Transfer News from the Women's Peloton

In: Mara Abbott

Oh, and they might be Geox next year. Hopefully Safi-Geox. Hopefully their jerseys stay as classy as they are now.

I linked to her personal website above, because she gives an interesting description of how the support she got from the German police force (their equivalent of the Fiamme Azzurre etc.) continued when she decided not to continue cycling. It looks very much to me (via Google translate) that she just had a chat with someone and asked to be transferred to a proper police job.

on the Dolmans line-up for 2011. They expect to add two more riders. Most of the names are new to me, so any hints from those in the know would be much appreciated.

Polish Champ Malgorzata Jasinska will be riding for Michela Fanini in 2011. She’s rode just a couple of late season races in Italy, including the Giornata Rosa, and did very well

Rachel Neylan will be riding for Geox, and here’s a nice quote:

Geox team sports director Manel Lacambra said Neylan’s program with the team would be geared towards a peak in next year’s Giro d’Italia.

Cicloweb also have a transfer page up, and they have team MTN down as being non-UCI next year. Has anyone else heard anything about that?

I didn’t realise when I first read this story in CN about Pauline Ferrnad Prevot signing for MTB squad LaPierre Bikes that she was likely to concentrate only on MTB in the run-up to the Olympics.

And Rossella Callovi is signing up to join the Gruppo Sportivo Esercito, another of those Italian “job” programmes. That article also mentions that she will be joining a UCI team based in Bolzano, and I have no idea which team that might be. Safi are probably the closest, but they are a lot closer to Venice and in the plain, whereas Bolzano is awfully handy for Stelvio, Gavia, Mortirola etc., so it sounds like the girl might have a plan. A girl a plan a canal Palriga? Doesn’t quite work like that, does it.

And in another episode of the strange implosion of Cervelo, DS Egon Van Kessel has gone to work for Pegasus, so could they be planning a year long campaign? They only need one more rider to hit the UCI minimum of eight. The next Cervelo DS should start checking nearby roofs very carefully for signs of snipers.

Marta Vilajosana has announced her retirement. “I can’t face another year of that” is a rough summary of her statement.

according to Alberto Rigamonti (a great site for news on women’s cycling from Italy’s voice at the races – not always the first, but certainly the most comprehensive) Loes Markerink of the Bloeit, junior World Champ back in 2003, has decided to retire at just 24.

Claudia Hausler has a few more details on her crash – She can’t remember a thing about what happened until she woke up in the ambulance, but she was unconscious for ten minutes, damaged a blood vessel or two inside her skull which led to bleeding in the brain, and was told to rest for at least three weeks, presumably to let said damaged blood vessels to recover to the point where they can cope with the sort of blood pressures pro-cyclists regularly develop.

Last winter (well that’s what it is here) I think they only had three riders, now they have at least five: Rochelle Gilmore, Tiffany Cromwell, Josephine Tomic, Peta Mullens and Melissa Hoskins.

which is also the first official looking confirmation I’ve seen of Leontien.nl becoming AA Drink again. Kirsten apparently wants to ride more on the track and couldn’t do that with Cervelo ‘cos either they don’t make a track bike or ‘cos she didn’t like the one they made. Which sort of makes sense of what Vera Koedooder tweeted the other day about missing her Madison partner. AA Drink have also signed Linda Villumsen from HTC, plus two names I don’t recognise, Marleen Johrend and Eline de Roover. Oh and Trixi Worrack, but we knew that long ago.

(For earlier stuff see the fanshot here, for what little enlightenment it gives) According to Cyclismag, the three major sponsors of the old team, GSD Gestion, Cyril immobilier and Specialized are getting together with a different cycling club, club d’Ermont Eaubonne Saint-Prix Cycliste, from the Val d’Oise, in order to create a new UCI team running under the name GSD Gestion – 95. There’s no mention yet if this is for 2011 or 2012, but it’s nice to see such pro-active sponsors. I wonder if their web theme tune will be anywhere near as addictive as the old one.

(Excuse the rambling, but it’s a rambly sort of story). Ramon Arrieta was once one of Miguel Indurain’s lieutenants at Banesto, then after retiring he became heavily involved in women’s cycling in Spain, one by marrying super climber Joane Sommarriba and two by becoming a DS at Basque team Bizkaia Durango. For the last couple of years he has also been the official selector of the national women’s team. Now he is moving to become a DS at Eusebio Unzue’s Movistar team. For the moment I suspect that he will work with the men’s team, but is this a hint that they too are starting up a women’s team at some point in the future. It can’t hurt to have such a figure inside the team.

Nadia Triquet and Nathalie Jeuland are leaving Vienne Futuroscope, and they have signed up Marion Rousse from what I think is an attached feeder team

ex Top Girls Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi rider Laura Pisaneschi has passed her DS exams.

Fenixs have signed Marta Bernini who has been posting some pretty decent times on the bike in triathlons and timetrials (that story talks about her winning this year’s European championship TT for amateurs, a category/division that I’m not sure I understand). And if anyone out there wants a bit of motivation to get involved, even if you’re a bit of a late starter, Marta is another addition to the older-than-Ina club.

Sophie “I think I see her crossing the line in 16th place” Creux is going to Vienne Futuroscope