The Women's Tour

[asdfgh101]

Startlist: http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/The_Women_s_Tour_2014-Startlist

Profiles: http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/The_Women_s_Tour_2014-Profiles_Overview

Game: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=22231

Daily highlights on ITV4 in the UK. Women's racing, despite it's lack of coverafe, is usually pretty exciting. Vos has started her season late and Johannson and Armitstead have been flying so far this season, should be a good race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Strong startlist, shame there aren't more challenging hills in that part of the UK but hopefully with 6-strong teams and the more aggressive nature of racing in the women's péloton there ought to be some good competition.

 

[winkybiker]

We really don't care about women's racing, do we? I had to go to the second page to find this thread....

 

[Bumeington]

There's a highlights package being shown on ITV4 in the UK - same deal as we get for the men's tour of britain - go women's cycling!

 

[fowlyetti]

Its good, il be watching!

 

[King Boonen]

I've been watching the highlights when I can, decent crowds and some good racing so far. Good to see Hannah Barnes still up there.

 

[fowlyetti]

Looks like Vos has it in the bag after 2 stage wins in a row. Was hoping to see more from Armitstead.

 

[Puzzilan]

Great finish in Welwyn Garden City, big crowds, Vos is unstoppable

 

[postmanhat]

Have got this set up to record, but haven't watched any of it.

Dunkerque, The Giro and California starting tomorrow, just not enough time to watch it. Good to see Lucy Garner's going well

Why schedule this now, when there's so many other races going on? Plenty of relatively empty weeks in the lead up to the Tour or Vuelta

 

[TANK91]

Guys dont take this wrong way because i have so much respect for riders like Vos and Trott(track) but why are the distances so small i notice it is always like that.What is the womans Giro called again i remember seeing that and the 1 or 2 stages were real joke stages hardly any climbing. Please don't accuse me of being sexist because im not im just curious as we always hear we should be payed like men, well surely race the same distance, no? You don't see Athletics make a 9,000m race they do the same distance etc. Today's stage was 87 kms, why?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Guys dont take this wrong way because i have so much respect for riders like Vos and Trott(track) but why are the distances so small i notice it is always like that.What is the womans Giro called again i remember seeing that and the 1 or 2 stages were real joke stages hardly any climbing. Please don't accuse me of being sexist because im not im just curious as we always hear we should be payed like men, well surely race the same distance, no? You don't see Athletics make a 9,000m race they do the same distance etc. Today's stage was 87 kms, why?

However, in XC skiing, biathlon etc. they do shorter distances too (30k vs. 50k longest XC race, 15k vs. 20k the longest biathlon race, even though the penalty loop is still the same length and takes slightly longer for them to ski). The UCI has a maximum average distance of something like 110km - it's 180km for the men.

The lack of climbing in the Women's Tour is a product of the region it's mostly in - that part of England is mostly flat. In a lot of other races it's to do with finance as well. There are a handful of races with good climbing - the Emakumeen Bira in País Vasco and the Giro del Trentino. The Giro Rosa tries to balance the stages out, but also alternate regions as with only 9-10 stages it can't cover the whole country. Some years it's more mountainous than others - obviously they had a Stelvio MTF in 2010 which was a great showdown between Abbott and Pooley, the two best female climbers in the world at the time (and unlike Schleck and Contador that same month, they bothered to attack one another).

 

[Mellow Velo]

I've watched every stage.
Pretty good coverage, with plenty of insight on a lot of the key riders in the women's peloton.
Have to say I've been impressed by the weekday crowds the race has attracted, if not the actual course.
Eurosports WWC coverage has been good, too.
Women's cycling, having hit rock bottom under McQuaid, looks to be on the up curve.