Women's Transfer News Summary

Walter Zini who has been team manager of Top Girls Fassa Bortolo for the last couple of years is leaving to start up a new team. He is said to be basing the team around Fabiana Luperini and Nicole Cooke (I wonder if whe knows this time). Top Girls themselves are continuing, basing their team fo next year around Elena Berlato, and have signed up Servetto as a new sponsor.

Belinda Goss and Emma Mackie to Abus, Shelley Olds to AA Drink.

with Rabo taking over Marianne Vos’ team, they won’t be the name sponsor of Rabo Lady Force in 2012, but it looks like they are still providing some cash. The name sponsor will be a company called Nutswerk from Wemeldinge.

GSD Gestion have signed up Green Energy 4 Saisons who are apparently a long-time personal sponsor of Phil Gilbert.

but here are a few riders from Swabo doing a Cyclepassion-extreme photoshoot

team webbie
her tweet
RTV Drenthe radio interview

the (and I had nothing to do with the name) Baby-Dump Kempenklassement, a series of six races with a year end prize pool of 1500 Euro to be shared among the top 15. Ok that’s not a massive amount, but nowadays it’s just great to see someone putting on some new races (‘cos I don’t recognise a single one here from this year)

· Omloop der Kempen
 · Tijdrit – GP Leende
 · Kermisronde van Luyksgestel
 · Kermisronde van Bergeijk
 · Mijl van Mares – Maarheeze
 · Van Gogh Ronde van Nuenen

to Batavus (who have a really great website with lots of moody black and white photos)

Anouk Rockx, Eline De Roover (a young rider who apparently found it hard to adapt at AA Drink) and Kimberly Buyl. They’ve posted a few photos from the first get together of their 2012 team on facebook (you don’t have to be signed up to see them), if anyone recognises any of the other faces.

but if you’ve got the physique of a (very tall) pro-cyclist, or just want an incentive to cut down on the doughnuts this winter, then Amber Pierce is selling off some old team kit on ebay

Sengers have completed their line-up.

And not going to Rabobank after all is Marieke van Wanroij who has signed for AA Drink

According to this discussion (I think) they have sold their clubhouse and may stop, but according to the team website they’ve just had a jolly nice day out in Maastricht where they made plans for 2012.

and not transfer news at all. You want to meet a thunder-thighed French sprinter? First win lots of races. Will we get 200+ comments on whether he should have zipped up his jersey?

Lotto-Belisol UCI team SA riders for 2012- Ash Moolman, Robyn de Groot, Lisa Olivier, An-Li Pretorius, Cherise Taylor, & Jo van de Winkel

Is that the definitive team name for 2012, and are they part of the men’s Lotto-Belisol team structure?

Isabelle super sprinter, Madeleine hard worker with tendency to solo breaks. With Holler gone already, few left of this years Alriksson.

Top Girls have had a massive clearout, keeping just Elena Berlato Jennifer Fiori and Giulia Ronchi from 2011. Next year they are signing another group of young Italians, the best known of whom is promising sprinter Barbara Guarischi who gets a chance once more to ride for herself rather than leading out Giorgia.

Those new signings:

Irene Bitto
Francesca Cauz
Erica Cecchel
Viviana Gatto
Barbara Guarischi (Forno D’Asolo Colavita)
Sorayo Paladin
Doris Schweizer

Lotto Belisol, and PCW who have the most interesting signing so far in Iranian national champion Abad Niknaz

but they will have at least one UCI team with the news that Scottish cycling are working together with team Specialized – DPD Pakketservice (is this some cunning plot to make sure we always use the second sponsor’s name?) in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

She tweeted a couple of days ago Off again this time Canberra for first training camp ahead of 2012 and I doubt that Rabo are holding their camp in Canberra

Vera Koedooder to Sengers

Forno d’Asolo-Colavita’s not dead. And if you’re trying to learn Italian then you’d do well to copy new American signing Whitnery Gaggioli’s accent.

the names are: Catherine Williamson (Gran Bretagna), Yolandi Du Toit (Sudafrica), Lilandi Swanepoel (Sudafrica), Candice Neethling (Sudafrica), Nicci Mari Grobler (Sudafrica), Monique Gerber (Sudafrica), Lindi Erasmus (Sudafrica), Ischen Stopforth (Sudafrica), Caitlin De Wet (Sudafrica), Liani Morkel (Sudafrica).

which is unlike any other list of names I’ve seen so far. He’s got a couple of quotes from Cath Williamson in there too, but GSD Gestion listed her on their 2012 team. I’m puzzled. It doesn’t help that GSD and Bizhub have a couple of the least helpful websites around.

Abus Nutrixxion 2012 team added

It seems that Ruth Corset isn’t retiring after all, but will be riding for Bizkaia-Durango alongside Jo Hogan

and Kuota Speed Kueens are now Scappa Speed Kueens. I think that someone bottled out on the alliteration there.