Tashkent City Women responded to criticism after several of their riders fell behind and were abandoned during the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes by declaring that their presence here alone was a “victory” for cycling.
Although the Uzbek team made history as the first Central Asian team to compete in a Tour de France (men’s or women’s), their debut was overshadowed by a disappointing performance in the Dutch heat: more than half of their team could not keep up with the pace of the WorldTour peloton on the first stage to The Hague and dropped out of the race.
“First stage, the team doesn’t really feel good because we lost four riders, but it’s a mono-national team and our first time at the Tour de France, so I guess we’re in the thick of it,” said sports director Volodymyr Starchyk Cycling news after the stage.
“For a nation that doesn’t have many female cyclists, I think participating in the Tour de France Femmes is something big. To be ready for big results, they need time.”
Tashkent faced heavy criticism on social media when it was revealed that the team had secured a place in every Women’s WorldTour race, including the Tour de France, by placing in the top 18 of the women’s teams. During the opening stage in the Netherlands, the riders continued to give up with every kilometer.
The first rider was Ekaterina Knebeleva, who dropped out after the first 40 km of the race. 19-year-old Asal Rizaeva and 18-year-old Mohinabonu Elmurodova followed shortly after. Madina Kakhorova was the fourth rider who did not make it through.
When asked whether the team had been aware that the teenagers in particular would not be able to keep up with the pace and whether this was the best idea, Starchyk was evasive. He answered matter-of-factly: “It’s not easy to finish when you’re 19 years old.”
Only one of her riders managed to finish in the main group: the talented 22-year-old Yanina Kuskova, the three-time Uzbek national champion. But Starchyk remained calm and simply focused on what an achievement it was for her to even be on the starting line.
“People can think what they want. Everyone can think what they want, but we are here. This is something big for the nation,” Starchyk said.
“It is the first time in history that there is an Uzbek team with only Uzbek riders. I think it is also a victory for cycling, because the fact that a country that does not take part in any races in Europe and an Asian team come here to the Tour de France has never happened before.
“The results are sad because we lost some riders today, but at the same time the Tour de France Femmez avec Zwift shows people that cycling is open to the whole world.”
It is the races outside Europe that were contested for Tashkent, as reported Cycling news in November, where the European teams attracted attention with their point rankings, especially in smaller one-day races, continental championships and national championships.
But perhaps more than anything else, this points to a potential problem with the UCI’s points system, especially in the Tashkent case. Starchyk confirmed, however, that it was not illness that left four of the seven riders reeling, but “definitely the legs and definitely the speed.”
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