by Anna Magrath | Jun 15, 2016
Christine Majerus sprinted to victory in Norwich to clinch the opening stage of the Aviva Women’s Tour and with it the Aviva Yellow Jersey of race leader.
The Boels Dolmans rider, and Luxembourg national champion, took her first UCI Women’s WorldTour victory, pipping Marianne Vos and Giorgia Bronzini as Cylance Pro Cycling’s Alison Tetrick was caught in the final 100-metres of the stage into Norwich city centre.
The 31-year-old American spent the final 21-kilometres in a solo break on the Norfolk roads, building a lead at one-point of almost two-minutes. But come the technical run through the centre of Norwich, and the uphill drag to the finish line in the Market Place the Cylance rider was pipped, holding on to finish eighth, just ahead of a six second time gap.
We catch up with Alison Tetrick of Cylance Pro Cycling Team after her solo attempt to take Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. A gutsy performance but the win eluded Alison, however it’s not dampened her desire to take another stage win. #AvivaWT2016
Tetrick did claim the day’s combativity prize for her fighting ride that so nearly paid fruit, especialy after she had been brought down in a crash earlier in the stage, until the final corner when first Majerus, and then Vos brushed her aside.
Majerus also claimed the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, with her stage win giving her the advantage over Vos, with the two level on 15-points apiece.
Christine Majerus of Boels Dolmans Cycling Team take the Yellow Jersey after Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc catches up with her after the stage press conference.
Top Brit on the day was Lizzie Armitstead in 18th, pulling on the Adnams Best British Rider jersey with Dutch rider Ilona Hoeksma of the Parkhotel Valkenburg team holds a three point advantage in the Strava Queen of the Mountains competition over Orica AIS rider Taylor Wiles.
Team Liv Plantury’s Floortje Mackaij wears the Best Young Rider Jersey presented by Stoke-on-Trent European City of Sport, taking a three second advantage over Rossella Ratto into day two of the Aviva Women’s Tour.
For full results and standings following Stage One, please click here.
The Aviva Women’s Tour resumes in Warwickshire, with its first ever stage in the county, heading south from Atherstone to Stratford-upon-Avon, via the likes of Kenilworth and Warwick.
Along the way the race will pass the National Cydists’ Memorial in Meriden, where a wreath will be laid to remember the cyclists of the First World War commemorated, and pass through the campus of the University of Warwick, who are partners to the stage.
For more information on Stage Two, please click here.
Amateur cyclists can also ride part of the Aviva Women’s Tour route this year in the Tour Ride Northamptonshire, the official sportive of the Aviva Women’s Tour. Taking place one month after the final stage, on Sunday 17 July, 40 and 80-mile routes starting and finishing from Delapre Abbey in Northampton will take place using sections of the Stage Five route, while there is also a fun, off-road 10-mile route for families. To sign-up head to www.tourride.co.uk
by Chris Maher | Jun 15, 2016
Christine Majerus of Boels Dolmans Cycling Team take the Yellow Jersey after Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc catches up with her after the stage press conference.
Christine Majerus of Boels Dolmans Cycling Team takes the Yellow Jersey after Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc catches up with her after the stage press conference.
by Chris Maher | Jun 15, 2016
We catch up with Alison Tetrick of Cylance Pro Cycling Team after her solo attempt to take Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. A gutsy performance but the win eluded Alison, however it’s not dampened her desire to take another stage win. #AvivaWT2016
We catch up with Alison Tetrick of Cylance Pro Cycling Team after her solo attempt to take Stage 1 of the AVIVA Women’s Tour 2016. A gutsy performance but the win eluded Alison, however it’s not dampened her desire to take another stage win.
by Chris Maher | Jun 14, 2016
All images ©Copyright www.chrismaher.co.uk | CyclingShorts.cc
The Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 is a UCI Women’s World Tour event. Starting in Southwold on June 15th and finishing in Kettering on June 19th. Covering a total distance of six-hundred-and-twenty-one kilometers in total is the longest distance covered so far in this third edition of the Women’s Tour. With an increase to under seven-thousand-four-hundred meters of ascending, this is by-far the toughest Tour to date.
The five day stage race’s longest individual stage is stage two from Atherstone to Stratford-upon-Avon at a distance of one-hundred-and-forty kilometers. This years Tour will visit seven counties; five, new to the Tour.
Marianne Vos makes a welcome return to the Tour this time around after missing most of last seasons racing. Vos won the inaugural Women’s Tour back in 2014 riding with Rabo Liv and returns again with her Rabo Liv team-mates to reclaim her crown winning races already this year in Europe Vos will still be a force to recon with this Tour.
Defending champion Lisa Brennauer returns to the Women’s Tour in the re-jigged Canyon-SRAM team along with the winner of the final stage from last year in Hemel Hemstead, Hannah Barnes. Hannah was back in America last weekend riding the Philadelphia Classic, the last round of the UCI Women’s World Tour where American National Champion Megan Guarnier, Boels Dolmans took the victory.
The Aviva Women’s Tour is the second longest event in the UCI Women’s World Tour calendar in 2016. The longest being Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile starting on July 01st and ending on July 10th.
Listen to the Pre Tour Press Conference below with Marianne Vos, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson & Lisa Brennauer.
With less than 24 hours to the start of the 2016 Aviva Women’s Tour CyclingShorts.cc brings you the pre race press launch with Marianne Vos, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson & Lisa Brennauer.
Pre Race Press
Mick Bennett: He can’t remember having such a line up! Defending Champion Lisa Brennauer, World’s number one Emma Johansson, Olympic Champion Marianne Vos and the World Champion Lizzie Armitstead.
Press: Aims for the week?
Lizzie: Finishing my first ever Women’s Tour, with a chuckle! I’ve managed to do that. Lizzie went on to say that she just wanted to enjoy being the (World) Champion and having a good race. She wants to come out of this weeks Tour feeling stronger than she has coming into it.
The girls are all eager to get a good GC contention for themselves or one of their team mates, Emma had said that should they get a good first result, they would fight all the way to Sunday.
Press: Women’s Cycling has grown significantly over the past few years. How important is the Tour in the Women’s Calendar?
Lizzie: Races like these are the blueprint of how they should be put on. In 2016, this is how it should be done. The Women’s Tour is leading the way. She went on to say that the UK has the most prestigious stage race in Women’s Cycling. In terms of professionalism and race organization the Tour leads the way.
They all agree that the Tour has a really good feel to it and that the crowds that line the roads are the best in Women’s Cycling too. They love the school children on the roadside and the enthusiasm.
Mick Bennett hinted that it’s Sweetspot’s intention to make it a seven day stage race next year, and the possibility of a time-trial or team-time-trial too! The Women’s Tour has a very, very good future with stars like this here year-on-year!
UCI Women’s World Tour Ranking after the Philadelphia Classic
Words by Chris Maher
by Chris Maher | Jun 8, 2016
Results
1 Claire Rose – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:12.821
2 Nikki Juniper – Team Ford Ecoboost 0:44:24.718
3 Alice Barnes – Drops Cycling Team 0:44:24.750
4 Grace Garner – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:24.946
5 Annie Simpson – Drops Cycling Team 0:44:26.913
6 Hayley Jones – Team Breeze 0:44:27.955
7 Dame Sarah Storey – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:47.236
8 Charlotte Broughton – Team Ford Ecoboost 0:45:49.677
9 Charlotte Alston – Team 22 0:45:49.745
10 Lydia Moylan – Team WNT 0:45:49.843
Team Results on the Night
1 Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 103
2 Drops Cycling Team 81
3 Team Ford Ecoboost 74
4 Team WNT 62
5 Team Breeze 59
6 Boot Out Breast Cancer Cycling Club 39
7 Sunsport Velo 27
8 Velo Schils – Interbike RT 23
9 Aprire HSS Hire 18
10 Team Jadan-Weldtite 10
11 Team Footon Velosport 6
by Fred Bamforth | Jun 5, 2016
In our new series we look at our writers and friends favourite rides and routes around the UK and worldwide, first up is Fred Bamforth.
Oldham-Mottram-Glossop-Snake Pass- Strines-Holmfirth-Saddleworth Moor-Oldham
The Maxim ‘Quality not Quantity’ is often over used, but in cycling terms a good ride in hilly terrain can very quickly prove it….
Oldham is set within the foothills of the Pennines and over the years has been an amazing base for rides in the Saddleworth area, a hidden gem with a myriad of routes and styles of climbs that means you can never get bored.
In the modern era of cycling numbers matter so long climbs that offer ‘meters gained’ appeal to the climbers out there. One of my fave rides delivers in this respect, with long climbs, steep climbs and some amazing scenery.
Heading South-east from Oldham gentle undulations give way to the day’s first long climb from Stalybridge to Mottram Cutting, providing a great warm up for what is to come later. Within the cutting is a retaining wall where a ‘fossilised frog’ was found and is marked, so as you begin the gentle descent to Mottram village try to spot it on your left!
The road here goes downhill for a few miles, but in traffic, this means that once you’ve got towards Glossop following the A57 on the flat valley road the glory of hitting the base of the Snake pass is all the better. One of the classic northern climbs and a staple of the legendary old Tour of the Peak race the Snake delivers the challenge that its reputation has built over the decades.
What goes up must come down, and how! The twists and turns as you cross from Derbyshire into Yorkshire are what cyclists dream of and as you skirt the edge of Ladybower reservoir (of Dambusters fame) you begin to rise again before turning left onto Strines Moor. This next section of road gives a roller coaster reversing some of the route that le Tour de Yorkshire took. With steep descents and equally steep climbs, this is a test for you and your bike, good braking and swift gear changes are needed to ensure a smooth passage through this section.
Arriving at the A616 after this rural fairly quiet piece of road can be a shock as the next few miles heading North can be very busy with traffic, once past the Flouch roundabout and back into the lanes towards Holmfirth sees less vehicles and some splendid terrain.
After passing though Holmfirth and heading west on the A635 the climb over Saddleworth Moor beckons to its lofty height on the ‘Isle o’Skye’ road. This is usually a gritty head/cross wind fest but the sense of achievement of cresting the lip of the summit and dropping into Saddleworth towards Greenfield, and seeing the amazing view down the Chew Valley and over Dovestones Reservoir is something you will never tire of.
After some of the monster climbs the day has already thrown at you the mere couple of miles climbing out from Greenfield over Lydgate back towards Oldham on the A669 will not faze you, giving one last classic view over the Cheshire Plain and Manchester as you look down from this last big rise and the roll back in.
If you’ve got a favourite ride you’d like to share with us please get in touch.
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