Setmana Ciclista Valenciana has turned into a proper early-season test for the GC stars of women’s cycling. The race has developed over the years too as more attention has been placed on it. Originally a 2.2 that Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig won in 2017, Hannah Barnes won the 2nd edition in 2018.
There isn’t much of a history of the Clasica de Almeria, mainly because it hasn’t been held before! There isn’t even a note of a national level race that this year’s event has risen up from. There is a men’s Clasica de Almeria and it’s no doubt come about as a result of the success of that race. Unlike the Vuelta CV Feminas which packed a serious punch
Movistar’s new signings got their 2023 season off to a great start by finishing 1st and 2nd in Valencia at the Vuelta CV Feminas. Two of the biggest marquee signings of this off-season were able to go clear on the La Frontera climb in a small group and then play their cards perfectly to ensure …
Movistar completes 1-2 with Mackaij & Lippert at Vuelta CV Feminas Read More »
The Vuelta CV Feminas was the UCI season-opener in 2022 but with the return of the Australian calendar, we’ve already caught a glimpse of riders before heading to the Spanish coast. Indeed, in 2023 it’s not even the first Spanish race of the year after the Women Cycling Pro Costa de Almeria last weekend
The Giro Donne GC battle wasn’t affected by Stage 2 with no time lost at all by the contenders. Stage 3 however is a different matter after a late confusion about the correct route in the last few kilometres. There’s a chance the times from that stage are still altered but for now, I’m taking …
How the Giro Donne 2022 GC battle looks after Stage 3 Read More »
The Giro Donne has always had a reputation for some interesting route quirks, including late changes and one stage in 2020 where no-one quite knew where the finish line was going to be until Marianne Vos rode over it. Yesterday’s Stage 3, the final stage in Sardinia, saw GC riders affected by a roundabout around …
Riders complain after Giro Donne Stage 3 finish affects the GC battle Read More »
During Covid lockdown in 2020, I wondered what FTPs pro cyclists were putting out. With everyone stuck indoors, Zwift became super popular and a whole new way to check rider data was available. Once the pros started doing races on Zwift, you could see their FTP on the Zwiftpower site. Not only their FTP but …
The queen stage of the 2022 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana promised to be tough. With 3 1st Category climbs, it was the hardest stage in the race’s entire history. Going into the race, it looked on paper like the stage that was absolutely going to decide the GC. For riders who have lost time on previous …
Today’s second stage of Setmana Ciclista Valenciana looked potentially tricky on paper. Starting the day with a long 1st Category climb had the potential to break up the peloton and cause chaos. The rest of the stage looked like it would be nailed on for a final sprint. For the pure sprinters, this was their …
The Setmana Ciclista Valenciana kicked off today with a tricky stage with a number of possible options available. The parcours looked to reward attacking racing with puncheurs and GC riders are given the chance to distance sprinters on the Alto Barx. The 2nd Category climb was the launchpad for Annemiek van Vleuten’s solo victory last …