Hello lovely subscribers and welcome to Women’s Cycling Weekly! 🚴♀️
How fitting that International Women’s Day should fall on a Friday this year! Obv at WCW we celebrate women every single week (and every day, tbh) and while in the past we’ve put together a separate IWD issue, it feels like the best way to represent the idea is to simply keep doing what we do. Of course, it means that there’s a heap more content to read, watch, and listen to as brands and media outlets focus on women’s content (so scroll on for all of that.)
Here’s a few of my fav brands/initiatives/organisations/people to follow:
IWD is a great time to reflect on just how far women’s racing has come. When I interviewed Sarah Gigante for the pod the other day (coming soon!) she mentioned looking up to Aussie track sprinter, Anna Meares, when she was younger — even though they are worlds apart physiologically — because Meares was one of the few female pro cyclists she got to see on TV. Funny, because around the same time I also wanted to be Meares’ British arch-rival, Victoria Pendleton, for the exact same reason. Not too long afterwards The Women’s Tour started and I would pore over the highlights package. Later, I would watch Lizzie Deignan (Armitstead, as she was then) win her world title in Richmond. Watching La Course every year on ITV was an event. All of these stood out because I was able to watch them unfold, it was a novelty.
I started this newsletter in the cursed year of 2020, that was also the year that the Women’s WorldTeam tier was introduced. I spent the Giro Rosa, as it was, that year updating people via Twitter as there was no live coverage at all.
Now, in 2024, it’s a (bad) novelty if a race does not have live coverage. Credit to the rules set in place by the UCI, every top-tier race has live coverage (even if we are often left wanting more — ahem, Strade), we have a women’s Tour de France(!!) an ever-increasing number of pros are able to actually be pro and the level keeps growing and growing. There’s always more to be done, but sometimes a bit of perspective and taking stock is also good. Imagine where things might be in another five or ten year’s time.
Enjoy the newsletter!
Amy x
News 📰
The route for La Vuelta Femenina 2024 has been revealed.
Liane Lippert has recovered from a stress fracture to her right hip and was able to return to training in late February.
Ellen van Dijk is back! Her first race was today at Vuelta Extremadura Féminas and we will see her again next week at Tour de Normandie.
Read 🗞️
Laura Kenny has a 'slim chance' of competing at Paris Olympics - Cycling Weekly
‘It’s always exciting to have a challenge’: Isabella Holmgren on the step up to elite level - GCN
From Track Cycling to Space Flight: Former US Champion Christina Birch Graduates to NASA - Velo
Charlotte Kool eyes Tour de France home yellow jersey with new-look lead-out train - CyclingNews
Gallery: The favourites prevail at a wonderful Strade Bianche - Escape Collective
'We had way more interest than we ever thought' - Inside the UK's women’s racing boom - Cycling Weekly
Climbing the ladder: How Human Powered Health are elevating their women’s team - GCN
'The perfect underdogs' - How Willkie Sprint made history winning the first women's Little 500 - CyclingNews
Lily Williams Poised for Breakout Season: '2024 is a Really Big Year for Me' - Velo
Lauretta Hanson – Evolving into a ‘domestique that can also win races’ - Cyclingnews
Kristen Faulkner: I dreamed of becoming an Olympian because of the women I saw on TV - GCN
Watch 📺
Happy International Women's day!
Follow the Canyon DH squad including Tahnee Seagrave and Phoebe gale in the first episode of season 2 of How We Roll
Listen 🎧
Rachel and I managed to wrangle ourselves to record a podcast for the second week in a row 🤯 talking all things Strade Bianche, Ronde van Drenthe and who even know’s what else.
Louise Ferguson was on the Downtime Podcast this week to talk all things Hardline, including being one of the first two women to ever complete a top to bottom run (you didn’t think we were done with Hardline, did you?).
Just Ride’s latest guest is none other than Annemiek van Vleuten!
The team at Wheel Talk are chatting about Strade Bianche and the upcoming Ronde van Drenthe.
Matt Stephens chatted to WCW fav and #1 Tour de France Femmes avez Zwift champion, Kate Veronneau, Director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift.
Results 🏆
Road
Strade Bianche (1.WWT)
Lotte Kopecky (SDW)
Elisa Longo Borghini (LTK)
Demi Vollering (SDW)
Trofeo Oro in Euro (1.1)
Elisa Longo Borghini (LTK)
Karlijn Swinkels (UAD)
Ruth Edwards (HPH)
GP Oetingen (1.1)
Lorena Wiebes (SDW)
Thalita de Jong (LDL)
Josie Nelson (DFP)
Vuelta a Extremadura Féminas (2.2)
Stage 1
Olivia Baril (MOV)
Brodie Chapman (LTK)
Mareille Meijering (MOV)
Trofeo Ponente in Rosa (2.2)
Overall:
Kim Cadzow (EFC)
Kristen Faulkner (EFC)
Clara Emond (EFC)
Stage 1
Kim Cadzow (EFC)
Kristen Faulkner (EFC)
Linda Zanetti (SUI)
Stage 2
Kristen Faulkner (EFC)
Kim Cadzow (EFC)
Leonie Laubig (PVA)
Stage 3
Kristen Faulkner (EFC)
Ema Comte (Chambéry)
Ana Vitória Magalhães (BPK)
Upcoming races 📆
Sunday 10th March: Ronde van Drenthe (1.WWT)
How to watch:
Wednesday 13th March: Nokere Koerse (1.Pro)
How to watch:
Live on Eurosport/Discovery+ from 12:15 CET.
Startlist here.
14th - 17th March: Tour de Normandie Féminin (2.1)
How to watch:
Live on YouTube from 13:30 CET on Friday.
Startlist here.
Friday fun 🕺
I didn't want to watch the finish anyway 🥲
That’s all 👋
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Amy x
Where did Amy go some sick sounding person was on the pod advocating for a 6 hour race where nothing happens until the last 20 minutes. This is not what I signed up for. And then they used the word "mononym" and I had to look it up. WHAT IS HAPPENING.