Women's Cycling News 11-18.08.2013

UCI races this week - Women's crit at Tour of Britain - Moolman to Hitec - Vos treated for back pain - Calling British TT riders - Interesting Links - more to come...

UCI Elite Women's races this week: Open de Suède Vargarda TTT (16.08); Open de Suède Vargarda RR (18.08)

Women's crit at the Tour of Britain
Following on from the excellent and very welcome news that a women's Tour of Britain will be held as a stand-alone event in 2014, race organisers SweetSpot have announced that a one-day event to be known as the Westminster GP will coincide with the final stage of the 2013 edition.

Lasting for one hour, the race will take place on the 22nd of September and will follow a closed circuit criterium parcours through Whitehall, taking the riders along Downing Street, Northumberland Avenue and the Embankment, then back through Parliament Square and will be open to riders in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Elite categories - which encompasses everyone from World Champions to amateur club members.

80 places are still available for the race, costing just £5 each.

Moolman to Hitec

Ashleigh Moolman

Norwegian-based Hitec Products-UCK are a team that has really been on the up this year, when they seem to have had a rider in every break and, as often as not, on the podium. Soon, they'll be heading upward even more quickly, because the team has just announced that in 2014 they'll be joined by Ashleigh Moolman.

South African Moolman, who has ridden for Lotto-Belisol for four years, is known primarily as one of the peloton's strongest climbers and she specialises in that role. She can also be depended upon to take good times in a time trial, a skill not unknown among climbers; unusually for a climber, she can also fight it out in a bunch finish and was third behind Marianne Vos and Elisa Longo Borghini (who also rides for Hitec and will continue to do so for 2014) at the Fleche Wallonne in April where she became the first African woman to reach the podium in a World Cup race before going on to trouble the sprinters at various other races this year.

"We are proud to have Ashleigh in our team for next year, and to become one of the few UCI teams with riders from three continents," said Karl Lima, manager of the team and technical manager of sponsors Hitec Products.

Vos receives treatment for back pain

Vos at the La Flèche Wallonne, 2013

Current World Champion Marianne Vos is undergoing medical treatment after experiencing chronic lower back pain, say Dutch news reports, and is having a week off to recover.

Vos, who made a return to competitive mountain biking this year, has enjoyed a characteristically enormous number of victories this season enjoying her first at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but she's also performed less well than expected on a number of occasions which has led many to wonder if racing both on and off road (in addition to track and cyclo cross) is too much even for her: "Every body has [its] limits, including that of Marianne Vos. At her performance and training level, I can't foresee her being able to keep going for ten years," says former manager Koos Moerenhout.

She is expected to be back in the saddle in time for the Open de Suède Vargarda races at the end of this week, and with the World Championships six weeks away, her rivals will be taking note of how she fares.

Calling British TT riders
The Leicester Forest CC's Women's 10-mile TT is due to take place on the 24th near Loughborough - but, so far, only two riders have signed up to race. Entry is only £8 and the event has a reputation for being welcoming. More details here.

Interesting Links
United Kingdom
Two golds for Great Britain at junior track worlds (Cycling Weekly)
Australia
Elite, U19 & U23 Women: Jacobs wins Australian national cyclo-cross championship (Cycling News)
International
Women's Cycling: We're creating our own history (The Guardian, UK)