30.08.2025 World-Tour, News, Race news

SEARCHING FOR MORE SUCCESS AT SIMAC LADIES TOUR

Last year’s Simac Ladies Tour was memorable for a couple of reasons. Zoe Bäckstedt claimed her first professional win in the opening time trial, going on to take the youth classification for the second year in a row and finishing seven seconds shy of the overall victory. Her performance was even more impressive considering that by stage three, she was the only CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto rider left in the race.

This year, the race takes place a month earlier (Sept 2-7), meaning riders will be a little fresher as the end-of-season looms ever-nearer. Combine that with a touch more luck, and the squad will look to build on last year’s performance. Zoe will target a strong general classification placing while also lending support to Chiara Consonni in her hunt for stage wins. Alongside them, Wilma Aintila, Nastya Kolesava, Maria Martins, and Alice Towers complete a versatile six-rider line-up.

Zoe is clear about her ambitions, while also acknowledging the balancing act between protecting her GC position and playing a key role in sprint lead-outs for Chiara:

“In the end, I’d like to go to for the GC. I think with the time trial close to the final day, it can be the best opportunity for me, and basically means trying to not lose time in the earlier stages.”

“It’s not a challenge, but it’s different. You really have to think differently when you work for a sprinter. And then you also have to think about the GC for yourself, while still trying to do the best job possible for her. Once I’ve emptied myself, it’s then really about just trying to hang on to either the last wheel of the peloton or wherever the split is going to happen, if there’s a split in the final sprint. So, yeah, it’s tricky, but I can make it work.”

It’s been a rich run of results for the trio of Zoe, Chiara and Maria. Alongside Nastya, they raced the Baloise Ladies Tour where Zoe claimed three stage wins, the overall title, and the youth classification. Soon after, Chiara had her breakthrough at the Tour de Pologne Women, securing her first victory in CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto colours… and then doubling up. She added not just another stage win but also the points jersey and the overall classification.

These back-to-back triumphs at UCI 2.1 events have served as the perfect proving grounds – a chance to experiment, test form, and taste success. Now comes the step up to the Netherlands’ only WorldTour stage race – the Simac Ladies Tour, despite the opener unfolding across the border in Belgium. It’s set to be flat, fast, and furious racing at its highest level. Zoe outlines how she expects the opening stages to unfold:

“For sure, it’s going to be down to the sprinters on the first days. Maybe the first stage itself in Leuven will be a little bit of a mix because it’s going to be quite a hard circuit. It’s actually the same circuit from the time trial two years ago when I did my first race with the team, so that brings back some good memories. Hopefully I can still do a good performance there and then, try to hold on as much as possible in the days leading up to the time trial.”

Stage one, 87 kilometres in Leuven, will provide the most climbing of the week with 11 laps of a lively 7.4km city circuit. Leuven is familiar territory, having hosted both the 2021 World Championships road race, where Zoe was crowned Junior Road World Champion, and the 2023 Simac Ladies Tour time trial, where she impressed with a third place in her first appearance for the team. The circuit’s sting comes from the Keizersberg climb (400m at 6%), repeated again and again.

From there, the race heads north onto Dutch land, with the remaining stages scattered across the centre of the country. The second stage covers 127km on familiar roads, with Gennep featuring in the Simac Ladies Tour for the 10th time. As is always the case when racing in the mostly flat, windswept Netherlands, exposed sections on the four-lap course could spark dangerous echelon action.

Stage three is as horizontal as they come – 173km with just 376m of elevation, essentially circumnavigating the reclaimed polder of Flevoland. The host town of Zeewolde was only founded in 1984 on this new landmass and sits two metres above sea level – a key determinant in the racing conditions and likely outcome.

Stage four, based out of Alkmaar in North Holland, offers a similar profile – 130km with 177m of climbing. The peloton has four twisty circuits to complete, full of direction changes that could flip the race dynamics: crosswinds on, crosswinds off. The barren roads thread between canals and small villages, often leaving little shelter.

After four days of battling both a restless peloton and whatever weather the Netherlands serves up, stage five offers something comparatively more peaceful – a 10km individual time trial from the grand Slangenburg Castle in Doetinchem. The ornamental cobbles within the castle grounds quickly give way to narrow, meandering country lanes, while a handful of sharp turns mean focus will be essential on an otherwise uncomplicated test of speed.

Whether the general classification is already outlined by the time trial, or hinges on this decisive individual effort, the last day will be fiercely contested. The 160km around Lichtenvoorde promises a demanding conclusion on the week’s most intricate route. Power, positioning and vigilance will be crucial on narrow, twisting roads, with the race culminating on a circuit that is often both tight and exposed.

If the wind comes into play at any stage of the Simac Ladies Tour, spectators can expect Dutch racing in its purest form. For Zoe, it’s a race she has done every year since leaving juniors, and one she is always motivated to line up for.

“I guess the thing I enjoy the most is probably the super hard stages. This year, we have one stage in Zeewolde, which is over 170km. That area is known for being extremely windy so if the wind is with us, then it’s going to be a super hard race. There was a stage there two years ago and it ended up having no wind so it was a super, super strange day, but that’s just part of the unpredictability of Belgian and Dutch weather.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live coverage available on Discovery Plus/ Eurosport and TNT Sports. Stay updated on X with #SLT2025, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for team updates.

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