ChongMing Island - Stage race videos and World Cup preview

This week the women's pro peloton are in China, ready for the fifth World Cup of the year - the Tour of ChongMing Island. They've already raced the ChongMing Stage Race - let me show you the videos, and tell you what to expect tomorrow.

Videos - Road World Cups 1 & 2 - Drenthe & Binda

Video - Flèche Wallonne & Flanders women's races in English

Interview: Rachel Neylan on triumphing over adversity and the Flèche Wallonne

While I was at the Flèche Wallonne with team Hitec Products UCK, I interviewed Rachel Neylan, just after she finished the race, where she’d ridden in support of her Hitec team-mate, Elisa Longo Borghini’s second place.

I’ve interviewed Rachel before, in 2011, on her route into cycling, but in the time since then, she’s had a truly tumultuous time, due to team circumstances and injury, and her 2012 looked like it was a year to forget... until she came back in a mixed team at the Tour de l’Ardèche. Her results there, including 3rd place on Stage 6 and 4th in the GC, earned her a spot representing Australia at the 2012 Road World Championships, where she rode an amazing race, ending on the podium with a silver medal.

We spoke about riding Flèche as a domestique, her Worlds race and triumphing over adversity.

Flèche Wallonne post-race podium interviews - Elisa Longo Borghini and Ashleigh Moolman

Last week I went to the Flèche Wallonne with Hitec Products UCK, and I was lucky enough to be able to interview Hitec's Elisa Longo Borghini, who came second, and Lotto Belisol's Ashleigh Moolman who came third, just after the race, when they'd sprinted neck-and-neck behind winner Marianne Vos.

Adventures with Hitec at the 2013 Flèche Wallonne - part 2, live from the race car

Yesterday I told you about being backstage at the Flèche Wallonne Femmes World Cup with Hitec Products UCK, and what it was like in the lead-up to the race. But that wasn't all I did - I also got to see the race from in the team car! Let me tell you all about it....

Adventures with Hitec at the 2013 Flèche Wallonne - part 1, before the race

I was lucky enough to get to go to the Flèche Wallonne Femmes World Cup with "the biggest little team in pro cycling", Hitec Products UCK. I'll be posting photos, writing and interviews over the next few days - starting with life "backstage" before the race - a gallery of photos and some words!

No surprise, Vos takes her fifth Flèche Wallonne

There was no denying Marianne Vos on the Mur de Huy this year. The Rabobank rider once again proved the strongest as a reduced peloton reached Huy together. She managed to outsprint Elisa Longo Borghini and Lotto's Ashleigh Moolman with relative ease to take her fifth win.

Women's Flèche Wallonne OPEN THREAD

Flèche Forecast

Mid-week semi-classic for the men but for the women Flèche Wallonne is part of the World Cup and hence one of the biggest races of the year. It also stands out as one of the few races that really favors the climbier riders. This years challenge (like every year): How the heck do you beat Marianne Vos up the Mur de Huy?

Marianne Vos wins the Ronde van Vlaanderen - at last!

It's tempting to imagine that Marianne Vos has won absolutely everything in cycling, but the Ronde van Vlaanderen has always been the one that got away. In 2011, she was racing for her team-mate, Annemiek van Vleuten - and last year she couldn't start the race because of 'flu - so when she lined up this morning, everyone was watching her. But she wasn't going to have it easy - watch the videos to see how the race panned out

Tour of Flanders for Women: OPEN THREAD

All the pieces are in place for an excellent race today. Vos isn't looking invincible at the moment but this is the one race she is itching to win. It could be a hell of a day.

Interview: Trixi Worrack talks Ronde van Vlaanderen

Trixi Worrack has had a great career in cycling. Ever since she won the Junior Road World ITT Championships in 1998, the German cyclist has been at the pointy end of the peloton, winning the Tour de l'Aude in 2004, coming second in the 2006 Road World Championships, are just two highlights in a glittering career. In 2012, she moved to Specialized-lululemon, winning stages in the Tour of Qatar, Gracia-Orlová and Thüringen-Rundfahrt, and being part of the all conquering, World Champion Team Time Trial squad. She's a rider who loves to attack, and excels in the tough, cold, difficult races - perfect for Sunday's Ronde van Vlaanderen! She came second in the first edition of the race, in 2004, and is pretty much guaranteed the "Most Aggressive" jersey in any race she starts - and she took some time out from preparation to answer some questions about the race, and more, just for the Café.

Women's Ronde: Quick facts and favorites

Elisa Longo Borghini answers some questions on her Trofeo Binda World Cup win - with videos

On Sunday, 21-year-old Elisa Longo Borghini won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda Road World Cup - the first Italian to win the race since 2000, and the first World Cup win for Hitec Products UCK. Just as importantly for her, it was the biggest win of her career, and on her local roads, in front of her friends and family. She answered some questions about it, just for the Café - watch the videos and then see what she has to say!

Trofeo Alfredo Binda OPEN THREAD (with a little GW)

Big racing day for the women as well with the World Cup in Cittiglio and the smaller Gent-Wevelgem. Fair warning: the World Cup will be shown on RAI tonight at 18:05 so if you want to take a chance on being able to see that this thread will contain spoilers.

Interview: Elisa Longo Borghini previews the Trofeo Binda World Cup, and talks Worlds, her amazing 2012 and more!

The Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the second round of the Road World Cup - and who better to ask about it than local girl, Elisa Longo Borghini?

When you think about Longo Borghini's ride at the World Championships last year, where she was the only rider who could follow Marianne Vos into the final break, and ended up with a bronze medal, it's easy to forget she's still only 21. She told the Café all about her superb 2012, why she loves racing on cobbles in the rain and riding for Hitec Products UCK, what to expect from the World Cup tomorrow and more!

Finally! Good news on women's race-coverage

The UCI released news today about their intent to provide improved highlights-coverage of the Women's World Cup via their Youtube channel.

Living The Cup - Trofeo Binda and other news from the women's peloton

This Sunday eyes turn to Italy for round two of the World Cup, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in the Italian town of Cittiglio. That's their promotional video above. We're away from the cobbles briefly, and back to the hills and worse. Vicki Whitelaw once described the struggle for position during the unofficial rollout to the start proper as one of the toughest parts of a race. Two weeks ago in Drenthe virtually the whole of the Tibco team was taken out during these false skirmishes. Trofeo Binda begins with no less than a six kilometre ride down to the official start line at Laveno Mombello, so there's plenty of time for old scores to be settled and new grudges to come into being. From there the race returns to Cittiglio the scenic way, before following what is a familiar course. One long lap down to Luino on the shores of Lake Maggiore and back, followed by four shorter laps over the climb at Orino, followed by the nasty descent through the hairpins above Gemonio (note the mattress tied to the barrier at 3:15 in the video below) which always triggers a last minute sense of urgency in the riders.

Three Drenthe World Cups in a row for Marianne Vos!

It was a horrible day in the Netherlands - pouring with rain, temperatures only just above freezing and icy winds - but the peloton still lined up for the first Road World Cup of the year - the Ronde van Drenthe. Here are some highlights video, and more information below.

Ronde van Drenthe World Cup - LIVE-(ISH)

Interview: Loes Gunnewijk on Drenthe, ORICA-AIS, the Olympics and much more!

If you watched the women's Olympic Road Race, you'll remember Loes Gunnewijk's relentless attacking with her Dutch team-mate Ellen van Dijk, as they exhausted the peloton before they'd even reached Box Hill and helping Marianne Vos win the gold. This is how Gunnewijk races - she's a Classics star whose tactical skills, teamwork and ruthless attacking serve her well as ORICA-AIS' road captain. She won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2012, and the Ronde van Drenthe World Cup in 2010, so she's perfectly placed to tell us all about racing Drenthe on Saturday and much more!

Preview: Drenthe Week 2013

On Saturday it's the first round of the women's Road World Cup, the Boels Rentals Ronde van Drenthe - but that's just one of the three excellent women's races in the Drenthe region, alongside men's races and mass-participation rides, in a superbly-organised festival of cycling, Dutch-style. Let me tell you more - including how to watch the World Cup live!