Hello dear readers,
First, a mea culpa. I have gone against my word. Actually, I am changing my opinion. In the words of historic economist John Maynard Keynes (or Paul Samuelson, as confirmed attribution is unknown), “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?”
Some pretty solid facts were presented to me last week, and therefore I will let go of my aversion to having a musical flair to this newsletter. Just this once. Only due to my listening history from the last seven days confirming that the new tracks from HAIM and Chappell Roan absolutely slap. If you haven’t already, go check out HAIM’s first independent release since 2021 and Roan’s capture of the country genre.
Abby Mickey still persists in helping me love the music of T Swift, but she has yet to break through. I’ll keep you updated.
Ok, I’m done now. Back to women’s cycling.
It’s been a big week on the tools for the women’s peloton. Only two races to discuss, but plenty happening off the bike. Thüringen Ladies Tour will likely be cancelled, however not without furor. A petition has already amassed 1,180 signatures to show support. Grand Prix International d'Isbergues may be next on the chopping block, with sources suggesting the race will be cancelled. We have already lost the Tour of Scandinavia and the Bretagne Ladies Tour. How many more could we lose? I have hope that no more … but you never know. The world is in a dire time of uncertainty, so let’s cross our fingers, support our local communities and prioritise things that bring joy. For this audience, I assume that’s bike racing.
Alright, enough of that preamble. Let’s do it.
Racing roundup
It wasn’t just Paris-Nice that saw changeable weather. Riders on the roads of Flanders were treated to rain, hail and wind at the fifth edition of Ixina GP Oetingen presented by Lotto. As a competitor for Liv AlUla Jayco, Josie Talbot, documented in her post-race Instagram post, “GP Oetingen provided my first experience of being hailed on in a race.” Always a fun time!
The race covered 128 km from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw towards Oetingen over many cobbled sectors and climbs. The start list was headlined by Picnic-PostNL's Charlotte Kool and Megan Jastrab, the Liv AlUla Jayco quartet of Amber Pate, Quinty Ton, Jeanne Korevaar and Georgia Baker, and the always-opportunistic Fenix-Deceuninck. The riders were also treated to my favourite climb in the Flemish mountains, the Congoberg. While no dancing was seen, the riders certainly treated us to a show.
The race unfortunately was marred with a series of crashes at critical junctions. This is typical of Belgian races, yet it never gets easier to see. These crashes took out the likes of Kool and much of UAE Team ADQ.
Attrition is how these races are won. Multiple teams wanted a hard day, and Fenix-Deceuninck took up responsibility towards the finish line, lining the reduced bunch of ~25 riders out and using their numbers to lead out fast finisher Julie De Wilde for the win. Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto's Chiara Consonni managed to hang on for third place, with UAE's Sofia Bertizzolo sandwiched between them for second.
With relegation coming into affect this year, teams are more conscious than ever to bank every result. UAE Team ADQ’s post-race Instagram post called Bertizzolo’s podium "valuable." No doubt for the rider and the team itself. A similar sentiment goes for De Wilde. After a few years battling injury and bad luck, she has her first win in as many seasons. A result sure does take the edge off, usually leading to more. Is it too soon to call for a WorldTour win for De Wilde this season? Let’s see.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda
Lidl-Trek FINALLY opened their account for the 2025 season in Europe, with Elisa Balsamo making it three wins at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a monument amongst the Women’s WorldTour.
Balsamo didn’t have it all her own way. The race had multiple superstars on the startline ready to make her life difficult including Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Silke Smulders & Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot & Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Cat Ferguson (Movistar) and Noemi Reugg (EF Education-Oatly).
The race was extended in 2025, with an additional lap put along the shores of Lago Maggiore, through the start town of Lunio before beginning the ascents that categorise the race. The profile of this race is like a conversation with a demonstrative Italian. It’s up and down, right to left, and so discombobulating you’re not quite sure where you stand in the race.
While we discussed on last week’s podcast that we were hoping to see Vollering working for her teammate, Évita Muzic, in this race (as an investment for the season ahead), it was clear Vollering was the protected rider. Up the Orino climb (2.5 km @4.8% average), Vollering made a dent in the breakaway and launched an attack of her own.
Things that caught my eye: My heart did swell to see the likes of Marta Cavalli having a dig of her own. After such a tumultuous three years, it seems she might be finding her feet on her new team at Picnic-PostNL. Van der Breggen really showed her superiority on the descents, gapping the peloton off the Ordino climb. Subtle foreshadowing of things to come on the Poggio descent at Milan-San Remo Donne?
And defensive tactics were evident. When Longo Borghini and Vos decided to show the young guns in the peloton how it’s done and rocketed past Van der Breggen up the Casale climb, a select group was formed with Longo Borgini, Vollering, Noemi Ruegg, Vos, Smulders, Garcia, Kimberley Le Court and Pieterse. They were soon joined by Ferrand-Prévot.
And just like that, all impetus went out of the group. No cooperation, despite encouragement from the likes of Pieterse. One would have to question the tactics here, given strong representation from the likes of Liv AlUla Jayco and Team Visma-Lease a Bike. They’d dropped Van der Breggen (no mean feat), Balsamo and other dangerous fast finishers such as Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime).
After multiple attacks and attempts to split the group, Van der Breggen once again showed why she’s one of the best leaders and teammates in the peloton, bringing the lead group back for her teammate Vas.
Vollering found herself on the front of the peloton with 500 metres to go, and embodied the sentiment of: when in doubt, lead it out. With no teammates to help her, she lead into the final corner when the sprinters behind her unleashed.
Balsamo, who kept her powder dry all race, took the win. Vas taking second, and Ferguson impressively, taking out third place after launching a long sprint for the line. In her Women’s WorldTour debut, the young British rider shows clear intent on her future.
A fun fact from our Discord channel to round out this recap: On the same week Cat Ferguson was born, Marianne Vos won her first pro race. That race was Gracia Orlova where Vos won stage five on the 30th April, 2006. Age is just an attitude, my friends.
Track Nations Cup
Ok, time to talk briefly about riders who go around in circles. No, I’m not referring to those who take forever to make a point in conversation. Although I’m sure there is some overlap. I’m referring to the track riders who flocked to Turkey for the UCI Track Nations Cup.
Kiwi sensation Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) debuted in her rainbow stripes at the Omnium, showing why she is the world champion at the event. She won the points race and the elimination, alongside strong performances in the scratch and tempo. She finished at 125 pts, ahead of Dutch rider Lisa van Belle (115 pts) and Russian Valeriia Valgonen (113 pts).
Will we Wollaston at Milan-San Remo Donne? The start list hasn’t been announced yet, but that is something I would love to see.
Racing continues ... at Nokere Koerse
Ahhh, the prelude to the Flandrian Classics. Nokere Koerse provides the hunting ground for any time to fine tune their approaches to the classics. The race has been won by Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) for the last two years, but with the Belgian rider absent from the startline, the top step is up for grabs.
The course consists of two cobbled circuits amounting to 134 km in total, with 951 m of elevation. The riders will cover 10 climbs, with half of those cobbled, before the uphill sprint into the town of Nokere. The main features of the finishing kilometres include the fast descent into the cobbled climb to the finish line. From experience, those that go early in the sprint to the line rarely succeed in holding on. It’s a sprint of patience and timing.
When: March 19th, 10.30AM CET
Course: 134 km of Belgium’s finest roads north of the iconic town of Oudenaarde. The riders set off from Deinze, heading towards the first of the two circuits covering 17 km of cobbles before that fast and punishing finish in Nokere.
How to watch: TNT Sports (UK), Max (US), FloBikes (CAN), StayLive (AUS)
Weather predictions: A largely balmy day (for Belgium standards) is expected, with wind behaving itself and a headwind start perhaps favouring an opportunistic breakaway.
Echelons are unlikely, however if the winds were to pick up, we would see potential echelon action along the sectors highlighted below. Some are even on cobbles, which would really throw chaos into the mix.
Riders to watch: Most of the big teams are entered, with a notable exception of Liv AlUla Jayco. Most teams are resting key riders ahead of the big Classics, but you'll see Emma Norsgaard and Clara Copponi (Lidl-Trek),Maike van der Duin & Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), Julie De Wilde (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime), ensuring it will be an exciting race.
Other sporting news
March Madness kicks off on March 19th in the USA. For those who don’t hoop, March Madness is a basketball tournament that encapsulates the national basketball championship for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The championship is played throughout the month of March and into April, finding out which of the 68 teams in the bracket is the NCAA champion.
It wasn’t until 2022 that the women’s game reflected the men’s format of entry into the tournament, speaking to the growth of depth and competition of the league. The championship game between Iowa and South Carolina drew more television viewers than the male equivalent game, amassing 24 million eyeballs on women’s college basketball. Caitlin Clark was playing for Iowa in that game, also contributing to the fandom.
My Princeton Tigers take on Iowa State on March 19th in the First Four - so I’m going to just throw a hail mary and say they’ll make the Sweet Sixteen. Not biased, at all…
Picking the bracket for March Madness is hellishly difficult. Warren Buffet even created a challenge in 2014, offering his employees $1,000,000 for picking the perfect bracket. No one has ever claimed the prize, because the odds for picking the correct bracket are astronomical: 120.2 billion in one (which assumes the picker knows something about basketball; the so-called "coin flip" odds of correctly picking the winner in 67 games are a boggling 9 quintillion to one). Feel like trying your luck and jump on the women’s basketball bandwagon at the same time? Have a crack below:
Wheel Talk podcast
The Italian monument Milan-San Remo is almost upon us! This week, the crew look over Trofeo Alfredo Binda for any clues for what will happen on Saturday. Will Pieterse, Le Court and Ferrand-Prévot stand tall above the rest on the descent off the Poggio? Matej Mohorič's 2022 dropper post-powered descent stands out as a particularly memorable edition, but his 2024 time is the fastest posted on Strava. One thing is for sure, a new QOM will be decided this week. Tune in to see if we think this will be fireworks from kilometre 0 or a waiting game until the Cipressa. And watch for Matt de Neef's full written preview later this week.
Let's discuss ...
How much do you need to know about your sport’s stars? Do you just want to see them on game day or would you like to know what they ate for breakfast as well? It would seem the modern zeitgeist is leaning more towards the latter. And that’s not a bad thing. Personally, that’s where I would plop myself on the spectrum.
Accessibility to our stars is entertaining. That includes interactions on Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn and more recently, YouTube. It’s why sponsors are flocking to sports stars to sport their threads or product (pun very much intended) on their respective channels.
We have seen this for years in the world of triathlon and now more recently in gravel racing. Athletes who are privateers must use their channels as vehicles to deliver on ROI for their sponsors. Additionally, it’s how they build their own following.
Now we have the likes of F1 racers like Lando Norris, Carlos Saintz and Charles Leclerc pulling back the curtain on their lives on and off the racetrack. We are treated to private jets, the Monaco lifestyle, the fitness regimes, but also their vulnerabilities. Fans are shown what makes these athletes tick.
Cycling has used this method for years. The best example in the peloton is the women's and men's Liv AlUla Jayco and Jayco AlUla teams, pushing out some of the best content of the past decade. The media team, no matter the results of the day, document the happenings in short 3-4 minute YouTube clips. Let’s be honest: the team hasn’t had the results they wanted in a few years, but they remain a peloton stalwart. Why? Because of the brand built by these videos and curated by the media team.
FDJ-Suez has noticed an opening in this space with their own YouTube channel becoming more active and advertised than in previous years. Similarly, there is more attention around events such as team camps and races. This is continued on their Instagram account. The most notable of their videos lately has been the Strade Bianche recap. Within these glimpses behind the scenes, the audience can see the emotion. The personality of the riders. They feel ‘in’ instead of ‘out.'
I would hasten a guess now that most people can have an opinion of how Demi Vollering is fitting in with climbing compatriots Évita Muzic and Juliette Labous. Additionally, they would be able to make an educated guess on the current vibes of the team. In fact, in the coverage of Trofeo Alfredo Binda, TV commentator Dani Christmas said just that: FDJ-Suez has a good vibe, which is evident from their coverage of the team camp.
While the cycling world has tried the docuseries approach in Unchained, the lack of success is down to two reasons, I think:
- The producers were trying to weave a narrative that was inauthentic to reality the riders were facing: Tadej Pogačar was just that good, and no pseudo-villainy would ever come across as genuine in that scenario
- The storyline was too curated
This short form content is more suited, at the moment, to capture the authenticity of the peloton. It lowers the barrier to entry, and makes it easy for fans to come along for the ride. I have heard rumblings of an Unchained for the women’s peloton, and I’m sure it would be a success. The nature of women’s cycling is that it is unpredictable, so the producers will not have to try for the dynamic storyline.
Athletes know social media is a tedious part of sport. Some even have social media managers for this very reason. However, it is part of the job. Sharing your story to bring your fans into the tent of your experience is a surefire way to build a loyal fanbase. Authenticity is what the fans want, and what the athletes should feel comfortable to give. While some feel it tiresome, it is part of the job being the top 1% of the top 1% in the world.
A picture worth a couple of words
RELIEF. That is the sentiment seen in this photo (the third in this Instagram gallery) of Elisa Balsamo hugging her teammate Niamh Fisher-Black at the conclusion of Trofeo Alfredo Binda. It took Lidl-Trek 75 days to get their first victory of 2025. The team has massive pressure on its shoulders with some big names leaving, and others joining. Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) tried to negate her former teammate’s success in working for Elisa Longo Borghini, and Fisher-Black proved pivotal in support of Balsamo into the final.
Again, not biased, but as someone with Riejanne Markus in their draft team, I’d love to see more Lidl-Trek dominance this year.
Who runs the world
Monarch Collective is one of the only female-run investment funds targeted at investing in women’s professional sport. Kara Nortman and Jasmine Robinson are the managing partners, starting the fund two years ago gaining US$150 million in funds in their first stage of fundraising.
Now, they’ve announced they’ve broken the $250 million threshold. Their portfolio includes three National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) teams including Angel City FC, San Diego Wave and Boston NWSL. The fund is backed by some female bosses, including from Reese Withersoon’s production studio, Hello Sunshine, former Netflix executive Cindy Holland and Melinda French Gates’ of Pivotal Ventures (yes, that last name is who you think it is).
Unfortunately for the NWSL, the bylaws limit the fund to holding stake in three teams. Cue the ‘gosh darn it!’ exclamations … I guess they will just have to come into some other sport…did someone say women’s cycling?
Until next time
Another week, another behemoth of a newsletter. There is much happening in the world of women’s cycling, and indeed, women’s sport! I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s iteration. As always, let me know your thoughts and I’ll see you back here next week after Pieterse breaks the sound barrier on the Poggio (calling it!).
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