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Well, well, well. Look who is back. Georgie’s turn with the newsletter, after a hiatus and a trip to France. We are steaming towards the end of the season, so let’s see what we have left in store for this year.
Racing is underway …
At the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes in France, and we’re getting a sneak peak at what the future of the sport is looking like when comparing like for like.
Currently, a short 3-kilometre prologue and three road stages have been completed. Many of the names are familiar, but at Avenir riders race for national teams rather than their trade outfits. Isabella Holmgren (Canada) holds a 17 second advantage over Italy’s Eleonora Ciabocco and Talia Appleton (Australia). The margin on GC was created in that punchy opening prologue, and maintained as the sprint stages ended in a large bunch kick. Tuesday’s third stage ended in a small group finish with Celia Gery (France) taking the win, but Holmgren – who normally races for Lidl-Trek – finished safely in the first chase to keep her lead.
Now the peloton heads to hillier terrain, so we will see what the margins on GC look like in the coming days. Uniquely for a women’s race, there is a rest day after five days of racing before the concluding double-stage day.
Form suggests Holmgren should be able to hold onto the overall, but there is still a lot of racing to go. In other exciting news, Lidl-Trek have secured the young Canadian through 2028. Nothing like a fresh contract renewal to spur the legs.
Racing continues …
The most chaotic race of the year is here! The peloton heads back to Belgium for the Simac Ladies Tour, a six-stage race starting September 2. It is always a shock to the system, being back in Belgium. Those roads are far tighter and cobbled than what the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift delivered. Gone are the nicely paved roads of Eastern France. Now it’s back for farm track racing.
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