Despite many difficulties, the Astana Women’s Team racing calendar continues with two other races in Belgium. This week’s program will in fact open with the Brabantse Pijl which will take place on Wednesday 7 October: the organizers of the race, also known as the Brabant’s Arrow in English, have designed a 121.5 kilometre route with 19 walls or short climbs, including the of the arrival in Overijse. The line-up of the Astana Women’s Team will be made by Arlenis Sierra, Katia Ragusa, Francesca Pattaro, Olga Shekel, Liliana Moreno and the young French trainee Jade Teolis, in her second official race among the élite having already took part in the Giro dell’Emilia.
On Sunday 11 October the Astana Women’s Team will be at the start of another prestigious event of the UCI Women’s World Tour, the Gent-Wevelgem: the distance to be covered will be 141.4 kilometres with the Kemmelberg cobbled wall, to be climbed twice, that will try to split the peloton. This race has ideal characteristics for Arlenis Sierra who was fourth in 2018 and who will try again to fight for an important result in case of a sprint finish. In addition to Sierra, Katia Ragusa, Francesca Pattaro, Olga Shekel and Liliana Moreno will also be racing. For reasons related to the health emergency, another cancelled event was the Amstel Gold Race, scheduled for these days and race for which the Astana Women’s Team had received an invitation.