Love Women's Cycling Podcast

In our current reality of social distancing, it’s important to find ways to maintain our social connections, something we normally get a good dose of by simply riding our bike with friends. As Covid-19 begins to have a greater impact on Australia, this is the position Bridget Slocum and Faz Zamani, Black Sheep WMN Ambassadors, find themselves in right now. They caught up for a wine, from a distance, to share how Face'wining' and Zwifting is keeping them connected and healthy both in body and mind. You too can meet up and stay connected with Bridget and Faz along with the rest of our community every Friday on Zwift as we host the Black Friday Bunchie 6.30am AEST.

In the latest episode of the WMN Podcast, we sat down with Australian professional cyclist, Jessica Allan. It’s still a novelty to be able to have a coffee together, face to face, now that COVID-19 restrictions have been eased here in Spain, the country Jess now calls home. Jess has moved through life with determination. Making her way to the pinnacle of professional female cycling has had its challenges. And once she got there, settling into a new life, in a new county, making new friends and learning a new language (her third to be exact) continues to challenge. But the Mitchelton-SCOTT rider believes this has helped her become the resilient, positive and proactive woman she is today. Making every decision based on what will make her happy, including staying in Spain during COVID-19 instead of heading back to Australia with her Aussie teammates. Because as Jess says “if you make decision-based on your happiness, you will achieve”. If you would like to get in touch with Jess and find out more about her coaching and her methods, contact her via instagram - @jessallen1993

In today's podcast we listen in as two Specialized Women’s Racing teammates Ella Bloor from Canberra and Matilda Raynolds of Melbourne have a chat over the phone about life as they know it right now. Less racing and more home time has allowed both these women to find other passions, as well as reinvent themselves (and their avatars) in the virtual peloton. We even go behind the scenes as Matilda gives drops some live commentary while competing in the first virtual race of the National Road Series – a 35km Crit. If you know 'Tils', you’ll know we worked hard to keep this part of the podcast PG-rated! Fingers crossed we succeeded.

In Episode 5, we caught up with Lauretta Hanson from the newly established Women’s WorldTour team – Trek-Segafredo. A little nervous but full of enthusiasm, the WMN Podcast had a humble and genuine conversation with this 24-year-old Australian. With a passion for travel and having discovered a sheer enjoyment for cycling aged eight, Lauretta has forged her way to the top of the sport through patience, hard work and always finding a place to call home. We spoke about how Trek-Segafredo are making important steps to improve the professionalism of women's cycling and how the team has found new ways to support its riders. Still in the early days of her career, and already the first women's Melbourne to Warrnambool winner, this wise-beyond-her-years-women has the world at her doorstep.

Join Nicole Moerig as she caught up with Ashlee Ankudinoff and Amy Cure before their incredible success at the 2019 Track World Championship in Poland. Ash and Amy are teammates both on the road, racing for Specialized Women’s Racing, and on the velodrome, as part of the Australian Track team in pursuit of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With a wealth of experience between them, we spoke about women supporting women, and the importance of uniting as a team both to achieve success and ensure a happy working environment. We also delved into the value of government-funded development programs in Australian cycling and spoke about the lessons they have learned along the way.