Wiebes the winning machine
+ is Demi Vollering worth one million euros?
Hello lovely subscribers and welcome to Women’s Cycling Weekly! 🚴♀️
So SD Worx - Protime have started their season at UAE Tour and, reader, nothing has changed since they left off in 2023. With her main rival, Charlotte Kool, out of the race due to illness Lorena Wiebes and her team have run rings around the rest of the peloton on the first two sprint stages of the race. Optimistic souls looked to Chiara Consoni, Clara Copponi, or maybe Georgia Baker to challenge the former European Champion but Kool is the only true match for Wiebes’ speed and power. It’s just the state of sprinting in the women’s peloton right now 🤷♀️ and it doesn’t make Wiebes’ abilities any less impressive.
Onwards to the queen stage of the race, then, with Jebel Hafeet to contend with and the time for another SD Worx rider to come to the fore: world champion Lotte Kopecky. Having seen this climb first-hand last year I have my reservations over whether Kopecky can challenge some of the climbers tomorrow — especially someone like Gaia Realini who made it look easy as she shepherded Elisa Longo Borghini up its slopes in 2023. Anything goes with this team and with Kopecky, though, especially since she proved her climbing prowess on the Tourmalet last year. The Belgian has been hunting bonus seconds in her GC bid over the past few days and clearly reckons she has a chance.
Meanwhile, the 2025 transfer chat has already begun, with reports that Team UAE ADQ were courting Demi Vollering for a cool €1M coming out of the Dutch press. SD Worx Protime director Danny Stam told GCN that he would love to keep the Tour de France Femmes champion ‘but not for a blank cheque.’ Then, Vollering’s teammate, Lorena Wiebes, entered the chat to say that she thought her compatriot was worth the money. Nobody has actually confirmed the existence of a million euro offer at this stage but if the figure was really on the table it would be a landmark moment for women’s cycling. Personally, I would love to see talent spread a bit more evenly throughout the peloton.
Anyway, enjoy this week’s newsletter!
Amy x
News 📰
Pinarello joins the Women's WorldTour with Roland Cycling.
After a crash at training camp, Marta Cavalli has suffered a bone bruise to her pelvis.
Annemiek van Vleuten can’t stop, won’t stop, even in retirement. The former world champ is set to ride across the Andes mountains in Colombia across eight days in the Transcordilleras gravel race, starting on Sunday. “I’m not racing for a result, just for the adventure, and just to finish it, or maybe not,” she said.
Read 🗞️
Head to Instagram to read GRVL Troopers' interview with Geerike Schreurs who went from Trek soigneur to SD Worx gravel pro.
'My body was done' - Elisa Longo Borghini reboots after sepsis, COVID-19 and crash-derailed season - Cyclingnews
Mavi García - 'We're people, not machines' - Cyclingnews
The empire is back: SD Worx-Protime are inevitable - Escape Collective
SD Worx-Protime: We want to keep Demi Vollering but not for a blank cheque - GCN
Georgie Howe's Journal #1: Don’t panic! - Escape Collective
Kittie Knox: The Black Cyclist and Activist Who Challenged Race and Gender Barriers in the 1890s - Velo
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will test Ineos’ true commitment to women’s cycling - GCN
Bumper CX World Champs gallery: Dutch domination at the top, while younger ranks provide the drama - Escape Collective
Origin Stories: How Zoe Bäckstedt Went From Beating All the Boys to Winning World Titles - Velo
Watch 📺
Listen 🎧
Helen Wyman is on Wheel Talk to answer some listener questions and chat about the cyclocross world champs.
Speaking of world champs, at Muddy Mondays David and Maghalie are bringing you with them throughout the whole week.
Emma Finucane discusses becoming a world champion at 20 and her Olympic ambitions.
Heidi Franz on her return to the pro peloton and surviving the collapse of two teams.
Results 🏆
Road
UAE Tour (2.WWT) 🇦🇪
Stage 1:
Lorena Wiebes (SDW)
Rachele Barbieri (DFP)
Chiara Consonni (UAD)
Stage 2:
Lorena Wiebes (SDW)
Chiara Consonni (UAD)
Clara Copponi (LTK)
Vuelta CV Feminas (1.1) 🇪🇸
Cédrine Kerbaol (WNT)
Marit Raaijmakers (HPH)
Federica Piergiovanni (UDT)
New Zealand national championships, road race (NC) 🇳🇿
Ella Wylie (LAJ)
Kim Cadzow (EFC)
Samara Maxwell (Rockrider Ford)
New Zealand national championships, ITT (NC) 🇳🇿
Kim Cadzow (EFC)
Mikayla Harvey (UAE)
Kate McCarthy
CX
🌈 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Tabor 🇨🇿
Junior:
🥇 Célia Gery 🇫🇷
🥈 Cat Ferguson 🇬🇧
🥉 Viktória Chladoňová 🇸🇰
U23:
🥇 Zoe Backstedt 🇬🇧
🥈 Kristyna Zemanová 🇨🇿
🥉 Leonie Bentveld 🇳🇱
Elite:
🥇 Fem van Empel 🇳🇱
🥈 Lucinda Brand 🇳🇱
🥉 Puck Pieterse 🇳🇱
Upcoming races 📆
Road
8th - 11th February: UAE Tour (2.WWT)
How to watch:
Live on Eurosport from 11:30 CET Saturday and Sunday.
15th - 18th February: Setmana Ciclista Valenciana (2.Pro)
How to watch:
Live on YouTube from 15:15 CET on Thursday and 14:15 CET on Friday.
CX
Saturday 10th February: Superprestige #8: Middelkerke
How to watch:
Live on Eurosport from 13:30 CET.
Sunday 11th February: X2O Trofee #7: Lille
How to watch:
Live on Eurosport from 13:40 CET.
Friday fun 🕺
Is there anything Lotte can't do?
That’s all 👋
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Amy x
Last minute mention of CX in the post justifies this digression hopefully, talking of race dominance. Netherlands totally dominate women's CX currently, but in the U23 and Juniors it was a totally different story (almost no Dutch contenders at all). I wonder if there is any reason for this (did the reduce investment in grass roots?), and how long before the elite wins get more spread out as Fem/Puck are still so young? Fem is on another planet at the moment - I do miss the ding dong battles of last season I have to say (even though, as with Demi and Lotte, Fem is ace so that's ok!)