Women's Cycling News 06-13.10.2013

Giro Toscana organisation makes official complaint - Tendring council wants Women's Tour, Northamptonshire gets Stage 1 - Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon 2014 - 2014 GB Nats for Abergavenny - Women's cycling supporter Karen Bliss takes top US Cycling role - Transfers and Team News: New Rytger team, Pasta Zara leaves cycling, Van Dijk leaving Lululemon and more - Shorts and Interesting Links - more to come...

Giro Toscana organisation makes official complaint
The organisers of the Giro Toscana have made an official complaint to Italian Cycling Federation (ACCPI) prosecutors regarding Italian riders who took part in a recent protest at the race. Several Italians, including ex-World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, Noemi Cantele and Elisa Longo Borghini, were among the majority of riders taking part in the event who decided not to contest the final stage in protest at the poor safety conditions they'd experienced in the race - a rolling roadblock was provided only for the lead group, leaving any riders not in that group racing in open traffic.

In a press release, the organisers said:

"The organisation is able to prove that a required level of safety -  as stated by Dr Rita Paladino, commander of Traffic Police - was provided. As to whether the alleged problems are a matter of pure invention, we point to the findings of the UCI (which found no problems) and to the managers of the Cycling Federation (no problems reported). The race continued between those riders that remained without any problems and with a large deployment of security and officials along the parcours. The organising company, Michela Fanini ROX, believes that the reckless actions of certain riders has brought a huge amount of damage to its reputation and on an economic level. At this point, the Federal Prosecutors' Office has a duty to investigate and punish the riders responsible for the protest."

The ACCPI has not yet responded to the complaint, but had previously indicated that it fully supported the protest.


Local council wants Women's Tour
One of the problems faced by women's cycling, as we all know, is that you don't get districts clamouring for the privilege of hosting stages like you do in men's races. The reason is that a women's race just doesn't bring in the benefits of a men's race.

Tendring, within Essex

Just like many of the other problems associated with the sport - women are too scared of crashing, women only race until they're in the mid-20s then leave to have babies, women aren't as aggressive and so their races are boring - it's not actually true. A town council only has to scratch the surface and it'll find that hosting a women's race (provided it's advertised and billed as a good, fun and above all cheap day out for the family) is actually a guaranteed way to bring in visitors and their wallets, which is why Tendring in Essex has spent the last few months negotiating with SweetSpot, organisers of the (men's) Tour of Britain, to bring a stage of its new race The Women's Tour to the town in May 2014.

"Staging part of this race will bring many thousands of people into Tendring out of the main holiday season and will be great for the local economy," Tendring's council member for tourism Alan Goggin told the East Anglian Daily Times newspaper. "I am really looking forward to a positive outcome to our bid and we have worked hard to get the event to the District. It will be the first Women’s Tour of Britain and the race is attracting a great deal of interest around the world and from media companies wanting to cover the event. I am proud to say that it could bring international coverage to Tendring, promoting sport, fitness and health and well-being right across the region, as well as showcasing all the very best of the District and the many features and attractions on offer."

SweetSpot, who are not permitted to call the race the Women's Tour of Britain as the name Tour of Britain is owned by British Cycling, has put an enormous amount of time and effort into the event and promises that prizes on offer will be equal to those at the men's Tour. Tendring's interest in hosting a stage is more proof that, if it's promoted properly, women's cycling can and will grow.

A stage in Tendring would be flat, with the highest point in the district just 35m above sea level. However, with numerous historic towns and villages and picturesque salt marshes in the area, it would be a fine backdrop to the race.

Northamptonshire gets Stage 1
Meanwhile, Northamptonshire County Council is delighted that the first stage will take place in the county.

"This is fantastic news for Northamptonshire and I am very pleased we will be hosting the first stage of this prestigious event," county councillor Heather Smith told the Northampton Chronicle and Echo. "Not only will The Women’s Tour bring significant economic benefits to the county, it is also a real opportunity to promote cycling and women’s sport locally. We want to use this event to encourage everyone in Northamptonshire, and in particular the county’s young people, to get cycling and improve their health and wellbeing."

Details of the stage route have not yet been announced, but race organisers SweetSpot have revealed that the finish will be in Northampton itself.

"The Women’s Tour promises to become an exciting fixture in the sporting calendar for years to come, so I am delighted Northampton will host part of this historic first stage," said Northampton borough council leader David Mackintosh. "Last year many of us were glued to our televisions watching all of the action in the Olympic Velodrome and road races at London 2012. I am sure the world’s best female cyclists will get a good reception as they race through our historic streets next year."


Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon 2014
The Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon was notably absent from the UCI Elite Women's Calendar published last week, which came as no real surprise after the difficulties of the last couple of years, but according to Gwena (whom you really should be following; she's the expert on women's cycling in France) organisers plan to hold the race in 2014.

"L'édition 2014 de l'épreuve n'est pas encore "visible" sur le calendrier UCI mais cela est simplement dû au fait que les organisateurs sont encore en attente de certaines subventions pour boucler l'édition 2013. En mai, la candidature 2014 a été déposée en catégorie 2.2 pour des dates allant du vendredi 23 au mercredi 28 mai 2014 soit juste avant le Grand Prix de Plumelec," she explains - "The 2014 edition is not yet visible on the UCI calendar, but this is simply because the organisers are still waiting for some grants to complete the 2013 edition. They have filed their application for a 2.2 event between the 23rd and 28th of May in 2014, just before the Grand Prix de Plumelec."

The race, if it goes ahead, looks like it might have a website for 2014 too - the lack of one, which has made it difficult for fans to follow the race, has been criticised in the past.


2014 GB Nats for Wales
The 2014 British National Championships will be held at Abergavenny in Wales from the 26th to the 29th of June, British Cycling has revealed. The town, which is 10km from the English border and is thus crucially easy to reach by road from the rest of Britain, also hosted the Championships in 2007 and 2009, when Nicole Cooke won (as she also did in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008). The parcours has not yet been made public; however, with two mountains (Blorens and Y Fâl) and seven big hills overlooking the town, it's likely to be a hilly route.


Bliss for women at US Cycling's Road Committee
Four-time National Points Race Champion, three-time National Criterium Champion and three-time Tour de Somerville winner Karen Bliss has been given a position as industry representative on US Cycling's Road Race Committee, a role she will hold for three years.

Bliss, who remained involved in cycling following her retirement from professional competition, is vice marketing president at Advanced Sports International, the company that owns - among others - the Kestrel, Fuji and Breezer bike brands, making her one of the most powerful figures in the bicycle manufacturing industry - and she's a passionate supporter of women's cycling.

"I look forward to working with committee members, the board and staff of USA Cycling to help grow the sport of cycling across the country," she says. "I am particularly focused on growing membership through investing in women’s cycling. There are extremely talented, passionate women racing — I want to see them afforded the same opportunities as those in the pro men’s ranks."


Transfers and Team News
Transfers at a glance

Rytger, a Danish team that picked up an impressive forty race wins in 2013, earns UCI status for the new season. Hanna Helamb (previously with Cramo-Go:Green, who lose their UCI status; it's not yet known where the team's other members will go) and Julie Valgren Andersen are confirmed to be joining the team for 2014. Christina Malling Siggaard (previously Restore Cycling) and Anna Pålsson remain on the squad and will be joined by Kamilla-Sofie Valli, Hanna Helamb , Amalie Winther Olson and the junior Julie Valgren Andersen.

Pasta Zara, the Italian food company that has been involved in women's cycling for several years and sponsors a men's amateur team in addition to Pasta Zara-Cogeas, is ending its association with the sport according to reports. There is no mention of this on the websites belonging to the team or the company, but the team hasn't had a great year and it's rumoured that the riders haven't been properly paid for some time

The biggest story concerning transfers this week was the that Ellen van Dijk is leaving Specialized-Lululemon. Van Dijk, considered one of the best time trial specialists in the world, has been with the team for the last two years and prior to that rode for HTC-Highroad, the team that was taken over by new management to form Specialized-Lululemon. In a press conference on the 7th of October, she revealed that she had signed a three-year contract with Boels-Dolmans and hinted that the support the team would offer her going towards the 2016 Olympics was a deciding factor. Nina Kessler, Emma Trott, Jessie Daams, Lizzie Armitstead, Romy Kasper and Marieke van Wanroij are confirmed as having taken up extended contracts with Boels; Katarzyna Pawlokska, who won the Tour en Limousin this year for GSD Gestion-Kallisto, Megan Guarnier, previously with Rabobank, and 17-year-old Nicky Zijlaard (the niece of Leontien van Moorsel) will join the team. It's not know whether Pauliena Rooijakkers will remain.

Ellen van Dijk ‏@ellenvdijk
Tomorrow at 4 pm there will be a press conference about my future and route to Rio 2016. Exciting!

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the "differing opinions" between herself and the team's manager over whether or not she should have continued in the Giro Toscana (he referred to her decision to do so as "unacceptable"), Rossella Ratto is leaving Hitec Products-UCK. The Italian will ride for Faren-Kuota in 2014. Meanwhile, in addition to Ashleigh Moolman and Lauren Kitchen (as reported some weeks ago,) Hitec will be taking on 2013 Tour de Bretagne winner Audrey Cordon (who has been with Vienne Futuroscope since 2008) and Sara Olsson.

Christine Majerus, previously with Sengers (see below); winner of Stage 2 at the Junior Energiewacht Tour Demi de Jong and Janneke Ensing, who was previously with Ronald McDonald Huis-Groningen Wielerploeg. Rabobank will also lose Liesbet de Vocht, who is going to Lotto-Belisol - the same team with which she began her professional career in 2006. Sara Verhaest and Lieselot Decroix are also joining, and the team is retaining Sabrina Stultiens, Iris Slappendel, Roxane Knetemann, Thalita de Jong, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Lucinda Brand, Annemiek van Vleuten and of course Marianne Vos; it is not known if Rebecca Talen will remain with the squad.

Tibco are taking on four relatively unknown riders: Anika Todd (silver medallist in the Canadian National ITT Championships this year), Lauren Stephens (previously FCS), Scotti Wilborne and Kristabel Doebel-Hickok. They will join Samantha Schneider, Jasmin Glaesser, Amanda Miller, Claudia Haussler and Shelley Olds.

Sengers, sadly, are closing down at the end of the season; Anna van der Breggen was revealed some time ago to be going to Rabobank while Maaike Polspoel is going to Argos-Shimano, Sofie de Vuyst to Futurumshop.nl-Zannata and Geerike Schreurs to the People's Trust Cycling Team. The remaining riders are yet to reveal their new teams. In addition to de Vuyst, Futurumshop.nl-Zannata are taking on 18-year-old Evy Kuijpers and 19-year-old Kirsten Coppens (previously Dura-Vermeer). Laura van der Kamp is leaving to go to the People's Trust team. Argos-Shimano are losing Esra Tromp and Willeke Knol, both of whom have had a quiet season this year. Futurumshop are keeping Anouska Helena Koster, Mascha Pijnenborg, Janine van der Meer, Latoya Brulee, Karen Elzing and the two Annelieses, van Doorslaer and Dom.

Finally for this week, Elise Delzenne, who rode in 2013 with Bourgogne-ProDialog and won the French National Road Race Championships, is moving up into the Elite ranks with Specialized-Lululemon.

(With thanks to Cycling Fever for their excellent transfers table)


Shorts and Interesting Links
Recommended: The Women's UCI Road Calendar - How 2014 and 2013 Compare (Sarah Connolly at Podium Cafe)
Recommended: The gaping hole left by Amy Dombroski (Dan Seaton for VeloNews)
Trying to find cycling clothing as a curvy girl (prowomenscycling)
How Britain's trio of track cycling women inspired a generation (Daily Telegraph)
Lithuania's female youth shine on the road (Lithuania Tribune)
Seven out of seven for Momentum Toyota (SuperSport)
Dr Hutch: A Women's Tour de France (Cycling Weekly)
2014 Women's Gear Preview (Bicycling)
Indian women shine at ACC Track Asia (Indian Express)
Egypt: Women's Initiative Launches "We Will Ride Bicycles" Campaign (AllAfrica)
Women's GP back in Bendigo (Bendigo Advertiser)

Tweets

Dani King ‏@DaniKing1Bloody good job it was my helmet to hit the road not my head! People walking across the road need to look where there going!

Women's Cycling News 29.09-06.10.2013

Amy Dombroski killed - Vos wins Worlds - Hall wins Nat. Champs Scratch Race - 2014 Calendar - VeloJam is back, can you help with filming or catering? - UCI abolishes average age rule - Transfers and Team News - Shorts and Interesting Links:  Women's sports digital TV channel in the pipeline?, London Nocturne 2014, BC searching for new Paralympic stars - Calling Irish cyclists! - Photo of the Week - more to come...

RIP Amy Dombroski
Amy Dombroski, a member of the Telenet-Fidea cyclo cross team, was killed in a collision with a truck while on a training ride on the 3rd of October. The tragedy took place in Sint-Katelijne-Waver in Belgium.

Vermont-born Dombroski, who was just 26 years old, had ridden for the team since 2012, having previously been with the American Webcor and Luna Pro outfits. A three-time National Under-23 Champion, she was tipped for further successes over the coming seasons after coming second behind the legendary Belgian rider Sanne Cant at the prestigious Leuven race last year.

Amy Dombroski

Born 9th September 1987 at Jericho, Vermont, USA

Died 3rd October 2013 at Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium

Vos wins Worlds
Last week, I said that as the World Championship road race is the only non-Olympic women's race that receives widespread media attention, I wasn't going to bother writing reports on it. However, Saturday brought us a race that was so exceptional, with such classic performances by all the riders involved, that to make no mention of it would be wrong.

The expected challenge from Giorgia Bronzini - World Champion in 2010 and 2011, a sprinter who can hold her own on the climbs and then recover remarkably quickly before overpowering her rivals to the finish - never materialised, with the Italian trailing far behind the lead group consisting of the Netherlands' Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen, Russian Tatiana Antoshina, Italians Elisa Longo Borghini, Rossella Ratto and Tatiana Guderzo, Linda Villumsen of New Zealand, Australian Tiffany Cromwell, German Claudia Hausler and the Swede Emma Johansson as the race entered its final lap

Vos had to accept also-ran status in the Worlds for many years. She won for the first time in 2006 (having been Junior World Champion in 2004), then came second every year until 2012. She is, famously, one of the most sweet-natured and likable people in professional sports, but by her own admission she doesn't like not winning races, so 2013 has been a long build-up to this race and she started in absolutely perfect form. She also knows that van der Breggen is as fine a domestique as any rider could ever hope for (as she proved at last year's Worlds, which is why she'll be joining Vos on the Rabobank-Liv/Giant team in 2014) - so, when the Italians tried to wear her down with repeated attacks on the final attempt of the historic Fiesole where the wealthiest Florentines enjoyed spectacular views of the race from their luxurious villas, she remained unphased and safe in the knowledge that her team mate would deal with anyone who managed to get away.

The reason Vos declined to go after them herself was Emma Johansson, who knocked her off the top place in the UCI rankings recently, the first time that Vos had not been number one for six years; while this was a phenomenon caused largely by the way the rankings are calculated and the changing dates of races, the Swede has nevertheless been the strongest threat to her all season and many fans reckoned she'd be in with a good chance of coming out on top in Tuscany. Johansson is a clever rider and had bided her time to see what effect the Italians' efforts would have; when it became obvious that they were making no difference at all she fell back on Plan B and made her move halfway up, where the climb becomes steepest. The look on Johansson's face when Vos cruised along with her and then overtook made it clear that she knew now she could not win; especially when Ratto declined to join forces in pursuit.

One of the things that makes Vos the most successful cyclist in the world today is her bike-handling - in addition to being able to climb fast, she can also keep control of her machine at high speed on the descents. This allowed her to increase the gap she'd put between herself and Johansson once she was over the summit, then, remembering Ratto's unwillingness to work earlier, Johansson decided she'd simply end the chase and make sure the Italian stayed put in third place; thus Vos increased her lead to 15" and crossed the line alone with her arms jubilantly aloft. She had raced a perfect race, and she deserves her gold medal.

Johansson did manage to hold Ratto off, though they received equal times. Van der Breggen, proving what a real asset to Vos next season, somehow found a little extra strength and managed to get 13" ahead of Evelyn Stevens for fourth place, finishing 33" after her new boss. Stevens was +46", Villumsen was sixth at +50", then Guderzo and Longo Borghini took seventh and eighth at +51". Cromwell and Antoshina, who had fallen back from what was left of the lead group once it split, came in at +1'40 for ninth and tenth.

Marianne Vos ‏@marianne_vosNothing can beat the feeling when crossing the line as the World Champion, but 2nd best is waking up with this view - http://moby.to/2w1ruu 

2013 World Championships Results
1 Marianne VOS (Netherlands) 3h44'00"
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Sweden) +15"
3 Rossella RATTO (Italy) ST
4 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Netherlands) +33"
5 Evelyn STEVENS (USA) +46"
6 Linda VILLUMSEN (New Zealand) +50"
7 Tatiana GUDERZO (Italy) +52"
8 Elisa LONGO BORGHINI (Italy) ST
9 Tiffany CROMWELL (Australia) +01'40"
10 Tatiana ANTOSHINA (Russia) ST
11 Elena KUCHINSKAYA (Russia) +02'41"
12 Claudia HÄUSLER (Germany) +03'34"
13 Pauline FERRAND PREVOT (France) +04'20"
14 Megan GUARNIER (USA) +04'41"
15 Annemiek VAN VLEUTEN (Netherlands) +05'03"
16 Ellan VAN DIJK (Netherlands) ST
17 Paulina BRZEZNA (Poland) ST
18 Maja WLOSZCZOWSKA (Poland) ++05'05"
19 Elizabeth ARMITSTEAD (Great Britain) +05'28"
20 Trixi WORRACK (Germany) ST
21 Eugenia BUJAK (Poland) ST
22 Ashleigh MOOLMAN (South Africa) ST
23 Flavia OLIVEIRA (Brazil) +ST
24 Francesca CAUZ (Italy) +05'30"
25 Carlee TAYLOR (Australia) +ST
26 Giorgia BRONZINI (Italy) +ST
27 Lucinda BRAND (Netherlands) +06'44"
28 Valentina SCANDOLARA (Italy) +07'40"
29 Jolanda NEFF (Switzerland) ST
30 Oxana KOZONCHUK (Russia) ST
31 Shara GILLOW (Australia) ST
32 Kristin MCGRATH (USA) ST
33 Karol-Ann CANUEL (Canada) ST
34 Edwige PITEL (France) ST
35 Doris SCHWEIZER (Switzerland) +07'46"
36 Tetyana RIABCHENKO (Ukraine) +08'51"
37 Mara ABBOTT (USA) +09'40"
38 Miriam BJØRNSRUD (Norway) +12'09"
39 Liesbet DE VOCHT (Belgium) ST
40 Eri YONAMINE (Japan) ST
41 Susanna ZORZI (Italy) ST
42 Inga CILVINAITE (Lithuania) ST
43 Anastasiya CHULKOVA (Russia) +13'
44 Andrea DVORAK (USA) ST
45 Eivgenia VYSOTSKA (Ukraine) ST
46 Anna SANCHIS CHAFER (Spain) ST

Did Not Finish: Noemi CANTELE (Italy), Hanna SOLOVEY (Ukraine), Audrey CORDON (France) Madelene OLSSON (Sweden), Joanne KIESANOWSKI (New Zealand), Natalia BOYARSKAYA (Russia), Lorena Maria VARGAS VILLAMIL (Colombia), Maaike POLSPOEL (Belgium), Reta TROTMANN (New Zealand), Enkhjargal TUVSHINJARGAL (Mongolia), Cecilie Gotaas JOHNSEN (Norway), Paz BASH (Israel), Uenia FERNANDES DA SOUZA (Brazil), Aude BIANNIC (France), Amanda SPRATT (Australia), Elise DELZENNE (France), Olivia DILLON (Ireland), Melanie SPÄTH (Ireland), Ingrid LORVIK (Norway), Julie LETH (Denmark), Daiva TUSLAITE (Lithuania), Diana PEÑUELA (Colombia), Agne SILINYTE (Lithuania), Špela KERN (Slovenia), Malgorzta JASINSKA (Poland), Patricia SCHWAGER (Switzerland), Lex ALBRECHT (Canada), Romy KASPER (Germany), Lisa BRENNAUER (Germany), Leah KIRCHMANN (Canada), Ane SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ (Spain), Denise RAMSDEN (Canada), Polona BATAGELJ (Slovenia), Ursa PINTAR (Slovenia), Carolina RODRIGUEZ GUTIERREZ (Mexico), Amy CURE (Australia), Gracie ELVIN (Australia), Christine MAJERUS (Luxembourg), Annelies VAN DOORSLAER (Belgium), Sofie DE VUYST (Belgium), Esther FENNEL (Germany), Andrea GRAUS (Austria), Martina RITTER (Austria), Daniela PINTARELLI (Austria), Sara MUSTONEN (Sweden), Joelle NUMAINVILLE (Canada), Amy PIETERS (Netherlands), Minami UENO (Japan), Ana FAGUA (Colombia), Lilibeth CHACON GARCIA (Venezuela), Belen LOPEZ MORALES (Spain), Vita HEINE (Latvia), Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA (Poland), Sari SAARELAINEN (Finland), Ingrid DREXEL (Mexico), Jessie DAAMS (Belgium), Kirsten WILD (Netherlands), Katie COLCLOUGH (Great Britain), Nikki HARRIS (Great Britain), Loes GUNNEWIJK (Netherlands), Lelizaveta OSHURKOVA (Ukraine), Silvija LATOZAITE (Lithuania), Ivanna BOROVYCHENKO (Ukraine), Katarzyna PAWLOWSKA (Poland), Lauren KITCHEN (Australia), Martina RUZICKOVA (Czech Republic), Ana Teresa CASAS BONILLA (Mexico), Edith GUILLEN (Costa Rica), Diána SZUROMINÉ PULSFORT (Hungary), Nontasin CHANPENG (Thailand), Jutatip MANEEPHAN (Thailand), Antonela FERENCIC (Croatia), Clemilda FERNANDES SILVA (Brazil), Supaksorn NUNTANA (Thailand), Kathryn BERTINE (St Kitts & Nevis), Véronique FORTIN (Canada), Katazina SOSNA (Lithuania), Christel FERRIER-BRUNEAU (France), Emilia FAHLIN (Sweden), Jessica KIHLBOM (Sweden), Céline VAN SEVEREN (Belgium), Svetlana STOLBOVA (Russia), Hanna NILSSON (Sweden), Martina THOMASSON (Sweden), Elke GEBHARDT (Germany), Karen DOLJAK (Paraguay), Carmen SMALL (USA), Jade WILCOXSON (USA), Lucy GARNER (Great Britain), Emily COLLINS (New Zealand), Tereza TREFNÁ (Czech Republic), Lotta LEPISTÖ (Finland), Samah KHALED (Jordan), Cindi Magali DINATALE (Argentina), Dragana KOVACEVIC (Serbia)



Corrine Hall wins National Scratch Championship

Corrine Hall at the Bedford Three-Day
(Photo copyright Paul Douglas/Matrix RA)

Matrix Racing Academy's Corrine Hall wowed the fans and herself with victory in the Scratch race at the National Track Championships - as the 22-year-old later explained, she hadn't credited herself with any chance against strong rivals, but revealed herself to be a clever tactician by making profitable use of an unexpected situation.

"I knew I wasn't going to win a sprint against Laura [Trott] and Dani [King], so I attacked with seven laps to go" said Londoner Corrine. "It wasn't an attempt to take another lap, but simply to give myself a chance to stay ahead of the pack and take the win. There was definitely a miscalculation behind, as when the peloton finished Laura thought she had won as they didn't realise I was also a lap up. I'm over the moon to be national scratch race champion, what a way to finish an amazing season with a great team. Bring on 2014."

Matrix manager Stef Wyman, who has become one of the most respected figures in women's cycling due to his skill at finding young riders and developing them into world-class professionals, was predictably delighted. "2013 has been a great year for the team," he said. "We have had some outstanding performances with a new group of riders.  It’s hard to get everyone working as one unit in a short space of time as we have riders together so little due to other commitments.  Corrine has been a stand out rider in the UK over the last 2 years.  That’s been noticed and she’s had the opportunity to try her hand at riding pilot for the Paracycling squad, ending up with a rainbow jersey recently."

"We’re very pleased Corrine will be staying with our team in 2014," Wyman added, before outlining his plans to take a revamped Matrix team forward in 2014. "The Women's Tour will add a huge amount of focus to the UK scene and we will be looking to prove we deserve an invitation to that race.  Corrine is a rider that in our opinion can go as far as she wants in the sport, both with the pilot work and on the road and track on her own, so it’ll be interesting to see that progression over the coming seasons."

Scratch Top Ten
1 Corinne HALL
2 Laura TROTT
3 Dani KING
4 Emily KAY 
5 Elinor BARKER 
6 Eileen ROE 
7 Hannah BARNES 
8 Charlene JOINER 
9 Kate ARCHIBALD 
10 Anna RAILTON
Full result

Jess Varnish won the Keirin, Sprint and 500m TT while Trott took the Points and 3km Individual Pursuit.



2014 Calendar
The UCI has recently made the 2014 Elite Women calendar available. 74 events are listed on it, compared to the 54 that took place in 2013; however, not all of them - such as June's three Golan races, which would take place in Syria, are likely to go ahead. Notably missing are the Tour Languedoc-Roussillon, cancelled a fortnight before it was to due to start in 2012 and then a day before the start in 2013, and the Giro Toscana, which organisers said would not go ahead again after riders protested against the dangerous conditions in the race by refusing to start the final stage.

The events on the calendar also stretch over a longer period. The Tour of Qatar is included for February, but will no longer be the season opener as Argentina hosts the Tour Femenino de San Luis, the new women's counterpart to the Tour de San Luis, in January - two other events, the Ronde van Overijssel (Netherlands) and the Trofee Maarten Wynants (Belgium), are also adding women's races. Worth noting here is the fact that the Trofee has been in existence for just seven editions while the Ronde has been held every year since 1951 (almost; it missed 2001) - the fact that well-established races and relatively new ones are adding women's races can be seen as an encouraging indication that women's cycling is on the up.

October's Chrono des Nations was the final race in 2013, the Brazilian events supposedly happening in November vanishing off the calendar long before they were due to take place - rumour has it that they will be going ahead this year, but we shall see. Another very welcome addition is the new Women's Tour, a women's Tour of Britain, to take place in May. Another notable change involves the World Cup, which increases to nine events - since the GP Ciudad de Valladolid was cancelled in 2012, it has consisted of eight rounds. The Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio, Ronde van Vlaanderen, La Flèche Wallonne, Tour of Chongming Island, Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT, Open de Suède Vårgårda RR and GP de Plouay all remain part of the series and will be joined by the Sparkassen Giro, a hugely popular race that forms part of a weekend urban festival at Bochum in Germany.

14.01.2014 18.01.2014 Tour Femenino de San Luis 2.2 ARG
04.02.2014 07.02.2014 Ladies Tour of Qatar 2.1 QAT
26.02.2014 02.03.2014 Vuelta Internacional Femenina a Costa Rica 2.2 CRC
01.03.2014 01.03.2014 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad-vrouwen elite / Circuit Het Nieuwsblad-Femmes Elite 1.2 BEL
05.03.2014 05.03.2014 Le Samyn des Dames 1.2 BEL
07.03.2014 07.03.2014 Grand Prix de Oriente 1.1 ESA
09.03.2014 09.03.2014 Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge 1.2 BEL
09.03.2014 14.03.2014 Vuelta a El Salvador 2.1 ESA
13.03.2014 13.03.2014 Drentse 8 1.2 NED
16.03.2014 16.03.2014 Novilon EDR Cup 1.2 NED
16.03.2014 16.03.2014 Grand Prix GSB 1.1 ESA
17.03.2014 17.03.2014 Grand Prix el Salvador 1.1 ESA
22.03.2014 22.03.2014 Classica Citta di Padova 1.1 ITA
23.03.2014 23.03.2014 Cholet Pays de Loire Dames 1.2 FRA
23.03.2014 23.03.2014 GP Comune di Cornaredo 1.2 ITA
30.03.2014 30.03.2014 Gent-Wevelgem Women Elite 1.2 BEL
07.04.2014 07.04.2014 Grand Prix de Dottignies 1.2 BEL
08.04.2014 10.04.2014 The Princess Maha Chackri Sirindhon's Cup "Women's Tour of Thailand" 2.2 THA
09.04.2014 13.04.2014 Energiewacht Tour 2.2 NED
17.04.2014 17.04.2014 Winston Salem Cycling Classic (WE) 1.2 USA
20.04.2014 20.04.2014 Ronde van Gelderland 1.2 NED
25.04.2014 25.04.2014 GP Liberazione 1.2 ITA
26.04.2014 26.04.2014 EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE 1.2 NED
27.04.2014 27.04.2014 Dwars door de Westhoek 1.1 BEL
30.04.2014 04.05.2014 Gracia Orlova 2.2 CZE
02.05.2014 02.05.2014 Ronde van Overijssel Women 1.1 NED
02.05.2014 04.05.2014 Festival Luxembourgeois du cyclisme féminin Elsy Jacobs 2.1 LUX
03.05.2014 03.05.2014 Copa Federacion Venezolana de Ciclismo 1.2 VEN
04.05.2014 04.05.2014 Clasico FVCiclismo Corre Por la VIDA 1.2 VEN
07.05.2014 11.05.2014 The Women's Tour 2.1 GBR
08.05.2014 08.05.2014 Champ. Panaméricain c.l.m. ind. / Panamerican Champ. ind. TT- WE CC GUA
10.05.2014 10.05.2014 Champ. Panaméricain-en ligne / Panamerican Champ. ind. RR- WE CC GUA
10.05.2014 10.05.2014 Trofee Maarten Wynants 1.2 BEL
14.05.2014 16.05.2014 Tour of Chongming Island 2.1 CHN
17.05.2014 17.05.2014 Grand Prix cycliste de Gatineau 1.1 CAN
19.05.2014 19.05.2014 Chrono Gatineau 1.1 CAN
20.05.2014 20.05.2014 Grand Prix of Maykop 1.2 RUS
21.05.2014 23.05.2014 Tour of Zhoushan Island 2.2 CHN
22.05.2014 25.05.2014 Tour of Adygeya 2.2 RUS
28.05.2014 28.05.2014 Asian Cycling Championships - c.l.m. ind. / ind. TT - WE CC KAZ
30.05.2014 30.05.2014 Boels Rental Hills Classic 1.1 NED
31.05.2014 31.05.2014 Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan Dames 1.2 FRA
31.05.2014 31.05.2014 Rabobank 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg 1.2 NED
31.05.2014 31.05.2014 Asian Cycling Championships - en ligne / ind. road race - WE CC KAZ
31.05.2014 01.06.2014 Auensteiner- Radsporttage 2.2 GER
01.06.2014 01.06.2014 Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik 1.1 BEL
01.06.2014 01.06.2014 The Philadelphia Cycling Classic 1.1 USA
06.06.2014 08.06.2014 Ster Zeeuwsche Eilanden 1.2 NED
10.06.2014 10.06.2014 Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria 1.2 ESP
12.06.2014 15.06.2014 Emakumeen Euskal Bira 2.1 ESP
20.06.2014 22.06.2014 Giro del Trentino Alto Adige - Südtirol 2.1 ITA
22.06.2014 22.06.2014 Golan I 1.2 SYR
24.06.2014 24.06.2014 Golan II 1.2 SYR
27.06.2014 27.06.2014 Golan IIl 1.2 SYR
04.07.2014 13.07.2014 Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile 2.1 ITA
06.07.2014 06.07.2014 White Spot / Delta Road Race WE 1.2 CAN
10.07.2014 10.07.2014 Championnat d'Europe U23 c.l.m. / U23 European Championship TT WU CC SUI
10.07.2014 13.07.2014 Tour de Feminin - O cenu Českého Švýcarska 2.2 CZE
12.07.2014 12.07.2014 Championnat d'Europe U23 / U23 European Championship WU CC SUI
16.07.2014 20.07.2014 Tour de Bretagne Féminin 2.2 FRA
19.07.2014 20.07.2014 BeNe Ladies Tour 2.2 NED
21.07.2014 27.07.2014 Internationale Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen 2.1 GER
24.07.2014 27.07.2014 Tour Féminin en Limousin 2.2 FRA
02.08.2014 02.08.2014 Erondegemse Pijl (Erpe-Mere) 1.2 BEL
09.08.2014 17.08.2014 La Route de France 2.1 FRA
23.08.2014 27.08.2014 Trophée d'Or Féminin 2.2 FRA
29.08.2014 01.09.2014 Lotto Belisol Belgium Tour 2.2 BEL
01.09.2014 06.09.2014 Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche 2.2 FRA
02.09.2014 07.09.2014 Boels Rental Ladies Tour 2.1 NED
14.09.2014 14.09.2014 Chrono Champenois - Trophée Européen 1.1 FRA
19.10.2014 19.10.2014 Chrono des Nations 1.1 FRA
07.11.2014 09.11.2014 Giro Feminino de Ciclismo 2.2 BRA
11.11.2014 11.11.2014 GP Memorial Bruno Caloi 1.2 BRA
14.11.2014 16.11.2014 Volta Feminina da República 2.2 BRA

Sarah at Podium Cafe has produced an excellent commentary on the new calendar.  Find it here.



Women's VeloJam is back

Last year's women's track cycling event VeloJam, at the historic Herne Hill velodrome, proved an enormous success. So, it's back on this year - and with all the riders who went away telling everyone what a fantastic event it had been in 2012, it's sure to be bigger and better this year.

"The concept is based on the belief that something needs to be done to tap into all the women out there who want to be taken seriously and race track," says the official Herne Hill website. AnaNichoola and Team Mule Bar Girl-Sigma Sport are backing the event.

The event, which takes place under floodlights in the evening of the 5th of October, features categorised races with riders at all levels from Elite to first-time novices getting plenty of track time. Entry is a mere £15 (£20 on the day), a small price to pay for the pleasure of riding in front of a supportive crowd (entry is free for spectators, which makes it all feel more like a party than a race meet) at the 122-year-old velodrome that hosted the track cycling events of the 1948 Olympics. While the event remains a women's cycling event, the Madison is now open to mixed pairs.

Oh, and there's £1000 of prizes, too.

Online entry here.

Can you help?VeloJam's catering deal has fallen through and race organisers are looking for someone who can step in and help - they're interested in anything from a table full of sandwiches to a manned barbecue to a proper catering van. They'd also be very interested to hear from anyone who might be able to create a film of the event - more details here.

UCI abolishes age rule
In one of the first big changes since Brian Cookson took over as president and appointed Tracey Gaudrey as one of his three vice-presidents, the UCI has announced the immediate end of the Women's Elite Team rule.

The rule, which officially no longer applies after the 1st of October 2013 (yesterday, as I write this) dictated that the majority of members of any team had to be 28 or lower. The rule is widely suspected to have been carried over into women's cycling from the Continental teams, which serve as development squads, when Continental regulations were simply copied and reused for the Elite Women's teams. While the reasoning behind keeping it (presumably, to ensure younger riders got a chance to race) was reasonably sound, it frequently hamstrung teams and led to older riders being left out of events in which they would perform well - and made it much more difficult for them to find contracts, despite female riders having been shown to maintain their athletic peak for longer than their male counterparts.

Le Tour Entier, the organisation led by Kathryn Bertine, Emma Pooley, Marianne Vos and Chrissie Wellington, had listed opposition to the rule as one of the main points in its manifesto, along with pressing the ASO to organise a women's Tour de France.



Transfers and Team News
As reported here last week, Specialized-Lululemon's British star Katie Colclough has decided to retire from professional cycling at the age of just 23. During an interview with the BBC at the World Championships, Colclough said that one of the reasons behind her decision is that it's virtually impossible to make a decent living from women's cycling - a timely reminder, now that Brian Cookson is president of the UCI, that the sport has been neglected. Good luck, Katie - we'll all be hoping you return to racing one day.

Argos-Shimano are taking on three new members - Kyara Stijns and Floortje Mackaij, who will both be joining an Elite team for the first time, and Maaike Polspoel. Stijns is current Junior Dutch Road Race Champion and has been impressing with her climbing skills; Mackaij won a stage and the Points competition at the Junior Energiewacht Tour this year, then became Junior National ITT Champion. Polspoel, who spent 2013 with Sengers, was second at the Belgian National Road Race and ITT Championships, second at the Sparkassen Giro and won Erpe-Mere. The team has extended Lucy Garner and Kirsten Wild's contracts.

Telenet-Fidea, home to cyclo crossers Nikki Harris and Sophie de Boer, has signed a new contract with its sponsors. This guarantees the team's future until 2017.



Shorts and Interesting Links
Women's sports digital TV channel in the pipeline?
Quite possibly, if Specialized-Lululemon boss Kristy Scrymgeour has her way (and let's hope she does) - in an interview with Bicycling magazine, she revealed she has plans to do just that, and cycling would be the centrepiece.

"I am trying to come up with a digital channel for women, because women’s cycling needs to be on TV," she said. It doesn’t need to be the major networks or even cable. And it doesn’t have to be five hours of racing. We need to tell the stories."

Read the Bicycling interview here.

London Nocturne 2014
The IG Markets London Nocturne, which in just a few years has become one of the most prestigious races in the UK, will be held on the 7th of June in 2014, say organisers. More information on the official website.

BC searching for new Paralympic stars
Could you be one of Britain's next generation of Paralympic champions? British Cycling would like to hear from you if you think you have what it takes. Requirements are:

• Aged 16+
• An existing UK Passport holder (or being eligible for one)
• A sporty background (although not necessarily at national level)
• The team is looking for women and girls across all para-cyling classifications including those who are visually impaired, lower limb amputees (single or double, above or below knee), cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, minor impairments (such as mild impairment to one arm, moderate impairment to one leg, loss of part of the arm).
• A desire and determination to be the world’s best
• Ability to commit to the programme

More information here.

Interesting Links
Vos and van Dijk interviewed (in Dutch) (Pauw en Witteman)
Kittie Knox honoured (Boston Globe)
Ovarian Psyco Cycles Brigade: Latina bicyclists answer macho bike culture with their own chain gang (LA Times)
10 myths about women and cycling (Momentum Mag)
Athelete spotlight: Alison Tetrick (Race Vista)
New UCI president Brian Cookson must address issues in women's cycling (Sky Sports)
Scotland cycling team making progress, says Gary Coltman (BBC Sport)
British Cycling National Track Championships: Laura Trott wins women's individual pursuit (Sky Sports)
Lisandra Guerra Wins Two Gold Medals in Cuba Track Cycling Cup (Prensa Latina)
Varnish wins women's sprint at 2013 British National Track Championships to maintain 100% record (British Cycling)
Gracie Elvin's Worlds Diary (Cycling Tips)
More must be done if cycling is to stop peddling a disparity between sexes (Herald Scotland)
Women’s team time trial was great, but coverage wasn’t (Roar)
Phantom bike lane appears where Sian Green was hit in New York (Bike Radar)
Pro Bike Profile: Helen Wyman’s Disc Brake Kona Super Jake CX (Cyclocross Magazine)
Pro Bike: Marianne Vos' Giant Envie Advanced (Bike Radar)
The course that teaches female cyclists to "own the road" (Guardian)
Cound heads up Msunduzi women’s field (SuperSport)
Rider Profile: Megan Gray (Seattle PI)


Calling Irish cyclists!

Photo of the Week

History being made - 4x4km Women's Pursuit in Manchester

(Photo copyright Jack Chevell. See more of Jack's excellent work here)

New women's cycling websites

A sure sign of the increasing popularity of women's cycling - and fans' determination to make sure it gets the coverage and exposure it deserves and has for so long been denied in the established media - is the number of websites devoted to the sport that have sprung up recently.

Two that look especially promising are VeloFocus and Total Women's Cycling. Velofocus, in operation since late August in 2012, has really come together with a superb selection of race previews and news; it was, I believe, the first English-language site to publish the parcours for the 2013 Ladies' Tour of Qatar and the donwloadable race calendar knocks the spots off the UCI's own, official, calendar. TWC looks slick right from the front page - with a very professional and well-thought-out design, it's a site that could give the cycling magazine websites a run for their money. With a mix of news, interviews, reviews and how-tos, it has content to match - this is a site that I fully expect to become one of the first-call choices for women's cycling news.

Women's Tour of NZ cancelled

2012 Tour of New Zealand winner
Evelyn Stevens

Thanks to the cost of new drugs testing procedures required by the UCI as it desperately tries to hang on to some shred of credibility following the investigation into Lance Armstrong and US Postal, the Women's Tour of New Zealand has been cancelled for next year as organisers are unable to find the estimated figure needed to comply with the new rules.

"The UCI won't allow Drug Free Sport New Zealand to conduct tests in UCI events in New Zealand, this means they will send a UCI drugs inspector to New Zealand, we will have to import all testing devices from overseas, do at least 20 tests during the five days of racing, get a license to export human samples overseas, send all samples to a laboratory in Sydney to be tested all at our cost, this is approximately $30,000 per event," race director Jorge Sandoval told the Manawatu Standard, adding that he understands the need for the new measures.

$30,000? That's a lot of money in women's cycling, with most organisers spending much of the year grubbing around for tiny sponsorship deals and trying their hardest to persuade new backers to come on board when they could have been developing and improving their races, which are then run on budgets that don't resemble shoestrings so much as frayed bits of cotton thread. In UCI terms, however, it's nothing - it'd probably just about cover the average professional men's team's annual laundry bill. There's probably more than thirty grand in small change down the back of the comfy sofas littered about the UCI's swanky HQ in Aigle.

Get your wallet out, Pat!

Following years of criticism, the UCI has declared itself serious about securing the future of women's cycling and helping it to grow and develop. It would be, surely, in their interest to do so - viewing figures for the women's road race at the Olympics killed off the misconception that there's no sizable audience for women's cycling forever; promoting and developing the sport would surely make it profitable and bring even more funds into the UCI's coffers. The Tour of New Zealand is a major, five-day, international event that attracts the finest athletes cycling has to offer and it's followed by huge numbers of fans around the world - are the UCI willing to step in and save it, either by stumping up funds to cover the cost drugs testing or by introducing a scheme to help races that can't come up with an extra $30,000?

We shall see. What's more, the outcome will let us know if Pat and pals really meant it when they said they wanted to help women's cycling. If not, they can wave goodbye to another chunk of credibility as we wave goodbye to another race.

Races 19-26.05.12

One-day races
19.05.12 - Chrono Gatineau Rona (1.1, Canada) Start list, map and profile
19.05.12 - Copa Fundadeporte (1.2, Venezuela)
20.05.12 - GP Comune di Cornaredo (1.2, Italy)
20.05.12 - Clasico Fundadeporte (1.2, Venezuela)
21.05.12 - Grand Prix cycliste de Gatineau (1.1, Canada) Map and profile
25.05.12 - Parkhotel Valkenburg Hills Classic (1.2, Netherlands) Start list
26.05.12- 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg (1.2, Netherlands) Start list, map, Twitter, radio (available online, in Dutch)

Stage and multi-day races
23-27.05.12 - Tour de Free State (2.1, South Africa)
Stage maps and profiles 1, 2, 3, 4
24-28.05.12 - Exergy Tour (2.1, USA)
Stage maps P, 1, 2, 3, 4 Stage profiles P, 1, 2, 3, 4