GP STUTTGART AS THE SEASON ENTERS ITS FINAL STRETCH

Landmark events still loom – the UCI Road, Track and Gravel World Championships, along with the European Road Championships following hot on the heels of the big Rwandan showdown. Yet, for the team (rather than national squads), the remaining races this season can be counted on one hand. This Saturday, September 14, attention turns to the Women’s Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region.

Debuting in 2023 as a UCI 1.2 race and stepping up to the ProSeries in 2024, this standalone women’s race now sits as the team’s only chance to compete in a professional event on home soil in Germany, giving it added importance. A 1.Pro status places the event just one rung below WorldTour level, setting the tone for a highly competitive race and a top-quality spectacle.

Last year, Tiffany Cromwell was our best finisher, rounding out the top 15. She returns this year alongside Nastya Kolesava, Ricarda Bauernfeind, Chiara Consonni, Soraya Paladin, and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.

Soraya will make her return to racing after a crash prematurely ended her Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on stage seven. After several weeks of Zwift training post-surgery, she lines up again 41 days later – slightly apprehensive, but ready for one final push to close out the season.

“It was quite a fast recovery and for sure I will be fresh. It was hard to find a balance between having to rush, while being patient to have the elbow/collarbone healing well. It was not always easy; I had some good and bad days, but I’m happy I can be on the start line. I just hope I don’t have pain because during races you always push more than training, so I’m curious to see how the bones will react. I know it will be a big shock for my body anyway, but I want to have some quality intensity efforts for the upcoming races.”

Meanwhile, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney also returns to racing after the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but off the back of a solid training period. She’s looking forward to fine-tuning her race form.

“My main goal for this race is to get some fast legs back before heading to Rwanda! I haven’t raced since the Tour and it’s been awhile now, so I am definitely looking for some action in the first part of the race before focusing on the final for the sprint with Chiara if the peloton is still rolling together.”

Each edition of the Grand Prix has started from a different town on the outskirts of Stuttgart. This year, the opening 100km of the 125km course will again be entirely new, although on terrain familiar in character – gently rolling roads where constant twists and turns are more demanding than the gradients themselves. The most notable climb along the way is a manageable 2km at 5.7%.

From there, the peloton enters the now-familiar city circuit from the north rather than the south. Two laps through Stuttgart’s hill-framed inner core are certain to be fast and technical, with narrow streets, wide avenues, and countless corners disrupting the rhythm. The loop skirts around the prominent Karlshöhe viewpoint, with sharp power climbs on either side that sap the legs and invite aggression. It’s a circuit that encourages animation and unpredictability, with possible outcomes ranging from solo moves to reduced-group finishes.

HOW TO FOLLOW 

Women’s Cycling Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region | UCI 1.Pro | Sun, Sept 14 | 124.2km | 1445m elevation | Start: 12:20 – Fastest finish: 15:33 CET. Live 12:20.

Live coverage starts at 12:20 CET on SWR Sport. Stay tuned on X via #GPStuttgart, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto across social channels for team updates.