The spirit of Strade 🇮🇹

➕ Tilda is already wrong AGAIN and the Vuelta route is finally here

Hello! Welcome to Women’s Cycling Weekly! 🚴‍♀️

It’s Strade Bianche week, and if you don’t love this race then are you okay? The scenery, the chaos, I mean, look at last year’s finish!! 

A new race means new predictions and this week’s podcast is freshly-published but –just like last week – Tilda’s prediction is already wildly off because her fav for the win, Elisa Longo Borghini, is out of the race with illness (😢) – unless she’s edited that part out to save face… 

PLUS if you’re a paid subscriber then you will have seen our list of six things we’d love to see happen at the race including, wait for it, an AVV win???? If you aren’t already then please consider becoming a subscriber and supporting WCW! 💘 

Seeing as we’re hopeless at predictions let’s throw it over to you guys, who will cross the line first in Siena tomorrow?

Enjoy this week’s issue!

Amy x

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News 📰

• The route for La Vuelta Femenina has FINALLY been fully announced! It includes a TTT opening stage as well as a summit finish atop the climb up to Lagos de Covadonga but due to calendar clashes a few teams will be giving it a miss.

• In more route reveal news RideLondon announced all three stages of this year’s race which look like the usual sprinter’s affair! The organisers have also promised live coverage of all three stages to be broadcast on the BBC in the UK.

• Still suffering from symptoms of the concussion she sustained in a crash at last year’s Tour de France Femmes, FDJ - SUEZ announced that Marta Cavalli will take a break from racing. Concussion is no joke so it’s good to see that the team are giving Marta the time she needs to recover!

  FDJ - SUEZ @FDJ_SUEZ

  Team statement about @marta_cavalli98 📝

  

• Marianne Vos is back on the bike after undergoing surgery for a compressed iliac artery. She is training on Tenerife

  

• Cyclocross legend Ellen Van Loy has retired at the age of 42.

Cyclocross24.com @cyclocross24

🇧🇪 Ellen Van Loy (42) ended her cyclocross career today in Oostmalle. She started at the age of 28 and has always combined it with a job in a care center for people with a mental disability. And won big races like Gavere and Diegem. All the best for the future @Ellenvanloy! 👏

• Elisa Longo Borghini has been forced to pull out of racing Strade Bianche tomorrow due to illness 😢 get well soon Elisa!

  Elisa Longo Borghini @ElisaLongoB

  No @StradeBianche for me this year as I fell sick this morning… Aawww, my favourite race… 😞 I’ll be cheering for my @TrekSegafredo teammates from the sofa!

  

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Read  🗞️

• Saying “tot ziens” to Ellen van Loy.

• An interesting Substack post on training with your menstrual cycle.

• “This Single Mom Is on a Mission to Inspire Young Black Girls to Get into Cycling.”

• Some analysis from Omloop!

• Here she is banging on about sprinting again.

• “Black Cyclists Who Paved the Way for the Sport and Culture” including Kittie Knox who: “rode a male-specific bike instead of the traditional step-thru frame marketed for women. She opted for knickerbocker suits with baggy pants instead of dresses, to the consternation of many. When racing, she lined up with men, competing in races as long as 100 miles and consistently finishing in the top 20 percent.” What a woman.

• Predictions and contenders for Strade Bianche!

• Abuse victim and disgraced champion Geneviève Jeanson finds solace in return to bike racing: "Failing that drug test was the best thing that had ever happened to me."

• How the organisers of Shasta Gravel Hugger gravel race have worked with racers to give their women’s race more spotlight.

• Lotte Kopecky doesn’t feel any pressure ahead of Strade Bianche defense.

• For the tech heads: Zoe Bäckstedt’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo4.

• Can La Vueta Femenina call itself a grand tour?

• An interview with Lizzy Banks originally published in Rouleur’s “Body” issue.

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Watch 📺

She’s back!!! 🫶

I wish I was as cool as Tahnée Seagrave

Track sprinter Emma Hinze answers some questions!

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Listen 🎧

The one where Tilda gets her prediction wrong AGAIN. Featuring the lovely Sadhbh O’Shea!

Benji from the Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast chatted to Elisa Balsamo!

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Results 🏆

Road

Omloop het Nieuwsblad

1. Lotte Kopecky (SDW)

2. Lorena Wiebes (SDW)

3. Marta Bastianelli (UAD)

Omloop van het Hageland

1. Lorena Wiebes (SDW)

2. Marta Bastianelli (UAD)

3. Audrey Cordon-Ragot (ZAF)

Le Samyn

1. Marta Bastianelli (UAD)

2. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (UXT)

3. Vittoria Guazzini (FST)

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Upcoming races 📆

Road

4th March: Strade Bianche (1.WWT)

• Starts 9.30 CET, finishes ~ 13.30 CET

• Live on Eurosport/GCN+ from 11.30 CET

Start list here

8th March: GP Oetingen (1.1)

Start list here

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Friday fun🕺

🤌🇮🇹

Coreen Mazzocchi @mazzok

Strade Bianche without ELB is like cacio e pepe without pecorino.. all the flavor is missing. Rimettiti presto 😘

Elisa Longo Borghini @ElisaLongoB

No @StradeBianche for me this year as I fell sick this morning… Aawww, my favourite race… 😞 I’ll be cheering for my @TrekSegafredo teammates from the sofa! https://t.co/0jFfPevWEC

Mieke Kröger

Human Powered Health Cycling @hphcycling

There could only be one ride out song right? @mieke_kroeger anthem on 🔥 #HumanPoweredHealth | #OHNwomen

Beryl 🫶

classicretro @classicretro

Beryl (The Morley Express) gets a push .....

We are all excite!!!

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig @CUttrupLudwig

On a scale of 1 to 10, my excitement level for @StradeBianche this Saturday is 12.5🧨💥❤️‍🔥 📸: The one and only @dwlpowell

Kate’s got the most watts for sure ⚡

princeandprincessofwales

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

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That’s all 👋

Thanks for reading Women’s Cycling Weekly! 💘

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Amy and Tilda x