2021 UCI Women's World Tour
The 2021 UCI Women's World Tour was a competition that included eighteen road cycling events throughout the 2021 women's cycling season. It was the sixth edition of the UCI Women's World Tour, the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2016. The competition began with Strade Bianche on 6 March, and finished with the Ronde van Drenthe on 23 October.
Sixth edition of the UCI Women's World Tour | |
Details | |
---|---|
Dates | 6 March – 23 October 2021 |
Location | Europe |
Races | 18 |
Champions | |
Individual champion | Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) (Movistar Team) |
Teams' champion | SD Worx |
Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) became the first rider to win the individual classification for a second time, taking a season-high four overall victories during the season, finishing the season with a tally of 3177 points. Second place went to another Dutch rider, as Demi Vollering (SD Worx) finished on 2563 points, having taken three overall victories in 2021, while third place on 2509 points, was two-time winner Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy, riding for Trek–Segafredo. A total of nine riders won races during the season, while the individual classification lead changed eight times between van Vleuten, Vollering, Longo Borghini, Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo–Visma) and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx).
The youth classification was closely-contested with just two points separating the top two riders in the classification. Honours went to Niamh Fisher-Black from New Zealand of the SD Worx team with 34 points and four victories, ahead of French rider Évita Muzic, who also won four races for FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope. Third place in the standings went to Russia's Maria Novolodskaya (A.R. Monex), who scored 22 points and one win. A total of eight riders won races during the season, with the classification lead changing six times between Fisher-Black, Muzic, Novolodskaya, Sarah Gigante (Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank) and Emma Norsgaard Jørgensen (Movistar Team). The teams classification was led from start to finish by SD Worx for their fifth win in six seasons – their first under the SD Worx name – finishing more than 3000 points clear over their closest rivals, Trek–Segafredo; SD Worx took seven wins during the season, including four consecutive race wins earned by Vollering and Anna van der Breggen between La Flèche Wallonne and La Course by Le Tour de France.
Events
The race calendar for the 2021 season was announced in July 2020,[1] with twenty-five races initially scheduled – up from twenty-one that were scheduled to be held in 2020. Two Spanish races – the Itzulia Women and the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas – were scheduled to be part of the calendar for the first time.[2] Paris–Roubaix, which featured on the revised 2020 schedule after the suspension of racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, also returned to the calendar, as did the RideLondon Classique after a year's absence. In September 2020, the Giro d'Italia Femminile was relegated to the 2021 UCI Women's ProSeries, being downgraded to 2.Pro status.[3]
On 1 November 2020, La Course by Le Tour de France was moved forward three weeks from 18 July to 27 June; this was as a result of the route being contested on the second day of the 2021 Tour de France, finishing at the Mûr-de-Bretagne.[4] On 22 February 2021, following the cancellation of the Itzulia Women stage race, race organisers OCETA announced their intention to hold the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa at World Tour level, on 31 July.[5] La Course by Le Tour de France was moved forward a further day in April 2021 to 26 June, due to departmental elections to be held in Côtes-d'Armor, and consisted of a route utilising part of the opening stage of the men's race.[6] In July, the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta was extended from three stages to four, finishing in Santiago de Compostela on the same day as the final stage of the Vuelta a España.[7]
Cancelled and postponed events
On 1 November 2020, the season-opening Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was cancelled due to quarantine and border restriction issues attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The organisers of the Ronde van Drenthe announced that they had applied to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to move the race from the assigned date of 14 March to the last weekend of October.[14][15] In January 2021, both the Itzulia Women and the RideLondon Classique were cancelled as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17] The following month, The Women's Tour was postponed from its initial June dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, requesting a date change to October.[9][10] In March, the Tour of Chongming Island was postponed from its scheduled dates in May.[18] On 18 March 2021, it was confirmed that The Women's Tour, the Tour of Chongming Island and the Ronde van Drenthe would all be held in October.[11] On 1 April 2021, Paris–Roubaix was postponed to 2 October, following a surge in cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.[8] In May, the Open de Suède Vårgårda races were cancelled due to financial issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.[19] In August, the Tour of Chongming Island and the Tour of Guangxi were both cancelled at the request of their respective organisers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]
Points standings
For the 2021 season, the point-scoring system introduced in 2020 by the Union Cycliste Internationale remained in place.[21]
Individual
Riders tied with the same number of points were classified by number of victories, then number of second places, third places, and so on, in World Tour events and stages.
Youth
The top three riders in the final results of each World Tour event's young rider classification received points towards the standings. Six points were awarded to first place, four points to second place and two points to third place.
Youth rankings | |||
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Rank | Name | Team | Points |
1 | Niamh Fisher-Black (NZL) | SD Worx | 34 |
2 | Évita Muzic (FRA) | FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | 32 |
3 | Maria Novolodskaya (RUS) | A.R. Monex | 22 |
4 | Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR) | Team DSM | 12 |
5 | Lorena Wiebes (NED) | Team DSM | 10 |
6 | Anna Shackley (GBR) | SD Worx | 10 |
7 | Franziska Koch (GER) | Team DSM | 8 |
8 | Clara Copponi (FRA) | FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | 6 |
9 | Kata Blanka Vas (HUN) | SD Worx | 6 |
10 | Sarah Gigante (AUS) | Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank | 6 |
11 | Vittoria Guazzini (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | 6 |
12 | Emma Norsgaard Jørgensen (DEN) | Movistar Team | 5 |
13 | Eleonora Gasparrini (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | 4 |
14 | Abi Smith (GBR) | Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank | 4 |
15 | Marta Jaskulska (POL) | Liv Racing | 4 |
16 | Barbara Malcotti (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | 4 |
17 | Shirin van Anrooij (NED) | Trek–Segafredo | 4 |
18 | Julia van Bokhoven (NED) | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 4 |
19 | Maria Martins (POR) | Drops–Le Col | 2 |
20 | India Grangier (FRA) | Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime | 2 |
23 riders scored points | |||
Source:[23] |
Team
Team rankings were calculated by adding the ranking points of all the riders of a team in the table.[24]
Notes
- Paris–Roubaix was scheduled for 11 April, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.[8]
- The Women's Tour was initially scheduled for 7–12 June, but organisers requested a date change to 4–9 October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[9][10] These dates were confirmed on 18 March 2021, following an updated calendar released by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[11]
- The Ronde van Drenthe was initially scheduled for 14 March, but organisers requested a date change to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.[12] On 18 March 2021, the race was confirmed for 23 October, following an updated calendar released by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[11]
- Credited with 8572 points by the UCI; eight race leader points missing from Chantal van den Broek-Blaak's points tally from the Holland Ladies Tour.[25]
- Credited with 1091 points by the UCI; eight race leader points from the Holland Ladies Tour missing from van den Broek-Blaak's tally.[25]
- Moolman was given a fifteen-point sanction,[26] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Credited with 5263 points by the UCI; 27th place finish at Classic Brugge–De Panne credited to Ruth Winder, instead of Kelly Van den Steen.[27][28]
- Van Dijk was given a 50-point sanction,[29] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Credited with 488 points by the UCI; 27th place finish at Classic Brugge–De Panne credited to Winder, instead of Kelly Van den Steen.[27][28]
- Brand was given a fifteen-point sanction,[30] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Norsgaard was given a fifteen-point sanction,[31] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Labecki was given a fifteen-point sanction,[32] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Shapira was given a five-point sanction,[33] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Stultiens was given a fifteen-point sanction,[34] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Ragusa was given a ten-point sanction,[35] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Bredewold was given a fifteen-point sanction,[36] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Lowden was given a 25-point sanction,[37] as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations.
- Aromitalia–Basso Bikes–Vaiano scored 8 points through a 40th place finish for Letizia Borghesi at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio,[38][39] but Borghesi was latterly given a 10-point sanction as per Article 2.12.007 of the UCI road racing regulations. Andy Schleck–CP NVST–Immo Losch have scored 8 points, through Mie Bjørndal Ottestad's 35th place finish overall in the Ladies Tour of Norway, although she was riding for the Norwegian national team.[40]
References
- "The UCI reveals the 2021 calendars for the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women's WorldTour". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- "UCI reveals 2021 Women's WorldTour calendar". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- Ostanek, Daniel (25 September 2020). "Giro Rosa downgraded from UCI Women's WorldTour for 2021". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- "La Course by le Tour de France to feature six ascents of Mûr de Bretagne". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
La Course by le Tour de France will be 130km long in total, with five circuits on the same day as the Tour de France men's stage 2.
- "Women's San Sebastián to take the place of planned Itzulia stage race". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "La Course by Le Tour de France date, course changed due to regional elections in Côtes-d'Armor". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- "Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta expands to four stages for 2021". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- Farrand, Stephen (1 April 2021). "Paris-Roubaix postponed to October due to COVID-19 pandemic in France". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- "Women's Tour postponed from June to October". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- "2021 Women's Tour rescheduled". The Women's Tour. SweetSpot Group Limited. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
SweetSpot will confirm the alternative date for the Women's Tour alongside full details of the 2021 route in the summer.
- Weislo, Laura (18 March 2021). "New dates for Algarve, Andalucía, Ronde van Drenthe in revised 2021 calendars". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
The Ronde van Drenthe, postponed from March 14 into a new date on October 23, is now the final race in the series. Other date shifts include moving the Women's Tour from June to October 4–9 and the Tour of Chongming Island from May to October 14–16.
- "2021 road calendar COVID-19 cancellations". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- "2021 Tour Down Under cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- "Ronde van Drenthe organisers already looking to move to October in 2021". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- "RONDE VAN DRENTHE WIL VERHUIZEN NAAR OKTOBER". Ronde van Drenthe. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- Frattini, Kirsten (27 January 2021). "Setmana Ciclista Valenciana and Itzulia Women's races added to growing list of cancellations in 2021". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- "RideLondon festival of cycling cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic". ITV Sport. ITV plc. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- "Situation dans le contexte actuel de la pandémie du coronavirus (Covid-19) / Situation in the current context of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic" (PDF). UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 1 March 2021. p. 10. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- Frattini, Kirsten (23 May 2021). "Postnord Vargarda WestSweden team time trial and road race cancelled". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "2021 Tour of Guangxi, Tour of Chongming Island and Hamburg Cyclassics cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- "Part 2 - Road Races" (PDF). UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 8 February 2021. pp. 92–95. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- "Women's WorldTour Ranking – 2021: Individual Ranking (23/10/2021)". UCI Women's World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- "Women's WorldTour Youth Ranking – 2021: (23/10/2021)". UCI Women's World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- "Women's WorldTour Ranking – 2021: Team Ranking (23/10/2021)". UCI Women's World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- "VAN DEN BROEK-BLAAK Chantal (SDW)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh (SDW)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne: Individual Road Race - 25 Mar 2021". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- "Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne 1.WWT: Uitslag - Résultat - Result" (PDF). Uitslagen KBWB-RLVB. Royal Belgian Cycling League. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- "VAN DIJK Ellen (TFS)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- "BRAND Lucinda (TFS)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "JØRGENSEN Emma Cecilie (MOV)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "RIVERA Coryn (DSM)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "SHAPIRA Omer (CSR)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "STULTIENS Sabrina (LIV)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "RAGUSA Katia (MNX)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- "BREDEWOLD Mischa (PHV)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "LOWDEN Joscelin (DRP)". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- "Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio: Individual Road Race - 21 Mar 2021". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- "22. Trofeo Binda: Ordine d'Arrivo" [22nd Trofeo Binda: Order of Arrival] (PDF). FICR.it (in Italian). Federazione Italiana Cronometristi. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- "Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 - Etape Nº 1 - du 12/08/2021 au 15/08/2021: Liste des partants - Start list" [Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 - Stage 1 - from 12/08/2021 to 15/08/2021] (PDF). VotreCourse (in French). F2Concept. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.