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Cédrine Kerbaol's goals for 2024 and the UCI women's cycling races

As the 2024 Women’s WorldTour season starts to roll closer, riders start to ramp up their preparations, looking ahead to their new targets. There will be 28 Women’s WorldTour events with 82 race days in 2024, compared to 27 events in 2023 due to the cancellation of the Women’s Tour, which will thankfully be making a comeback this year.

Will we witness domination from SD Worx - Protime all over again? Probably, the answer is yes. With little change to the team, the Dutch squad will be in control with the likes of Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky. In 2023 they earned 10794 UCI points with a staggering total of 62 wins. When compared to the team ranked second, Lidl-Trek, which earned only 5691 UCI points, the difference in strength is evident.

In this article we will run through crucial information for the 2024 women’s calendar, and catch up with Cédrine Kerbaol, as she reflects on her breakthrough season and her success at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Top 3 Women’s WorldTour Teams

If you’re new to women’s cycling, you might find yourself wondering, which is the best women’s cycling team? Down below are the top three ranked Women’s WorldTour cycling teams, and their key riders. Make sure to keep an eye out for these three teams, there will be fireworks in 2024!

Team SD Worx – Protime

The Dutch squad dominated in 2023. But that’s not so difficult when you have the current four best women’s riders. Those include Demi Vollering, the winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and numerous other WorldTour stage races. And we can’t forget current world champion, Lotte Kopecky!

Current ranking: 1

UCI points: 7445

Top 2023 victories:

Overall Classification plus 4 Stages - Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (2.WWT)
Overall Classification plus 3 Stages - Tour de Suisse Women (2.WWT)
Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres WE (1.WWT)

Top riders:

Demi Vollering (World ranking: 1)
Lotte Kopecky (World ranking: 2)
Marlen Reusser (World ranking: 3)

Lidl-Trek

A strong line up in 2023, with the likes of Elisa Longo Borghini, the current Italian national champion and Gaia Realini, the 22-year-old pure climber/GC rider. The team have also invested in younger talent. Izzy Sharp, a British 18-year-old has signed till 2026, look out for her in the near future.

Current ranking: 2

UCI points: 4375

Top 2023 victories:

Overall Classification plus Stage 3 - UAE Tour Women (2.WWT)
Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio (1.WWT)
Stage 6 - La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es (2.WWT)

Top riders:

Gaia Realini (World ranking: 13)
Elisa Longo Borghini (World ranking: 15)
Shirin van Anrooij (World ranking: 17)

Canyon//SRAM Racing

Katarzyna Niewiadoma fronts Canyon//SRAM Racing as the GC leader. Finishing on the podium of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as well as winning the Gravel World Championships. She has a good squad to protect her. Elise Chabbey is perfect in the mountains and Chloe Dygert, the current ITT world champion, can provide assistance on the flat.

Current Ranking: 3

UCI points: 4126

Top 2023 victories:

Stage 5 - Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (2.WWT)
Stage 5 - Giro d'Italia Donne (2.WWT)
Stage 2 - RideLondon Classique (2.WWT)

Top riders:

Katarzyna Niewiadoma (World ranking: 6)
Elise Chabbey (World ranking: 18)
Chloe Dygert (World ranking: 21)

All 2024 Women’s WorldTour Teams

Which Teams Were Promoted to Womens WorldTour In 2024?

Both AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step and the German squad, Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team were promoted to WorldTour level after being the top two ranked Continental teams. However, EF Education-Cannondale lost their WorldTour license. This is due to the transition away from EF Education-TIBCO-SVB. Licensed as a new team in 2024, they’re ineligible to take one of the promotion spots.

Both Cofidis and Tashkent City Women Professional Cycling Team have been selected for wildcard entries into all WorldTour races in 2024. The reason is that they were the two highest ranked continental teams, excluding AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step and Ceratizt WNT who were promoted. Bizarrely, the points for this ranking are taken from only the eight best riders, which is different from the team promotion/relegation ranking system.

Women's WorldTour 2024 Race Schedule

Most Exciting Women’s Bike Races in 2024

We have chosen three women's bike races that, in our opinion, stand out as the best to watch in 2024. If you're considering delving into the world of women’s cycling, these are must-see events. Check out our list for all the crucial information, and what these races mean to professional cyclist, Cédrine Kerbaol. Starting cycling can be daunting, even when it comes to tyre choice! But worry not, we have the perfect guide to bike tyres.

Strade Bianche Donne

This is a special race for Cédrine, “It’s like Paris-Roubaix, it’s mystic, there’s no control. Rain, wind or heat, the possibilities are endless, that’s why I love it.” Anything can happen on the gravel roads though central Italy, and the atmosphere on the final climb into Siene is electric! In 2023, the 136 kilometre long race concluded with a head-to-head sprint between two teammates, Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering. However, keep an eye out for Cédrine on the 2^nd of March, it’s one of her targets, as explained further below.

Paris-Roubaix Femmes

Possibly the most exciting of the three, Paris-Roubaix Femmes is truly special. In 2023 it was won from the brake away. A sprint of six riders decided the queen of the cobbles, Alison Jackson. But how long is the Paris-Roubaix Femmes? The distance has not been released; we expect it to be roughly 145 kilometres.

It’s arguably one of the toughest one-day races, the previous edition contained over 29 kilometres of cobbles! It’s not for everyone, as Cédrine expressed, “I don’t want to do it,” she laughed. “I would need 2 weeks recovery, mentally and physically. It requires a big investment, extensive recon, and a great amount of stress. I prefer to focus on other goals. But one day, I’ll be back.”

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

The most talked about race in women’s cycling, eight stages will decide the champion. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner in 2023 was Demi Vollering, with a lead of just over 3 minutes. The question looms: can anyone dethrone Vollering in 2024? Commencing in Rotterdam on the 12^th of August, riders will cover 946 kilometres, concluding with the challenging ascent of the infamous Alpe D'Huez on the 18^th! If you have never watched the Tour in person, stage seven would be an amazing place to start, the road on the final climb is sure to be crowded, like that of the Col du Tourmalet in 2023.

We can’t wait to support Cédrine on Alpe D’huez, and for the French rider, this is the biggest race of 2024. “For me, it’s the race of the year, a race everyone knows, even people who don’t ride. It’s

huge! There’re so many supporters on the road, as riders, it’s so motivating and a big goal for every pro.”

Paris Olympics Women’s Road Race

As 2024 is the year of the Paris Olympics, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has been pushed back to August. The time trial is the first event, taking place on the 27^th of July, which sees 35 women cover a flat and technical course of 32.4 kilometres.

2024 UCI Cycling World Championships

Another important date in the women’s 2024 calendar is the World Championships. Zurich, Switzerland is the home of the event and is likely to favour climbers or puncheurs. The individual time trial is taking place on the 22^nd of September with the road race on the 28^th.

Cédrine Kerbaol’s 2024 Objectives

2023 was an exciting year for racing and someone looking back fondly will be Cédrine Kerbaol. We consider it as her breakthrough year, but of course she was never a rider to overlook. Junior French road race champion, two times 3^rd at the elite women’s French Nation Time Trial Championships and 2^nd on GC at the Bretagne Ladies Tour CERATIZIT in 2022 is the sign of a promising rider. And in 2023, Cédrine showed her true potential.

The 22-year-old from Brittany has a lot of exciting years ahead, especially as the first French woman to win a jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Riding an Orbea to 4 professional victories, Cédrine now has her eyes trained on 2024. But check out her impressive 2023 Palmares below!

2023 Palmares

What an incredible year Cédrine had in 2023! Most notably, winning the White Jersey at her debut Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. In fact, there was not a day where she didn’t win the White Jersey, beating second place by over three minutes.

Some might have said she was a time trialist, but after her performances in the mountains, it’s fair to say she’s incredibly versatile. Although Cédrine still had a lot of success this year on her TT bike, winning the French National Championships, as well as taking the gold medal at the European Championships in the mixed relay. The full list of her most impressive results is below:

Cédrine finished her season on the 15^th of October, that’s late in the cycling season so requires a lot of physical and mental rest. “I recovered well, it was great to think about something other than cycling for a few weeks. My season was long, finishing at the Chrono des Nations, I find it so important to rest and forget about the bike.”

How Do Professional Cyclist’s Train During the Winter?

Cédrine gives us some insight, “training is going well, I have just got back from a 2-week training camp, and the first race of the season. It has been full focus. This winter we had two camps in Calpe (Spain) with my team. Now I’m back in Portugal for the rest of the winter with my boyfriend. It’s important to have good weather during the winter, so I can maximise my time on the bike.”

What Type of Rider Is Cédrine Kerbaol?

When you’re as versatile as Cédrine, it’s possible to target a wide variety of races. Something not all professionals can say they’re able to do. We have seen Cédrine’s punch at the Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes, amazing climbing ability during the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and incredibly aerodynamic time trial performance at the French time trial championships.

Strade Bianche Donne is an early target for Cédrine! An incredible race on the white gravel roads in the Tuscan hills. In 2023, the women faced just over 30 kilometres of gravel, so could they use gravel specific bikes? Here are the main differences between road and gravel bike.

Cédrine Kerbaol’s Eyes Set on Paris Olympics

“I started in Majorca, it was good, I’m confident in my climbing ability. Next, we’re heading to Valencia for a four-day stage race. Strade Bianche is my first big goal, then Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the French Championships, and the Tour de France. I’m also determined to be selected for the Paris Olympics.”

We hope you’re as excited as we are to watch Cédrine race in 2024. It’s going to be a big year with a host of huge goals, so check back in, we’ll catch up with Cédrine soon. Make sure to check out our other blogs for training guides, rider interviews and much more!

Guy Tucker

Guy Tucker is a British cyclist born in 2000. The young cyclist started cycling at the age of eight at the Charlotteville club. He also practiced triathlon - he represented the British team at the Super League - before devoting himself solely to cycling. Since 2019 he lives and trains in France and his main performances in 2022 include 3rd Prix de Saint-Pierre-de-Semilly.