Everything is ready for you Next Sunday, December 3, it will be celebrated from 12:00 on Gran Vía de Colón in Granada the inaugural edition of the Reinas de la Alhambra, the first women’s cycling criterium held in Spain. In his platoon there will be figures of great national prestige such as Mavi Garcia, nine times champion of Spain, and international like South African Ashleigh Moolmantwo-time podium at the Giro d’Italia and virtual cycling world champion in 2020.
During her 14-season professional career, Ashleigh Moolman (1985, Pretoria) was the first to experience a boom in women’s cycling. South African by birth, he moved to Girona a decade ago to dedicate himself to a sporting career where he played for the best teams in the world (such as Cervélo-Bigla, CCC-Liv or SD Worx) until to establish himself in the upper class of the peloton.first division, where he is currently leading AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step.
His record speaks for itself, with achievements of the magnitude of Romandie Tour (2022), the Emakumeen Birone (2017) or four African Championships; and places of honor in the best stage tours in the calendar, such as the Giro d’Italia (2nd in 2018 and 2021), the Tour of Scandinavia (2nd in 2021) or the Tour de France (6th in 2023). In addition, the South African climber became a pioneer in virtual cycling, winning the specialty’s first World Championships in 2020.
“I’m laying the foundations for the 2024 season, and it’s exciting to start the campaign with a standard like this,” he said. Ashleigh Moolman. “This is the first time I’ve run a standard just for women, and I think it’s amazing that this initiative has come about! Throughout my sporting career, I have experienced the growth of women’s cycling in many areas. When I moved to Spain, there were almost no women cycling, and now I know that in my area (Banyoles) there are several WhatsApp groups that will organize ‘groups’: one of them has 60 women. “It’s amazing how the community is growing and how institutions are betting on women’s cycling.”
His relationship with pomegranate It dates back, oddly enough, to a time when professional cycling was absent from his life. “I’ve only been to Granada once in my whole life: when I was at University, when I was 19, for a walk when I was studying Chemical Engineering. The Alhambra impressed me.” However, your next visit after Queens of the Alhambra will not last long: “I will return again in the month of March to conduct a concentration in Sierra Nevadawhich is a very popular place in the cycling world for altitude training.
About Queens of the Alhambra, Its celebration is considered “a good sign of the growth of women’s cycling.” “I hope we have a lot of fun and have a good show for the public of pomegranate. I know there will be big names, with the best cyclists in Spain and great international representation. I also want to know that the semi-professional cyclists from Granada and nearby areas will come, because it represents an opportunity to live together with the promises that will mark cycling in the next decade.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
