]

Is Chloé Dygert Owen not riding for a UCI registered team this year?

 

[yaco]

She rides for one of the American CT's on a part time basis - Her major focus is still the track

 

[Fus087]

Is Chloé Dygert Owen not riding for a UCI registered team this year?

No. She's focusing on the track for Tokyo, racing for Twenty20 - and Twenty20 decided not to register with the UCI this year as they lost a sponsor, and the UCI registration didn't give the team much extra for what it cost.