Women

Latest news, races, and stories from women's professional cycling

50 articles

Feature

From the peloton to the people: Iris Slappendel's mission to build cycling's most welcoming brand

The former Dutch national champion launched IRIS in 2017 to make women's cycling kit she actually wanted to wear. Nine years later, the clothing may be the least important thing she sells.

26th June 2026

News

Blanka Vas steps back from racing over health problems, ending six-year run as Hungarian champion

The SD Worx-Protime rider said on Instagram that she had stopped training and could not start the Hungarian national road championships this weekend, ending her title defence before it began.

24th June 2026

Racing

Lael Wilcox abandons around-the-world record bid after 14 days as European heatwave triggers heat exhaustion

Wilcox stopped near Fontainebleau on her support team's advice after being nauseous every day and vomiting on her final ride. She had been targeting Mark Beaumont's outright record of 78 days.

22nd June 2026

Racing

'I just don't feel satisfied about my performance,' Longo-Borghini loses yellow to Reusser but stays within 10 seconds ahead of mountain finale

Marlen Reusser won the 23.7km Aarburg time trial and took yellow, but Elisa Longo-Borghini's frustration was with her own execution rather than the GC gap, and she heads into the decisive final stage in striking range.

20th June 2026

Tour de Suisse Women

'It was now or never': Bäckstedt claims second win of the year after surviving Tour de Suisse sprint chaos

Bäckstedt credited her Canyon-SRAM teammates for the stage 3 victory in Bad Ragaz, but it was her own improvisation inside the final kilometre that turned a messy lead-out into a decisive long-range sprint.

20th June 2026

Tour de Suisse Women

'We stay humble and we keep working', Elisa Longo-Borghini remains grounded after going into Suisse lead with solo stage win

The Italian champion went clear on the final climb to win stage 2 solo and pull on the yellow jersey, with family and friends watching close to her home near Verbania, as a difficult season continues to turn.

18th June 2026

Tour de Suisse Women

Tour de Suisse Women 2026 preview: Reusser defends on home roads with 23.7km time trial as major GC factor

A talent packed startlist is set to race on Swiss roads as Demi Vollering takes break after winning the Giro, but a demanding five-stage route with a flat TT and a brutal mountain finale means the GC battle is far from settled.

16th June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

'My finish line was on the top of that climb', Demi Vollering reveals how FDJ United-SUEZ's all-in gamble delivered the maglia rosa

Vollering explained the tactical raid that turned a 49-second deficit into a Giro d'Italia Women title, describing how she told Niedermaier to go up the road, accepted the risk of losing even her podium place, and treated the final climb as the only finish line that mattered.

7th June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

'The weirdest finish line of my life', Vollering wins as ice sheet forces queen stage to end 1km short of the Finestre summit

An unstable ice sheet above the road forced organisers to cut the queen stage short on the Colle delle Finestre, removing the descent and Sestriere summit finish entirely. The late change reshaped tactics, fueling and the GC battle with one stage to go.

6th June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

'It was perfect', Vollering wins her first Giro stage but Van der Breggen still controls pink after first mountain test

FDJ United-Suez executed a textbook tactical stage, placing Lauren Dickson in the breakaway before relaying her back to support Demi Vollering on the climbs. Van der Breggen kept the maglia rosa, but Niedermaier signalled she is ready for what comes next.

3rd June 2026

News

'We need more women to prove what's possible', Lael Wilcox targets Beaumont's outright around-the-world record from June 7

The women's circumnavigation record holder will depart Chicago at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, aiming to cover 29,000 km in under 78 days with a full support crew for the first time in her career.

3rd June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

‘I know a time trial is always different than a road race', Van der Breggen takes pink in dominant Nevegal TT but braces for rain and brutal Giro climbs

Anna van der Breggen won the 12.7km uphill time trial by more than a minute to seize the Maglia Rosa, but with a depleted SD Worx-Protime team and wet mountain stages ahead, defending it may be harder than winning it.

2nd June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

Chiara Consonni fined for 'inappropriate behaviour' after pulling bike from beneath fallen rider at Giro d'Italia

The Canyon//SRAM rider was penalised by the race jury after forcefully freeing her bike from a crashed Thalita de Jong on the road to Buja, in an incident the commissaires ruled damaged cycling's image.

2nd June 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

Balsamo leads a tightened Giro sprint hierarchy, but Gillespie, Consonni and Kool are close enough to keep it live

Lorena Wiebes' disqualification removed the dominant sprinter from the Giro d'Italia Women. Two stages in, Elisa Balsamo has capitalised, but the margins behind her suggest the remaining bunch finishes are far from settled.

31st May 2026

Feature

Lorena Wiebes’ 20-gram disqualification shows the UCI's minimum weight rule should be abolished

The UCI's 6.8kg bike weight limit was introduced in 2000. Twenty-six years later, it still carries an automatic expulsion for a margin smaller than a handful of tyre sealant.

31st May 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

Lorena Wiebes expelled from Giro d'Italia Women after bike fails minimum weight rule, Elisa Balsamo inherits Maglia Rosa

The Stage 1 result in Ravenna was revised after the jury found Wiebes' bike did not comply with minimum weight requirements. Balsamo will start Stage 2 in pink.

30th May 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

Vollering the clear Giro d'Italia favourite as Longo Borghini and Reusser return for a race shaped by Nevegal and Finestre

The 2026 Giro d'Italia Women starts Saturday in Cesenatico with a route built for climbers and time triallists. Demi Vollering arrives as the rider everyone else must answer, but the defending champion and a comeback story add genuine tension behind her.

29th May 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

'We are happy to draw a line', CANYON//SRAM terminates zondacrypto partnership with immediate effect citing breaches of contract

The Women's WorldTour team has ended its co-title sponsorship deal with the Polish cryptocurrency exchange amid weeks of legal and financial turmoil, reverting to CANYON//SRAM ahead of the Giro d'Italia Women.

29th May 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

The 2026 Giro d'Italia women stage guide: Nine stages, one queen climb, and the race for the maglia rosa

Nine stages from Cesenatico to Saluzzo, but only a handful will reshape the general classification. Here are the five watch windows that matter most, and the riders who will define them.

28th May 2026

Giro d'Italia

'Emotion becomes clickbait, nuance disappears', Demi Vollering defends Arensman over Giro media debate

Demi Vollering used LinkedIn to publicly back Thymen Arensman after his reduced media availability at the Giro d'Italia became a talking point, arguing that athletes are punished for showing vulnerability.

26th May 2026

Giro d'Italia

'I didn't check, I just rode with it', Enric Mas reveals he raced several Giro d'Italia stages in Movistar's women's team jersey

A kit distribution mix-up meant the Spanish climber wore a jersey bearing the UCI Women's WorldTeam logo for multiple stages before teammate Iván García Cortina spotted the error on Saturday evening.

17th May 2026

Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es

La Vuelta Femenina 2026: Live streams, TV coverage and how to watch

Seven stages from Galicia to Asturias, with decisive mountain finishes at Les Praeres and L'Angliru. Free live coverage is available in Australia, Belgium and Spain, while paid options cover the UK, US, Canada and Europe. Here's every official broadcast option, plus how to keep access while travelling.

2nd May 2026

News

'The debate has gone backwards', former Team Sky CEO Fran Millar calls for cycling reform as Rapha reissues its Roadmap

Rapha has republished its 2019 reform blueprint on the final day of the UCI's consultation deadline, with CEO Fran Millar arguing that seven years of diagnosis has produced almost no structural change in professional cycling.

30th April 2026

Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es

Without Vollering, La Vuelta Femenina becomes the most unpredictable race of 2026 - Analysis

Demi Vollering's absence removes the default favourite from a seven-stage race that builds towards Les Praeres and L'Angliru. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney leads a deep field, but Anna van der Breggen's rising form and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's explosiveness make this one hard to call.

30th April 2026

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026: Live Stream, TV Channel & How to Watch

Liège-Bastogne-Liège closes the 2026 spring Classics on Sunday, April 26, with men's and women's races through the Ardennes. Here's every official broadcaster, the countries with free-to-air coverage, and how to keep watching your home subscription while travelling abroad using a VPN.

25th April 2026

La Flèche Wallonne Féminine

'I got stuck on the big chain ring', Niewiadoma-Phinney fourth at La Flèche Wallonne after shifting failure on Mur de Huy finale

Katarzyna Niewiadoma was unable to shift out of her big chainring on the final climb, forcing her to grind up the Mur de Huy at low cadence. She finished six seconds behind winner Demi Vollering but remains confident ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

23rd April 2026

Feature

2027 Tour de France Femmes UK route analysis: Why Stage 2 is a masterpiece, but Stage 1 misses the mark

ASO has confirmed the opening three stages of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Britain, with a historic team time trial finishing on The Mall and two road stages crossing Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the Peak District.

21st April 2026

Giro d'Italia Women

Giro d'Italia Women confirms five Italian Continental teams despite UCI rule barring them from WorldTour races

RCS Sport's 21-team start list for the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women includes five Continental wild cards that appear to contradict the UCI's own 2026 eligibility regulations for top-tier women's events.

20th April 2026

Racing

Storm Therese forces Demi Vollering to cut Teide altitude camp short ahead of Classics

The FDJ United-SUEZ rider and her teammates were told to leave Tenerife immediately after authorities closed Mount Teide's roads and national park, disrupting preparations for the cobbled Classics.

25th March 2026

Milano-Sanremo Donne

Milano-Sanremo Donne Preview – Will the Poggio disrupt the sprinters?

The second modern edition sticks to last year’s 156km run from Genoa to Via Roma, but a forecast headwind may blunt long-range raids and tilt the finale back toward the fastest finishers.

20th March 2026

Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio

How to watch the Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2026 live: TV channels, free streams & start times

Complete viewing guide for the Women's WorldTour classic in Lombardy on Sunday 15 March. Every broadcaster, free-to-air option in Italy via RaiPlay, subscription costs, and how to securely access your home service while travelling abroad.

14th March 2026

Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio

Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2026 Preview – Elisa Balsamo targets fourth win as rain looms over Cittiglio

The defending champion chases history on a circuit built for attrition. A deep field and a wet weekend forecast could complicate her path to a fourth title.

13th March 2026

Strade Bianche Donne

Strade Bianche Donne Race Preview: Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky chase history

The 2026 route cuts total sterrato but doubles back on the decisive climbs of Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe, demanding teams spend their cards earlier in a loaded field.

6th March 2026

Paris-Roubaix Femmes Hauts-de-France

Puck Pieterse reveals race progamme that targets Ardennes peak with Paris-Roubaix 'pencilled in'

Fenix-Premier Tech confirm a refined spring Classics programme for Pieterse, with fewer races, a later debut at Strade Bianche and a provisional first appearance at the Hell of the North.

5th March 2026

News

Kasia Niewiadoma's Strava QOM on the Muur was faster than Vermeersch, just four seconds off Laporte

Strava segment data from Omloop Nieuwsblad shows Kasia Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering rode the Vesten and Muur combination at speeds that overlapped with the men's Classics field, though caveats apply.

3rd March 2026

Copenhagen Sprint

'Someone has to have those cancellations', Copenhagen Sprint hits UCI's four-team withdrawal ceiling as startlist thins

The 2026 Copenhagen Sprint will field just ten Women's WorldTeams and zero ProTeams after four top-tier squads exercised the new UCI opt-out rule, maxing out the limit for a single race.

2nd March 2026

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

Less Racing, More Yellow: Demi Vollering slashes 2026 calendar in bold Tour de France bid

The Dutch climber has cut her pre-Tour race days from 29 to roughly 18, dropped her Vuelta Femenina title defence, and added the Giro d'Italia Women for the first time since 2021. The goal: arrive in August fresher than she was in 2025.

27th February 2026

Racing

Lotte Kopecky ditches GC ambitions for Classics-heavy 2026 campaign

After a 2025 season marred by injury and the toll of strict GC protocols, Lotte Kopecky has announced a Spring Classics and track-focused schedule that begins at Circuit Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday.

26th February 2026

Strade Bianche Donne

Cyclocross champion Lucinda Brand already logging six-hour road rides as she eyes Strade Bianche for 2026 road debut

The reigning cyclo-cross world champion will open her road season at the Tuscan gravel classic on March 7, with team manager Sven Nys confirming that heavy endurance training is already underway.

14th February 2026

Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana

Queen stage of Setmana Ciclista Valenciana cancelled for first time in race history as Storm Oriana batters Alicante

Organisers scrapped the decisive mountain stage between Agost and La Nucía after AEMET issued an orange alert for severe winds, freezing the GC with Demi Vollering holding a 56-second lead heading into Sunday's finale.

14th February 2026

Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana

Setmana Ciclista 2026 Race Preview: Vollering defends title as queen stage promises GC fireworks

The women's peloton's first major stage race of 2026 features over 6,000 metres of climbing across four days in Valencia, with 13 of 14 WorldTeams lining up and a deep GC field ready to challenge the defending champion.

11th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

UAE Tour Women: Jebel Hafeet delivers again as Longo Borghini claims emotional GC win

The Italian waited for Niewiadoma and Trinca Colonel to burn their matches before striking on the final half of the climb, flipping the GC from sprinter Lorena Wiebes to confirm UAE Team ADQ's dominance on home soil.

8th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

UAE Tour Women: Lorena Wiebes completes hat-trick in Abu Dhabi after 'chaos' sprint

The SD Worx-Protime sprinter survived the loss of pilot Barbara Guarischi in the final 2km to hold off Lara Gillespie by less than a bike length, her ninth career stage win at the race.

7th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

UAE Tour Women: Lorena Wiebes 'scared' but victorious in crash-marred stage 2 Dubai sprint

The Dutch champion navigated a fragmented finale to claim her second consecutive stage win, extending her overall lead as rival Charlotte Kool finished only ninth on the chaotic run-in to Mohammed Bin Hamdan Smart University.

6th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

UAE Tour Women: Lorena Wiebes opens her season with stage 1 sprint win and red jersey

The Dutch sprinter secures her seventh career stage win at the UAE Tour Women, overhauling Lara Gillespie in the final 100 metres.

5th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

How to Watch the UAE Tour Women 2026 Live – Free Streams and TV Coverage

From the crosswinds of Stage 1 to the epic Jebel Hafeet climb, here is your complete guide to watching the UAE Tour Women 2026 live. Discover free official streams and how to access your home coverage securely while traveling abroad.

5th February 2026

UAE Tour Women

UAE Tour Women Race Preview: Route and favourites on the road to Jebel Hafeet

The summit finish moves to Stage 4, keeping the GC open until the final 10km climb. Elisa Longo Borghini defends on home roads as Anna van der Breggen makes her WorldTour stage race return.

4th February 2026

News

Visma hunts for the next generation of Grand Tour climbers with Ardennes tests

The Dutch squad is accepting applications from young male and female riders across Europe for standardised uphill testing in the Belgian Ardennes in spring.

4th February 2026

News

Tudor Pro Cycling signs gravel specialist as the team's first female pro rider

Clara Koppenburg, a former WorldTour climber with 11 professional road seasons, joins the Swiss team's off-road division after strong results at Sea Otter Europe and Gravel Burn in 2025.

3rd February 2026

2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships

'It's a little bit anti-sport', Fouquenet slams rivals' aggression after battling to fifth at cyclocross Worlds

The French rider recovered from a pre-race crash and botched start to finish 58 seconds behind winner Lucinda Brand, but left Hulst frustrated by what she called a lack of respect in the chasing group.

1st February 2026