Zaaf are no more 🚫

➕ ELB pulls out of the Vuelta with "aggressive stomach bug"

Hello lovely subscribers and welcome to Women’s Cycling Weekly! 🚴‍♀️

I’m soooooo tired so pls forgive that I don’t have much to say in this intro this week but obvi the big news is that Zaaf are no more. I could say 1 million things about this but I will leave it up to this very thorough and well-written breakdown of what on earth is going on/went down from Joe Lindsey for Escape Collective.

The Vuelta kicks off next week and I had some thoughts on the race’s stature in this week’s subscriber-only content. Forgetting the politics of all that — and even without ELB — it should be an interesting chance for us to see Demi Vollering and AVV go head to head in a tough stage race.

But right now my only thought is of going to sleep.

Enjoy,

Amy x

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News 📰

• Zaaf is officially no more.

• Thankfully, more former riders have found a new team: Heidi Franz has signed for DNA Pro Cycling and Michaela Drummond has joined Farto-BTC Women's Cycling Team.

• Thüringen Ladies Tour has bid for a place on the Women's WorldTour in 2024.

• Elisa Longo Borghini has announced that she won’t be racing the Vuelta, saying on social media: “Good luck to my teammates for the #Vuelta ! Unfortunately an aggressive stomach bug really knocked me out in these days and with great regret I had to give up. I'll keep you posted on my next races!”

elisalongob

A post shared by Elisa Longo Borghini (@elisalongob)

• While Elisa Longo Borghini will not be racing La Vuelta Femenina, Chloe Dygert will. The American will make her long-awaited return to racing in Spain with her Canyon//SRAM team after more than twelve months out struggling with injury and illness and says ‘I am 100% healthy’.

• After her horrific crash at Paris-Roubaix, former cyclocross world champion Sanne Cant is back on the bike having had 60 stitches in her face.

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Read  🗞️

• 'I wanted this so badly' - Demi Vollering becomes new queen of Ardennes Classics.

• Liane Lippert: next in line.

• Longo Borghini praises well-executed plan despite 'misplayed' final at Liège.

• The Kopecky effect: Four times more U18 women registering at Cycling Vlaanderen since 2020.

• La Vuelta Femenina contenders - The favourites in the hunt for the overall victory.

• La Vuelta Femenina: Demi Vollering aims to take Ardennes success into stage race form.

• Megan Jastrab on feeling like she belongs in WorldTour after rocky start to career.

• 'God is why I'm still racing': Amber Neben on winning the Pan-American TT championships at 48.

• Women’s WorldTour points fight: Promotion, relegation contest on a knife edge.

• Is the WWT growing too fast? Opinion split in wake of race cancelations.

• 'I'm fat – and I'm OK with that': The size-inclusion campaigner seeking to make cycling safe and accessible for everyone.

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Listen 🎧

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Watch 📺

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Results 🏆

Liège-Bastogne-Liège(1.WWT)

1. Demi Vollering (SDW)

2. Elisa Longo Borghini (TSF)

3. Marlen Reusser (SDW)

Omloop van Borsele (1.1)

1. Linda Zanetti (UAE dev team)

2. Audrey Cordon Ragot (FRA)

3. Nora Tveit (HPU)

Continental Pan-Am Championships (CC)

1. Skylar Schneider (USA)

2. Alison Jackson (CAN)

3. Catalina Anais Soto (CHI)

Tour of the Gila (2.2)

Stage 1: Marcela Prieto (Agolico)

Stage 2: Marlies Mejías (Virginia's Blue Ridge - TWENTY24)

Stage 3 (ITT): Emily Ehrlich (Virginia's Blue Ridge - TWENTY24)

Gracia (2.2)

Stage 1: Dominika Wlodarczyk (MAT Atom Deweloper Wrocław)

Stage 2: Linda Zanetti (UAE Development Team)

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Upcoming races 📆

Road

1st - 7th May: La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es (2.WWT)

• Starts 08:40 CEST, finishes ~13:00 CEST

• Live on Eurosport/GCN+ from 11.15 CEST 

• Start list here

• Preview here

29th - 30th April: Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs (2.Pro)

5th May: La Classique Morbihan (1.1)

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Friday fun🕺

Now I’M crying.

Obsessed with these 🏖️🎨

treksegafredo

A post shared by Trek-Segafredo (@treksegafredo)

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That’s all 👋

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Amy and Tilda x