The racing season is really squeezing the riders for all their worth, with the last smattering of racing coming thick and fast before the 2025 season comes to a close. We head to France, Italy, Canada and Rwanda for this week ... how about those airline miles.
Race recaps
Women's Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region
There were plenty of hitters on the startlist in Germany for the race fondly known as Stuttgart. I raced it in 2023 as a tune-up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and it sure had everything. Farm roads and rolling hills made for aggressive racing and the 2025 edition was no different.
It came down to a reduced bunch sprint, with Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ) taking out the win ahead of a classy group including Cat Ferguson (Movistar), Linda Riedmann (Team Germany), Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Oatly).
I do love these end of season races, because transfers have been announced and we can see future teammates go head to head. Take Bossuyt and Borghesi in Stuttgart; both will be lining up for AG Insurance-Soudal in 2026. Lots to look forward to.
A Travers les Hauts de France & La Choralis Fourmies Féminine
France hosted two one-day races back to back, both ending in bunch sprints. The evergreen Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) took the win at La Choralis while Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) stepped onto the top step at A Travers Les Hauts. Gillespie finished the weekend with a 1-2, as she backed up her victory from the day before with a second place to Wiebes. Once again Wiebes proved too good.
I am still waiting for an answer to this question: will anyone beat Wiebes in the near future?
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