Women's Cycling News Round-up 02-09.02.2014

World 'Cross Champs - more to come...

More news to come - got a story for us? Let us know!

Vos smashes World 'Cross Champs; Brit Helen Wyman wins bronze
Outside Belgium cyclo cross has never had a profile anything like that enjoyed by its sibling road racing, but once a year the entire cycling world stocks up on the Leffe and prepares for dose of good, filthy fun as the riders get down and dirty and fight it out for the biggest prize in 'cross - the World Championships.

In recent years, Marianne Vos' domination of the sport has been so great that bookies probably kept a drawerful of pre-printed betting slips with her name inserted where there'd usually be a blank space - your chances of getting any cash back had you have bet on anyone else was about as likely as your chances of getting it back if you'd dropped your wallet in the Hoogerheide mud. For the last couple of seasons, however, it's been increasingly apparent that rather than "killing the sport" - as some people, presumably ones who've never heard of Eddy Merckx, who was the last rider that can be compared the Dutch superstar, claimed would happen - the Vos phenomenon has had an enormously positive effect: just as the British rider Helen Wyman said would happen, the rest of the field has had to work hard to improve so as to be in with a chance, and women's cyclo cross has become a very great deal more competitive and fascinating as a result. This year, that process has really come to a head - Vos has been World 'Cross Champion seven times, donning the rainbow jersey in all but two of the years since 2006 but for the first time in a long time a large percentage of fans were tipping other riders for victory, with the USA's Katie Compton and Wyman both being named likely victors.

As was the case at the final round of the World Cup at Nommay in France last week, the widely predicted and much-anticipated battle between Vos and Compton never happened - right at the start of the race the American collided with three-time Czech champion Pavla Havlikova and both riders had difficulty untangled their bikes, losing a lot of time. Compton, though, is a very strong rider indeed; she was still in with a good chance of catching up and Vos would only have had to make a tiny mistake for her rival to take control. The thing is, though, Vos doesn't make many mistakes, and later in the race Compton's asthma, which forced her to abandon at Nommay, started to play her up once again. It seems highly likely that, sooner or later, Compton will take the rainbow jersey, but it wasn't to be this year and in the end she took ninth place.

Vos' technique is well-known: she simply finds her pace and then keeps going, and if anyone can stay with her for the duration then they might (and it's a very big might) be able to match her legendary surge of power to the line. In this race she set her pace early, suddenly accelerating hard halfway through the first lap to a speed that suited her. Italian Eva Lechner went with her and looked strong, but the speeds that suit Vos are virtually unhuman and she fell behind by the end of the lap. From that point on, it was virtually beyond doubt that Vos would take another title and there will be those who say that deciding the outcome so early makes for a boring race. However, there is joy to be had in watching an artisan skilled in his or her craft, and Vos is as expert at the technique of cycling as she is as generating vast wattages - time and time again she picked her lines and executed them to absolute perfection, hardly ever putting a tyre more than a centimetre away from where it needed to be to maintain momentum despite the slippery conditions and taking the corners so quickly that the mud hardly had time to stick to her socks, which looked almost as clean when she finished the race after 39'25" as when she started. She is a truly remarkable athlete and entirely deserves every victory she takes, even if her main rival has been taken out.

Lechner, who had now given up on catching Vos and was concentrating on staying as far ahead of the rest as she possibly could; she worked stupendously hard and her second place finish 1'07" behind Vos was impressive. Meanwhile, there was a full-scale melee going on further back down the parcours for the silver and bronze booty: Wyman, who leads many races for a good part of the initial lap due to her lightning-bolt starts, was third for a long time but Compton, still in at this point, and Belgian superstar Sanne Cant were tracking her every move. Had Compton not have experienced difficulties she's almost certainly have finished top three, perhaps even ahead of Lechner; as it was, Wyman ended up only having to deal with Cant who, for a while, managed to get ahead and looked very much like the probable third. Wyman's fast reactions serve for more than just fast starts, though, and Cant only needed to make the slightest misjudgement during the final lap for Helen to leap past her and grab the third place on the podium 1'17" behind Vos.

Of the other members of Wyman's British team, Nikki Harris was the next-fastest in fifth place, while Gabby Durrin was 26th and Hannah Payton 35th.

We hope to photographs of the race as soon as possible.

2014 World Cyclo Cross Championships Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Netherlands) 39'25"
2 Eva LECHNER (Italy) 40'32"
3 Helen WYMAN (Great Britain) 40'42"
4 Sanne CANT (Belgium) 40'45"
5 Nikki HARRIS (Great Britain) 41'58"
6 Lucie CHAINEL-LEFEVRE (France) 42'09"
7 Loes SELS (Belgium) 42'12"
8 Thalita DE JONG (Netherlands) 42'17"
9 Katie COMPTON (USA) 42'23"
10 Caroline MANI (France) 42'24"
Full result

Women's Cycling News 22-29.12.2013

Energiewacht Tour remains five-dayer - more to come...

Energiewacht Tour to remain five day event
The UCI have denied organisers of the popular Dutch Energiewacht Tour permission to extend their race from five days to six, stating their reason as being the large number of races taking part in the same month.

The race committee had hoped to hold a night-time prologue in Appingedam and expressed disapproval at the UCI's refusal to let them go ahead. "This is very annoying, especially for anyone involved in the organisation at Appingedam," said race director Thijs Rondhuis. "We have no reason to suspect that this sixth day would pose a problem. There was no prior signal from the UCI, so their decision came as an unpleasant surprise."

Meanwhile, details of the six stages, to be run over five days in April, have been announced:
Stage 1 (09.04): Delfzijl-Delfzijl, 95.5km
Stage 2 (120.04): Westerwolde-Westerwolde, 117km
Stage 3 (11.04): Ploegentijdrit Oldambt, 16km
Stage 3b (11.04): Tynaarlo-Tynaarlo, 100km
Stage 4 (12.04): Eemsmond-Eemsmond, 143km
Stage 5 (13.04): Veendam-Veendam, 108km

Hillingdon GP 2014

01.06.2014 Official Site
Hillingdon, London, England
61km (40 laps) closed-circuit race
Women's National Series
51°30'46.84"N 0°24'2.20"W

The Hillingdon GP is unique in the National Series in that it takes place on a 1.526km dedicated cycle racing circuit in North-West London. Some people, upon reading that, will think that any race on such a parcours couldn't possibly be interesting, but think about it for a moment - Hillingdon combines the mass-start excitement of a road race with the high-speed thrills of the velodrome.

And it is high-speed - not only is the track flat flat and smooth, it's six metres wide and has been deliberately to allow riders to continue pedaling around the seven bends. That makes it very fast indeed, and with little other than speed to act as a deciding factor it often results a big bunch sprint finish.

View Hillingdon GP in a larger map

In 2013, the race was particularly hard-fought due to the Series leaders Anne Ewing and Karla Boddy, who both had 87 points, staying away; this left ample opportunity for several riders just behind them in the standings to move up into top place, but the riders decided among themselves to ride together and without attacks through the first few laps. After 20 minutes, Emma Trott and Karen Poole decided the time was right for action, opening up a small gap that was rapidly shut down again by the MG-Maxifuel riders in an effort to make certain Charline Joiner remained in contention. When Clemence Copie of High Wycombe CC attacked a little later, they wasted no time in bringing her back too; they would keep a tight rein on the remainder of the race, also nipping in the bud attempted breaks by Louise Borthwick, Amy Hill, Tanya Griffiths and finally Sarah Byrne, who upped the pace and enlivened the race when she attacked in the final laps. Although they'd set out a textbook example of how to control a race, the MG squad were about to be reminded that sometimes you can do absolutely everything right and still be denied victory: having brought Joiner to the final corner, they set her up in the ideal position for a sprint that everyone knew she could win. But then, she didn't - Copie, despite having used energy in her attack earlier, was too fast for her and took second, while Emily Kay of Scott Contessa-Epic was faster still and beat them both to the line. 

2013 Top Ten

1 Emily Kay (Scott Contessa-Epic)

2 Clemence Copie (High Wycombe CC)

3 Charline Joiner (MG-Maxifuel)

4 Hayley Jones (Node 4-Giordana)

5 Francesca Morgans-Slader (Lee Valley Youth CC)

6 Sophie Faulkner (Solihull CC)

7 Coryn Rivera (Breast Cancer Care)

8 Abigail Dentus (De Vere Cycles)

9 Flora Gillies (Team ASL360)

10 Amy Hill (Abergavenny Road Club)

Photoset

2014 Start List

Not yet available

Getting There and Staying There

Getting there: Being in one of the world's major cities, Hillingdon has numerous train (nearest: Southall, 2.7km) and underground stations within walking distance of the circuit as well as regular bus services. It can also be reached easily by car, but since parking is at a premium and public transport is so convenient there's really no need at all to drive there unless you're with a team and need to take bikes with you. Hillingdon can also be reached with ease from overseas due to being in the same borough as Heathrow Airport.

Staying there: It's London, and just up the road from the third busiest airport in the world - there are hotels and bed and breakfasts all over the place, ranging from super-pricey to very cheap.

North Norfolk 100

17.05.2014 Norfolk, UK
Individual Time Trial, 161km
Start: 52°50'32.07"N  0°48'37.15"E

Everyone knows that women's cycling hasn't been in a healthy state for several years, and has only started to show signs of recovery - thanks to the hard work of riders and fans alike, as well as the unsung believers who toiled under McQuaid and will now hopefully be able to make a real difference under the more favourable tenure of Brian Cookson - over the last couple of seasons. If you ask people what it is that needs to be done, you'll get a whole host of ideas and opinions, and one you'll hear again and again is "more effort at grassroots level, to encourage more women to get into racing in the first place."

So how do you do that? Well, the organisers of the North Norfolk 100 have a pretty good idea, and they've proved beyond reasonable doubt that they're fully committed and truly dedicated not just to the future of women's cycling, but to cycling in general - they've made it free for women and juniors to enter their event. This 100 mile (161km) individual time trial is not as widely known as it deserves to be despite having existed in some shape or form for more than decade, but with organisers that passionate about the sport it soon will be. Likewise, North Norfolk is not nearly as well-known as a cycling destination as it ought to be - a look at the parcours for this event demonstrates that the district is perfect for a short break.

2013
In 2013, the race was hit by torrential rain and only 36 riders finished. Five were female, in this order (numbers in brackets are their overall placings in the mixed result)...

1(26) Kathryn Smith (Sleaford Wheelers CC) 5h21'10"
2(28) Naomi Shinkins (Tri London) 5h27'40"
3(29) Roslyn McGinty (Tri London) 5h28'17"
4(34) Martina Geraghty (Penzance Wheelers) 6h02'56"
5(35) Maria Greaves (North Norfolk Wheelers) 6h05'16"

The race is also contested by tricycles as the Tricycle Association (East) 100, with five riders taking part last year - including one woman, Jane Swain (Willeden CC), who later in the summer became World Tricycle Criterium Champion!

The Parcours

View North Norfolk 100 in a larger map

Other than the fact that the county is home to Alan Partridge, a lot of ill-fated turkeys and Stephen Fry, the one thing that everyone knows about Norfolk is that it's very flat. This is indeed the case - the highest point in the county, Beacon Hill near West Runton, rises to just 103m above sea level and makes Norfolk the flattest British county (only the City of London, sometimes considered a county, is flatter - its highest point is High Holborne at 22m above sea level). However, cyclists who visit North Norfolk will find that it's flat in the same way that Flanders is flat: the hills are low and few and far between but some are surprisingly steep, and there are many dips (some of which drop below sea level) which have much the same effect on the legs when climbing out of them. This parcours, being a long time trial, avoids the worst of them but is still considerably more rolling than someone who has never been to the county might expect - the steepest section anywhere on the circuit is no more than 5.4%, but the total elevation gain in a complete lap is 234m. Over the course of three laps, that has an effect.

Altitude profile

The race starts at a large layby on the A148 just south of Sculthorpe and a few kilometres west of Fakenham with the riders setting out west past the operational airfield RAF Sculthorpe and the tiny villages of Coxford, Tattersett, East and West Rudham and Harpley (where there's a long barrow by the side of the road on the way to Little Massingham). This section, 18.9km in length upon arrival at Hillington, is on wide roads with several long, straight sections that permit high speed - a great opportunity to set pace and start working on a decent overall time, but also a place where early in the race an inexperienced rider could easily and unnecessarily expend energy he or she will need later.

At Hillington they'll turn left for the first time, taking the B1153 south - the corner isn't tight, but some care needs to be taken (especially if conditions are as slippery as in 2013, when the race was hit by torrential rain) due to a traffic island immediately upon entering the new road, and riders should be aware that there may be loose gravel on the road just before the church approximately 0.25km from the turn. 21.7km from the start and still on the B1153 is Congham which is probably a far more pleasant place without the oil mill that once stood in the village and processed dead whales brought from the docks at King's Lynn. There are a couple of rather awkward drain covers upon entering the village, just as the road bends slightly left and a likelihood of more loose gravel just ahead where it bends right again, then the buildings thin out before the race comes to Grimston - a tiny village today, Grimston was once an important producer of pottery and that is was once a wealthy town can be seen by its large and grand church. The road bends left and then right just past the church by a row of white cottages on the right, then left as it leaves the village behind before coming to a sharper left and right 23.1km from the start. It then enters a fast 2.45km section leading into Gayton where the section of the race heading south comes to an end at a crossroads near the windmill which no longer has its sails.

The left turn onto the B1145 heading east at Gayton is not technical, but it is essential that riders obey the rules of the road here and race organisers warn that marshalls will be in position and will disqualify any rider who does not check to the right for traffic.This is not a closed circuit; the penalty for failing to give way could be far worse than disqualification. The B1145 section is another fast road that climbs gently through the first half of its 12.7km length, with no villages or tight bends to distract riders from getting their heads down and pushing hard. The hedges along the road, however, are low in many parts; if the wind is blowing from the north (as is frequently the case) or the south, crosswinds may cause problems (if you're visiting the race with a bike, this would be a good place from which to spectate as it would be possible to ride along the pleasingly-named Drunken Drove 5.9km from Gayton, then to Great Massingham and north to the A418 at Harpley for the next lap. Presumably an old sheep drove - the economy of Norfolk was, in former times, based largely on sheep farming, rather than arable farming and tourism as it is today - Drunken Drove bears a slight resemblance to Koppenberg - but with a maximum gradient of 5.5% and asphalt rather than "children's heads" cobbles, you don't need to be a pro cyclist to get up it and will probably beat the riders who are taking a longer route in the race).

After covering 38.5km from the start, riders come to the A1065 and turn left to head north. There may be loose gravel on the road immediately before the turn due to a parking area on the right. The turn is wide, but once again it's essential to check for traffic before joining the new road. Shortly after the turn, the road passes through woodland - something that isn't seen often in Norfolk - for 2.1km; there is an increased chance of punctures here. On the other side it reaches Weasenham All Saints, where the once very convivial Ostrich Inn has stood derelict for twelve years and looks ready to collapse; locals in search of a pint now have to go to Weavenham St. Peter, which the race passes through a kilometre further north. Wandering gradually to the east, the road continues to first South Raynham and then East Raynham, location of Raynham Hall where one of the most famous photographs purported to show a ghost - the Brown Lady - was taken. The Hall is not open to the public, but can be viewed from a circular walk that passes through the estate.

13.2km from the turning onto the A1065 and 51.7km from the start, the riders pass Shereford Road on the right. Just beyond it, separated from the road by a patch of grass with a red post box, is a area in front of a row of cottages; during the first and second laps the riders will continue straight past, while on the third lap they will arrive at the finish line here. Less than half a kilometre further ahead they cross a bridge which doesn't narrow sufficiently to be a hazard, then pass Fakenham on the left after another half a kilometre, then continue for another half a kilometre to a roundabout where they'll turn left to rejoin the A148 heading west. They pass a graveyard on the left then, 1.88km from the turn, arrive back at the layby from which the race began and start a new lap.

Start List
Not yet available

Getting There and Staying There
Fakenham has an undeserved reputation as a boring town, mostly as a result of a retracted comment on the Knowhere Guide website that was misconstrued in the press as stating that the town had been voted the most boring place in Britain. It isn't; it's probably not a bad place at all to live and most certainly a pleasant place to visit, and enough people are aware of that for there to be a good selection of small hotels nearby ranging from the expensive to cheap. TripAdvisor is a good place to find them. Cheaper still is Greenwoods Campsite, located just off the A148 at Tattersett some 5km west of the start. Do be aware that stays of one night at the site must be booked and paid seven days in advance.

The largely unspoiled North Norfolk coast is perfect for bike exploration if you plan to make your visit to the race part of a short tour. Hunstanton is worth a visit, but for what must be one of the best beaches in Britain head to Brancaster - which nearly became the rocket launch site for the British space programme in the 1950s. While you're in the area, why not make the 25km trip straight down the A1065 to Swaffham where you can pay your respects at the grave of one of Britain's first female cycling heroes, Evelyn Hamilton? Hamilton lived an amazing life, setting numerous cycling records in the 1930s and acting as Gracie Fields' body double in Sing As We Go before setting up a bike shop which might have in reality been a front for the Free French Forces and possibly employed one of the Pélissiers (the brothers of 1923 Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier) during the Second World War while she was away in France where she just might have been a secret agent. She died in 2005, and her gravestone bears the name Evelyn Alice Helsen - leave a bidon or something similar, like we do when we pass Tom Simpson's memorial on Ventoux, to show that a truly remarkable woman has not been forgotten.

Cheshire Classic

27.04.2014 Official Site
England, 77km (+2.41km neutral zone) Road Race
Women's National Series

Due to sponsorship issues and host of other problems faced by the people that run them, races in women's cycling tend not to last as long as in men's cycling - the fact that the Cheshire Classic has been in operation since 1980, and has been held every year with the exception of 2001 (when it had to be cancelled due to the BSE crisis) and has gone from strength to strength is therefore testament to the dedication of the organisers, Weaver Valley CC, and to their love for the sport - which is proved further on the official website by the presence of an excellent advice section for women taking up cycling.

Partly because it's so well organised, it's always been a very popular race among the riders and a list of winners reads like a list of the best British female riders of the last 33 years: a pair of Swinnertons (Catherine and Margaret), Mandy Jones, Judith Painter, Lisa Brambini, Maria Blower, Marie Purvis, Megan Hughes, Nicole Cooke, Rachel Heal, Lizzie Armitstead, Sharon Laws, Lucy Garner, Sarah Storey  and, last year, Karla Boddy,who told me afterwards that she liked my write-up of the race because it made her "sound better than I really am" - delightfully modest, considering she'd just won a race won in the past by some of the greatest cyclists Britain ever produced!

In addition to its official website, the Cheshire Classic has a Twitter that is active throughout the year, providing and forwarding women's cycling information, as well as supplying up-to-date details when the race in in progress. If you only follow one account today, make it theirs.

The Parcours

View Cheshire Classic 2014 in a larger map

The parcours begins at the race headquarters located at Grange School Sports Pavillion on Northwich Road (B5153), Hartfordbeach; the riders set out into a 2.41km neutralised zone runniong north-west along Northwich Road and through Weaverham to a junction, there they'll turn right onto Sandy Lane (B5142). Wide, fast and non-technical, it descends 30m in 1.19km at an average gradient of -2.5%, which is just sufficient to encourage high speeds as it curves gently west to arrive at a junction with the A49. Once there, the riders will turn left; since there is limited space immediately after the apex of the turn due to a central reservation and riders will enter the turn at speed, there is a chance of crashes here - especially in early laps before the field has been split.

Altitude profile. Following the neutralised zone, riders enter the circuit and head
towards the finish line at the top of Acton Lane Hill where they begin a new lap. Ten laps,
each 7.7km in length, will be completed.

Straight and 3.85km in length, the A49 Weaverham bypass section of the race is lightning-fast and can be used by time trial specialists to grab serious advantages - or in the case of a team that had spent a lot of time practicing team time trial tactics, a winning advantage (imagine what a team like Specialized-Lululemon would do here). It was on this section in 2012 that Natalie Cresswick tried to attack Sarah Storey and Molly Weaver, but was matched and overcome by both; Storey, the eventual victor, said after seeing the data downloaded from her computer "I had averaged somewhere not far off what I would expect to do in a time trial when there are no sudden changes of pace." It does, however, feature a climb - starting within 0.1km from the B5142/A49 junction, it gains 22m in 0.75km at an average gradient of only 2% but reaches 7.5% after around 200m.

If the ten separate climbs came together, they'd look
like this: 340m in 3.5km, with ten 12.5% sections along
the way. Brutal!

Passing by the B5142, the route continues for another 0.89km along a gentle descent with an average gradient of no more than -1% before coming to a left turn just tight enough to causes clashes if the entire peloton tries to get around it en masse. It leads onto Acton Lane and, 0.23km from the turn, the Acton Lane hill, which may decide the outcome of the race. The hill isn't very high and gains only around 34m but it does so in 0.337km, creating an average gradient of nearly 9.2%. That's steep, but on a hill this small not steep enough to bother a cyclist who is good enough to compete in a race such as this one. The thing is, a significant percentage of that gain comes in a short section halfway up, where the gradient rises to in excess of 12.5% - which is really steep, by anyone's standards. What counts for even more, of course, is that there are ten laps, and each one includes the climb. Multiply the effort and effect by ten, the number of laps, and the answer is "brutal" - expect to see riders in real pain as they force themselves up for the final time en route to the finish line.

At the top, the riders follow the road as it bends first right and then left to become Hill Top Road, beginning a straightforward and gentle 0.91km descent to a junction where they'll turn left to join Cliff Road, which runs straight and wide for the next 1.26km over rolling terrain (with two small rises) to a junction by the Hanging Gate pub. Here they turn left, arriving moments later at the point where they first left the neutralised zone and joined the circuit, thus beginning a second lap. The tenth and final lap finishes at the top of the Acton Lane hill, which is also the location of the intermediate sprint to be held at the end of the fifth lap.

Please note: there is very little space along the roadsides at the Hill Top Road/Station Road, StationRoad/Sandy Lane and Sandy Lane/A49 junctions and at the roundabout at the southernmost end of the A49 section. This means that race marshals may not be able to monitor the race or respond to accidents if spectators gather there; organisers would like to request therefore that spectators choose other points from which to watch the race.

Start List
Not yet available

Getting There
Weaverham lies only a short distance from Chester, Runcorn, Liverpool, Crewe and Macclesfield and as such is easily reached by motorway from anywhere in the United Kingdom. A much better way to get there is, of course, by bike - Google Maps' Get Directions function will work out routes suited to your abilities. If you can't cycle to the race, the train is the best option - Acton Bridge station lies just a few metres from the parcours and a pub, the Hazel Pear Inn, so fans arriving before the race begins can have a refreshing pint before heading out onto the parcours to find a vantage point. Finally, Liverpool John Lennon Airport receives flights from all over the world, making it possible to reach the race from Europe and elsewhere with ease.

Accommodation
There is one hotel, the Oaklands in Weaverham itself (some might be a little put off by the horrific abuse of apostrophes on the website), while Northwich has a Premier Inn. Due to the popularity of the race, rooms are likely to be limited - fortunately, the larger towns nearby have much more and are close enough to make getting to the race easy. There are several campsites in the area, including Woodbine Cottage right on the parcours. It has a small number of pitches but accepts caravans, campervans and tents (static caravans can be hired) and would also be a good place from which to watch the race, as well as being easy walking distance to anywhere on the parcours.

Women's Cycling News 15-22.09.2013

UCI events this week - Riders' strike at Giro Toscana, Tibco press release, Toscana organiser calls strike "disgraceful" - Chrono Champenois - It's 'Cross season and the Brits mean business - Cheap bike kit at Aldi - Interesting Links - more to come...

UCI Elite Women's races this week: Chrono Champenois (15.09.2013); Team Time Trial World Championships (22.09.2013).

Riders' strike at Giro Toscana
Several teams, including Rabobank-Liv/Giant, Hitec Products-UCK, Wiggle-Honda, Orica-AIS, Boels-Dolmans and the USA national team, refused to take part in the final stage of the Giro Toscana in protest at safety issues in the race (see "Riders threaten strike," below).

Riders' representatives Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products-UCK), Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-Honda) and Noemi Cantele (BePink) and team directors had met with organisers and commissaires prior to the stage to discuss their concerns - the race has taken place on what are effectively open roads, with only the lead riders given a police escort while the rest of the pack have been racing in traffic. However, commissaires ruled that the final stage, which was to finish in Florence, would go ahead as organisers wished.

Claudia Hausler was the fastest of
 the 49 riders to remain in the race

In all, 63 riders took part in the strike, including most of the top stars in the race: Rabobank is home to Marianne Vos, the most successful rider in the world today and the leader of the race since the first stage, Orica to Emma Johansson, who has been Vos' biggest rival this year and was in second place overall, while Wiggle's Giorgia Bronzini, one of the most popular riders with fans, won Stage 1; making the teams' refusal highly embarrassing to race organisers. 49 riders, mostly Italian, started and were booed by fans, says journalist Bart Hazen who was at the race; fans are now split into two groups - those who feel that all the riders should have taken part in the protest and those who feel that there are various reasons that some riders might have felt obliged to race, including financial pressure (remember that many "professional" riders have to work in addition to racing simply to make ends meet) and - for the Italians especially - because they felt they owed it to the fans. There are also those who have wondered aloud if any of the teams that remained in the race decided to do so only after rival squads decided not to, the lure of relatively easy UCI points being too great.

The entire S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox team, which is owned by race organiser Brunello Fanini, started the stage; their Aude Biannic was first over the finish line, recording a time of 2h28'28". Her team mates Liisi Rist and Jutatip Maneephan were second and third with the same time. Claudia Hausler (Tibco-To The Top) recorded the fastest overall time of the 49 riders that finished the race, clocking in at 11h57'54". Tatiana Antoshina (MCipollini-Giordana) was second at +1", Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) was third at +5'47".

Tibco founder issues press release
While Tibco-To The Top, for whom Claudia Hausler rides, elected to remain in the race, their decision was not taken lightly - and the team's founder Linda Jackson issued a press release on Tuesday stating that Tibco "will not accept any benefit" other than what they had earned by the end of Stage 3, before the protest.

Jackson began the release by expressing her support for all the riders, whether they took part in the protest or carried on, pointing out that everyone had the right to decided for themselves what they considered the best option.

"What I don't support, and I let the UCI know this," she added, "is any rider gaining any advantage, financial or points, based on racing the reduced final stage." The release can be read in full here.

Strike "disgraceful and self-serving," says Toscana organiser
In an outburst that won't win him any friends among riders or fans and may very well spell the end of his race, Giro Toscana organiser Brunello Fanini has termed the riders' strike "disgraceful and self-serving."

The stage went ahead "without problems," in the words of Fanini, the father of Michela Fanini in whose memory the race is held. "The losers today are the so-called big names in women's cycling and women's cycling in general," he added.

Fanini also hinted that the race may not go ahead in future - while the loss of another women's race is rarely a good thing, in this case it's unlikely to be missed by any of the riders: it has a reputation for bad organisation and putting riders in serious risk of injury going back years, and this is not the first time it's been disrupted by a riders' protest.

"No amount of reassurances by the organizers or the police was going to re-establish the confidence lost during the previous days (and years, as far as this particular race is concerned)," said Orica-AIS directeur sportif Martin Barras.

Lauren Kitchen ‏@LaurenKitchen1 No start today in Toscana. Safety needs to assured before we can race.

Tiffany Jane ‏@tiffanycromwell Well that was an anticlimax to finish Toscana but we took a stand for our safety and 80% of the peloton did not start the final stage.

Emma Johansson ‏@emmaprocyclist Proud of all teams/riders standing up for our safety by not starting in Toscana today! #SafetyFirst #OnMyWayHome

Results
Stage 4 Top Ten
1 Aude BIANNIC (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) 2h28'28"
2 Liisi RIST (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) ST
3 Jutatip MANEEPHAN (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) ST
4 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) ST
5 Edwige PITEL (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) ST
6 Lara VIECELI (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) ST
7 Lisa FISCHER (Germany NT) ST
8 Stephanie POHL (Germany NT) ST
9 Edita JANELIUNAITE (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) ST
10 Uenia FERNANDES DA SOUZA (Chirio Forno d'Asolo) ST
Full result

Overall General Classification Top Ten
1 Claudia HÄUSLER (Tibco-To The Top) 11h57'54"
2 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (MCipollini-Giordana) +01"
3 Francesca CAUZ (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +05'47"
4 Valentina SCANDOLARA (MCipollini-Giordana) +05'59"
5 Shelley OLDS (Tibco-To The Top) +09'45"
6 Tetyana RIABCHENKO (Chirio Forno d'Asolo) +13'25"
7 Asja PALADIN (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +14'31"
8 Inga CILVINAITE (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) +15'26"
9 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) +15'36"
10 Aude BIANNIC (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) +17'17"
Full result

Points: 1 Shelley Olds (Tibco-To The Top) 25; 2 Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) 19; 3 Aude Biannic (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) 15. Mountains: 1 Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) 22; 2 Malgorzata Jasinska (MCipollini-Giordana) 17; 3 Tatiana Antoshina (MCipollini-Giordana) 9. Sprints: 1 Edita Janeliunaite (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) 19; 2 Liisi Rist (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) 6; 3 Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) 5; Youth: 1 Francesca Cauz (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) 12h03'41"; 2 Asja Paladin (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo) +08'44"; 3 Aude Biannic (S.C. Michela Fanini-Rox) +11'30".

Chrono Champenois

Ellen van Dijk at the 2012 Olympics

As has been the case at so many time trials this year, the Chrono Champenois became two entirely separate races - one between Specialized-Lululemon and Orica-AIS for first and second place, and one between all the other teams for other places. Once again, it was Lululemon that came out on top - Ellen van Dijk, favourite for this race and for next week's Individual Time Trial World Championships, took first place when she got around the 33.4km Betheny parcours in a lightning-quick 43'49"; her team mate Carmen Small was 1'43" slower but took second place while Orica's Shara Gillow was third at +2'07".

Top Ten
1 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) 43'49"
2 Carmen SMALL (Specialized-Lululemon) +01'43"
3 Shara GILLOW (Orica-AIS) +02'07"
4 Lisa BRENNAUER (Specialized-Lululemon) +02'23"
5 Olga ZABELINSKAYA (RusVelo) +02'46"
6 Alexandra BURCHENKOVA (RusVelo) +03'01"
7 Taryn HEATHER (Australia NT) +03'10"
8 Malin RYDLUND (Sweden NT) +03'32"
9 Martina RITTER (Austria NT) +03'41"
10 Oxana KOZONCHUK (RusVelo) +03'46"
Full result

It's 'Cross season - and the Brits mean business!
The road racing season is winding down, but for many cycling fans that's not entirely a bad thing - because it means cyclo cross season is starting up. There were two prestigious cross races in the USA in the last couple of days, StarCrossed and Catamount, and British women won them both.

Gabby Day won StarCrossed after crossing the line 23" ahead of the USA's Courtenay McFadden, taking a time of 44'44", while Mical Dyck of Canada was third at +29".

Helen Wyman

Current European Champion Helen Wyman's victory at Catamount was won by an even larger margin of 47", taking 36'31" to finish - however, at just 20 years old, Canadian second place Maghalie Rochette's time was more than enough to turn heads. Crystal Anthony of the USA was third at 37'43.

The Catamount women's race was sponsored by engineering firm ENGVT, which put up extra cash to make the prizes on offer to the riders equal to those in the men's race. This, Wyman pointed out, made it important to race hard. Take note, sponsors - back women's cycling and the riders will make sure you get value for money!

Meanwhile, 'cross is waking up on the other side of the Atlantic, too: Süpercross Baden in Switzerland was the first big European meet of the year. Belgian 'cross star Sanne Cant showed off the skills that have earned her seven Belgian championships and recorded a winning time of 45'13", having finally got away from the Netherlands' Sophie De Boer who was right on her wheel for much of the race before tiring and taking second place at 45'27". Switzerland's Nicole Koller was third at 45'52", a remarkable result for a 16-year-old: "I even surprised myself with that result," said Koller. "It's really good for me, that I could do that," she added, before going on to explain that while she may decide to concentrate on mountain biking in the future she hasn't ruled out racing in the Swiss National Championships in January.

Cant praised the event on Twitter, congratulating the race committee on the "nice track and perfect organisation."

StarCrossed Top Ten
1 Gabby DAY 44'44"
2 Courtenay MCFADDEN 45'07"
3 Mical DYCK 45'13"
4 Susan BUTLER 45'14"
5 Jessica CUTLER 45'33"
6 Beth Ann ORTON 45'47"
7 Caroline MANI 46'19"
8 Jean Ann BERKENPAS 46'28"
9 Rebecca GROSS 46'30"
10 Marsa DANIEL ST
Full result

Catamount Top Ten
1 Helen WYMAN 36'31"
2 Maghalie ROCHETTE 37'18"
3 Crystal ANTHONY 37'43"
4 Maureen BRUNO ROY 37'48"
5 Natasha ELLIOTT 38'23"
6 Lyne BESSETTE 38'33"
7 Katerine NORTHCOTT 38'53"
8 Arley KEMMERER 38'57"
9 Kathleen LYSAKOWSKI 38'58"
10 Emma WHITE 39'14"
Full result

Süpercross Baden Top Ten
1 Sanne CANT 45'13"
2 Sophie DE BOER 45'27"
3 Nicole KOLLER 45'52"
4 Ellen VAN LOY 46'20"
5 Pavla HAVLIKOVA 46'23"
6 Nicole HANSELMANN 47'40"
7 Marlène MOREL PETITGIRARD 48'18"
8 Sina FREI 48'29"
9 Martina ZWICK 48'50"
10 Lise-Marie HENZELIN 49'19"
Full result

Not an advertising feature! Need a winter jacket but on a tight budget?
Aldi have a new range of bargain cycling gear going on sale on the 26th of September. In addition to the jacket, they'll also have a triathlon suit and a jersey - all of them available in women-specific cut and sizes as well as men's.

The prices aren't up on the website yet, but the winter jacket looks like it'll probably be a decent addition to anyone's cycling kit - of course, it'll never compare to a £300 jacket, but the quality to price ratio of cycling kit sold by the supermarket chain in the past has been pretty reasonable. Probably well worth a look if you need new kit at a good price - just keep away from all that cheap-but-delicious German hazelnut chocolate they sell in there.

Interesting Links
Guardian interview with Brian Cookson (go to the 13th paragraph for the women's cycling bit!)
Female professional cycling in decline (The Scotsman) 
Nicole Cooke fights to close cycling's divide as Tour of Britain starts (The Guardian)
Hong Kong’s women cyclists fall short at National Games (South China Morning Post)
Meet Shirin Gerami, Iran's first female triathlete (The Guardian)
Chrissie Wellington's return to politics (BBC)

Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT and Road Race

TTT
16.08.2013 Official Site
Sweden, Team Time Trial, 42.5km
UCI CDM

Sweden is not the first country most people think of if anyone asks them which nations most appreciate cycling but the sport enjoys considerable popularity in the south of the country, especially around Vårgårda - which has hosted the Postgiro Open and the two UCI Elite Women events to which the town has given its name - the Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT and, two days later, the Open de Suède Vårgårda road race. A World Cup event and generally considered to be fun in addition to a challenge, the Team Time Trial attracted thirteen teams last year with some of the most famous riders in the world in attendance: names such as Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Ellen van Dijk, Loes Gunnewijk, Judith Arndt, Shara Gillow, Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten, Emma Pooley, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson, Hanka Kupfernagel, winner Trixi Worrack and many others were all there, and the 2013 edition should be much the same.

Bosse Anås' sculpture of the Bröderna Fåglum in Vårgårda

The town, home to a little over 5,000 people, was the birthplace of the Bröderna ("Brothers") Fåglum, four cycling brothers whose actual surname was Pettersson - their nickname came about because they all rode for a cycling club based in the village of Fåglum, some 14km north of Vårgårda. Two of the brothers, Erik and Tomas, legally adopted the name; Sture used it alongside Pettersson while Gösta, who won the Giro d'Italia in 1971 and is the only Swedish rider to have ever won that race, remains a Pettersson to this day.

Previous Winners
2008 Priska Doppmann
2009 Kristin Armstrong
2010 Charlotte Becker
2011 Judith Arndt
2012 Trixi Worrack

Parcours


View Vårgårda CDM TTT 2013 in a larger map

With several tight corners - some of them made more technical by street furniture (Swedish town councils really love street furniture and erect signs wherever they can) and narrow roads - this is a challenging parcours that will favour teams which have spent a good deal of time honing their time trial skills. Expect a grand battle between Orica-AIS and Specialized-Lululemon, but keep an eye on the times set by Rabobank-Liv/Giant and Lotto-Belisol too.

The route is well-known for its crosswinds, which could prove especially problematic if they become headwinds on the 181 between Vårgårda and Herrljunga and again on the exposed bridge on Kullingsleden, approximately 32.5km into the race. There is only one testing climb along the route, coming just after 35km; although the total ascent is only 40m in 2km, it's sufficiently steep in sections and comes close enough to the end to potentially make a big difference.

Altimetry - click to enlarge

Starters
At the time of writing, Lotto-Belisol and Rabobank-Liv/Giant are the only teams listed as having confirmed. Karl Lima, manager of Hitec Products-UCK (who'll provide live updates during the race) informs Les Deesses that his team will also be racing and will be led by Emilia Fahlin. Keep up to date on developments with Women Cycling Fever.

Road Race
18.08.2013 Official Site
Sweden, One-day Road Race, 132km
UCI CDM

Follow the race LIVE via the official ticker; we're also promised live streams of what looks set to be a wet and slippry race here!

Held since 2006 (two years earlier than the first TTT), the Vårgårda road race also forms a round of the World Cup. The parcours starts at the time trial finish line and follows a similar route; however, it omits the section leading east to Herrljunga and back again - riders travel north immediately after starting, then turn left to follow the time trial route along Storgatan, through and out of the town and then back in again. Note that completing the parcours entails eleven ascents of the big climb - although a gain of 50m in around 1.75km has an average gradient of a little under 3%, it's much steeper on the second third of the way up and, while not quite steep enough to finish off the sprinters, it could well give the climbers a helping hand towards victory if they attack there, especially on the last few laps when their rivals are becoming tired.

In years gone by, Dutch riders have found this race very much to their liking: Susanne Ljungskog, the only Swedish winner, won the first edition and American Kori Seehafer won in 2008 while Dutch riders Chantal Beltman, Marianne Vos, Kirsten Wild, Annemiek van Vleuten and Iris Slappendel won in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. With both Vos and van Vleuten riding for Rabobank-Liv/Giant this year, it's tempting to bet on a Dutch winner for 2013 too - but they'll face strong competition from Specialized-Lululemon and almost certainly Orica-AIS, who might choose to send the lighting-fast and supremely strong all-rounder Emma Johansson in order to give the home fans another Swedish victory.

Starters
At the time of writing, only two teams have confirmed their full rosters - Specialized-Lululemon are sending Lise Brennauer, Loren Rowney, Carmen Small, Ellen van Dijk, Tayler Wiles and Trixi Worrack; the Swedish National Team is sending Emma Ahlstrand, Tilina Levin, Sara Olsson, Malin Rydland, Beata Sandstrom and Malin Wallin. From the teams with incomplete rosters, Lucinda Brand is joining Vos and van Vleuten for Rabobank; Esra Tromp has confirmed for Argos-Shimano and Emilia Fahlin will be riding for Hitec Products-UCK. More details to be announced - Women Cycling Fever is regularly updated, making it the best choice for accurate information.

Women's Cycling News 23-30.06.2013

Rider assaulted by coach? -  Longo Borghini injured - Want to put a question to Orica's Giro Rosa squad? - Interesting Links - more to come...

Rider assaulted by coach?

Erika Varela was attacked by her coach, says
eye-witness

Erika Varela, winner of the Junior Road Race at the 2012 PanAmerican Championships, was allegedly subjected to a physical assault at the hands of her team coach Arturo Meneses - who is also the president of the Asociación de Ciclismo del Estado de México.

Gustavo Garcia, an eye-witness who took photos of the alleged attack at the Mexican National Championships, claims to have gone to see what was going on after hearing shouting and saw the rider and coach arguing over results. He says he then saw them struggling with one another next to a car, after which the rider was pushed to the ground. In one of the photos, Meneses has taken hold of Varela's arm; it is unclear whether he is trying to pull her back to her feet or twisting it. It would be possible to argue that the photos actually show Varela fainting with Meneses trying to catch her, then helping her back to his feet; however, in what is apparently the last photo, he has taken hold of her under the arms and is lifting her back up while she has taken firm hold of the car's door handle and is pulling herself up - which suggests she is fully aware of the situation rather than being dazed as would be expected had she just fainted.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Elisa!

Elisa Longo Borghini injured
It's been a superb season for Elisa Longo Borghini, who has brought her Hitec Products-UCK team numerous podium places and a couple of very impressive victories - including at the Trofeo Binda, where she beat Emma Johansson, Ellen van Dijk, Amanda Spratt, Chantal Blaak and Marianne Vos - but her luck ran out at the Italian National Championships.

The 21-year-old, considered one of the sport's most promising rising stars, crashed around 3km from the finish line in wet conditions and received a nasty cut to the abdomen; the official race medics sent her to hospital to be properly examined and it was there that X-rays revealed the rider had also suffered a fracture in her iliac crest, the large bone that forms the "shoulder" of the pelvis.

It's too early for doctors to be able to estimate Longo Borghini's recovery time, but with other riders who have suffered similar injuries taking several months to fully heal it looks as though her 2013 season is at an end. She will, of course, miss the Giro Rosa, which she had listed as her greatest goal this year.

Ever wanted to ask the Giro Rosa riders anything?
I know I have, and chances are you have too - or if not, you'll probably be able to think of something (what's the name of that men's race that takes place in France at the same time the Rosa's on in Italy, for example). Last year, Amber Pierce ran a series of post-stage video conferences in which she answered questions from fans and delighted us all with her willingness to spend time chatting about the world in general (thanks Amber!), but she won't be at the race this year.

Fortunately, the fantastic Sarah Connolly - who is largely responsible for convincing me that I like women's cycling more than men's, and as such partially inspired this website - has managed to persuade several Orica-AIS riders who will be there to answer questions with the answers then being published on Podium Cafe.

"You can ask questions for the team in general, or for individual riders - anything you've wanted to know about racing a Tour! Anything you like, from technical questions, what riders pack in their "survival kit" to worst moments from previous Giros, what's it really like riding up a mountain in the scorching heat, who are they all hoping they don't have to share rooms with - anything!" Sarah says. Read more about it here.

Interesting Links
UK
Joanna Rowsell wins British National Time Trial Championship (SkySports)
Lizzie Armitstead joins Sky Sports editorial team as a cycling blogger (SkySports)
New British TT Champ Jo Rowsell speaks to Road.CC (Road.CC)
Olympic star Laura Trott races at Otley (Telegraph&Argus)
Jess Varnish urges more women to cycle (GiveMeSport)
Worldwide

Athletes, organizers, USA Cycling consider challenges, benefits for big-time women’s racing (VeloNews)

Ferrand Prevot repeats as French time trial champion (Cycling News)
Maria Parker expected to finish RAAM today (Robesonian)
Tayler Wiles leaps from casual rider to international racer (Salt Lake Tribune)
Fort Collins cyclist Amanda Miller ready to put injuries behind her (Coloradoan)
Numainville wins Canadian ITT Champs (TheSpec.com)
Dirt Skirt revolution: Local cycling series aims to encourage women to race (Winnipeg Free Press)
Theresa Cliff-Ryan wins East Troy Classic (VeloNews)
Cyclist Dies After Crash at SD Velodrome (NBC San Diego)
Rebecca Rusch repeats as Dirty Kanza women’s champ (Idaho Mountain Express)
Tour of Elk Grove women’s race will be televised nationally (Daily Herald, US)
Wheels are turning for Victoria Gates (Worcester Telegram, Massachusetts)
Nursyazwana Mohd Jamil is new Malaysian Road Race Champ (New Straits Times)

Giro Rosa 2013

30.06-07.07.2013 Official Site
Italy, 8-stage Road Race, 803km
UCI 2.1

Stage reports and results here

The legendary Giro Donne - the last Grand Tour in women's cycling - faced an uncertain future and, for a while, looked about to vanish forever last year when organiser Epinike revealed that it wouldn't be seeking a renewal of its contract to run the race. Fortunately, Renato di Rocco kept true to his promise that he'd make saving it a priority if he was successful in his bid to be re-elected as president of the Italian national federation; once he was he wasted no time in appointing a new race director, Giuseppe Rivolta, and a new company named Erre 4 was created to take on responsibility for making sure that the Giro went ahead under its new name the Giro Rosa.

Since its inception right back in 1988, the Donne has attracted the most talented and famous athletes in the sport. Maria Canins won that year, followed by Roberta Bonanomi in 1989 and then the Frenchwoman Catherine Marsal in 1990. The race wasn't held in 1991 or 1992, but Slovakian Lenka Ilavska became the first rider from the former Eastern Bloc to win with her victory when it restarted in 1993 and the race has been held every year since. Michela Fanini began a new era of Italian domination with her 1994 victory; just a few months later, at the age of 21, she was tragically killed but her memory lives on in the name of the team named after her - S.C. Michela Fanini-ROX, taking part in the race this year. Fabiana Luperini, who still races today and is competing with the Faren-Let's Go Finland team this year, won for the first time in 1995 and then did so again in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and Joane Somarriba became the first Spanish winner in 1999 and won for a second time in 2000. Nicole Brandli was the first Swiss winner in 2001, Svetlana Bubenkova the first Russian in 2002, Brandli won again in 2003 and then the Welsh wonder Nicole Cooke took Britain's first win in 2004, after which Brandli won for a third time in 2005. Lithuanian Edita Pucinskaite won in 2006 and 2007 and then, an incredible 13 years after her first victory, Luperini won for a record fifth time in 2008. Two more firsts came in subsequent years with Claudia Hausler (back with Tibco-To The Top in 2013) the first German winner in 2009 and Mara Abbott (riding with the USA team this year) the first American in 2010, bringing the race neatly up to the reign of Marianne Vos who was the first Dutch winner when she beat Britain's Emma Pooley by more than three minutes (and third place Judith Arndt by more than eight) in 2011, then did the same in 2012. Vos will be a popular favourite for this year, but she'll have a tougher time of it than in the past - the other teams and riders have a better understanding of precisely what they're dealing with when Vos races and are thus better able to react when she makes a move. There are those who believe that, with her return to mountain biking this year, Vos is spreading herself too thinly; however, many believe that she could probably add a few more disciplines and still win more races than any rider in the history of cycling.

Parcours

Stage 1 (30.06.2013) Giovinazzo-Margherita di Savoia, 124.3km

The Giro's general classification, as tends to be the case in any Grand Tour, usually goes to a rider who can climb; for that reason, the first few stages are normally much flatter and riders who don't have much chance of winning overall are permitted a few days in the limelight while the big guns size one another up.

Not so this one. The last 94km are flat, which means that the sprinters will have ample opportunity to get to the front and battle for the stage win, but look at the climb in the first 23km - it's only rated Category 3, isn't very high and, coming so early in the stage, is unlikely to set up any stage-winning breaks, but it's long enough to provide the riders with a good indication of whether or not their rivals are going to cope well with the real knee-breakers to come later on.

Stage 2 (01.07.2013) Pontecagnano Faiano-Pontecagnano Faiano, 99.6km

Stage 2's climb, from the SP28a to the Piazza Garibaldi at Pontecagnano Faiano, ascends only 80m - but it does it in only 1.2km, making the average gradient 6.6%. 6.6%% isn't horrific by professional cyclists' standards, but with the hill being climbed on each of the four laps around the parcours it'll certainly have an effect. What's more, there are GPM points on offer at the top on the final lap; climbers therefore have a choice between going for them or saving energy in order to be able to challenge the sprinters - thus improving General Classification times ready for tomorrow, when the parcours begins to get far lumpier - over the last 21km to the finish. 

Don't forget that many climbers don't like steep descents, where the heavier sprinters are better able to control their machines: so it might be the downhill section after the Piazza that proves decisive rather than the climb to it.

Stage 3 (02.07.2013) Cerro Al Volturno-Cerro Al Volturno, 111.6km

There are no high peaks on Stage 4, but the terrain is far hillier than those that came earlier and gives a taste of the mountain action to come. The first 9km starts flat, then begins to climb gently before becoming steeper on the way to Via Mainarde where today's only GPM points (Cat. 3) will be awarded - which seems a little bit of a strange move by the organisers as the climbers may decide to take the remaining 102km at an easy pace to save energy for subsequent stages while the climbs in the second half of the stage are liable to be too big for the sprinters, potentially making for a boring day once the GPM points have been won.

On the other hand, if the big names do sit back and enjoy the scenery, they might allow domestiques a chance to fight among themselves for a stage win. That usually leads to some excellent and unpredictable racing - and sometimes reveals the young riders who are going to win races like this one in years to come; any that can hold their own on the 18% gradient cobbled climb to the finish line will have proven they've got what it takes.

Stage 4 (03.07.2013) Monte San Vito-Castelfidardo, 137.2km

The longest stage this year by almost 13km, Stage 4 is also the last chance for the sprinters to get a good result that'll see them through the next two stages, when the finish lines are located at the top of serious climbs. 

However, it's a long way to the finish line and, without mountains, this is a parcours that lends itself to breakaways. It might take some time for a successful break to form on the 45km ride to the Cat. 3 climb rough a third of the way into the route, but one made up of a selection of good rouleurs could work together, get their heads down like they're riding a long time trial and stick a big gap between themselves and the following pack - and if that happens, anybody who wants to prevent them taking the stage win will have to make sure they get their chasers on the group before it's too late. Whatever happens, look out for a rider who can climb when the race nears its end: it's not a steep ascent over the last 8km, but after 129km even a gentle gradient could prove decisive.

Stage 5 (04.07.2013) Varazze-Monte Beigua, 73.3km

Stage 5 is 64km shorter than Stage 4, but there's no way it could ever be described as easier - while yesterday's parcours was mostly flat with only a couple of little climbs along the way, today's finish line is located at the top of a Cat.1 climb 1,274m above sea level. To put that into context for British readers, it's 189m (620 feet) higher than the summit of Snowdon.

The finish line is only 74m below the summit of Monte
Beigua, within sight of RAI's TV masts

The parcours starts climbing right from the finish line, gaining 210m at an average gradient of 3.3% over the first 6.3km; no real problem for the grimpeurs, but not at all a welcome prospect for the sprinters or any rider who isn't feeling their best. It's flatter - but not flat - for the next 7.5km to Santa Giustina, then climbs 174m in 2.7km (average gradient 6.3%) on the Cat. 3 ascent to Ponte Giovo, making this the perfect spot for a small group of climbers to leave the pack behind - especially as the coming descent isn't steep enough to give even the most birdlike of climbers too many problems, permitting them to maintain any lead they gain. They'll probably seek to increase it even further on the 17.3km, gently uphill section Pontinvrea, but the descent in the next 4.5km might easily whittle down their numbers: -3% average is not a steep gradient, but the climber who fears descending the least has an obvious advantage here. The next downhill section from 55.3 to 58.5km, with its average -4.3%, will have the same effect.

From 58.5km to the end, everything changes: a rider could arrive at this point alone and with an advantage of an hour, but it won't matter in the slightest if she hasn't got the strength left in her legs to tackle Monte Beigua - over the remaining 14.8km, there are 1,152m at an average gradient of 7.8% to be climbed.

Stage 6 (05.07.2013) Terme Di Premia-San Domenico, 121km

Stage 6 begins with a long descent over the first 20km to Crevoladossola, which puts the climbers at a disadvantage but favours breaks - an escape group made up of domestiques freed to go ahead by their team leaders is a distinct possibility, but they'll probably be swept up in no time at all once the peloton arrives on the flat 81km section that makes up most of today's parcours. Roughly halfway to the finish, at 69km, the race passes through Ornavasso, a pretty town in a stunning location. It's the hometown of Elisa Longo Borghini, riding with the Hitec Products-UCK team, and the stage is dedicated to her.

Like yesterday, the outcome of the stage depends on what happens on the mountain at the end. This one, lying right on the border of Switzerland, rises to 1,410m - 136m higher than yesterday. The climb is longer at 19.5km, which combined with a gain of 1,118m, gives a gentler average gradient than Monte Beigua of 5.7%; however, there is a section at 7% between 109.8 and 115.9km and a real grind of 9% from 117.2km to the finish. 

Being almost 50km longer than Stage 5 and with another very tough climb up to the finish line, Stage 6 is very likely to be the stage that decides the eventual overall winner.

Stage 7 (06.07.2013) Corbetta-Corbetta, 120km

Stage 7 couldn't really be any different to Stages 5 and 6 (unless it was an individual time trial, of course - there's one of those tomorrow) - it consists of eight laps of a 15km circuit with only 16m of vertical gain in total on each and has been designed to suit the sprinters who will have half-killed themselves getting this far into the race. What it all comes down to is which one of them made the best recovery overnight and, as a result, can generate the most power in the bunch sprint that is almost certainly inevitable once the finish line comes within sight?

Stage 8 (07.07.2013) Cremona ITT, 16km

Bah - it's the final stage already! An individual time trial is always an exciting way to end a long stage race, however - there have been many excellent climbers who could also ride well against the clock throughout the history of cycling, but few of them were ever able to rival the true time trial specialists and as a result it's not unknown for a General Classification leader who earned a decent lead up in the mountains to see it suddenly turn into a deficit on the final day. There are some excellent climbers in this race, a few of them definitely among the greatest of all time (Stevebs and Moolman spring to mind, but there are others too); but there are also some very, very good time trial riders - the climbers will need to perform well if they want to keep their overall placings.

Classification Jerseys

General Classification

Points Classification

Mountains Classification

Italian Classification

Youth Classification

Start List
...as provided by the organisers. Women Cycling Fever maintains a regularly-updated list here; the official race website has a list here. One rider who isn't taking part, due to a knee injury, is Amber Pierce: last year, Amber hosted a series of interactive post-stage video conferences in which she chatted with fans and answered their questions, a prime example of a rider doing her bit to promote the sport.