UCI Women Junior Nations’ Cup: Great Britain again

After ruling the series dedicated to young champions for the first time in 2022, British talent impressed again in a year also marked by the likes of Julie Bego (FRA) and Federica Venturelli (ITA).

Great Britain’s got talent. And the young Brits participating in the 2023 UCI Women Junior Nations’ Cup demonstrated that throughout the season, dominating the overall standings from March, when Cat Ferguson took the Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Valli del Verbano, in Italy, right through to September, as Carys Lloyd and Ella Jamieson scored points in the Watersley Ladies Challenge (the Netherlands) and sealed their nation’s triumph, also bolstered by Isabel Sharp’s performances.

It’s the second successive victory for Great Britain, who join the Netherlands as the only nations to dominate the event more than once. The Dutch won the first four editions (2016-2019), and in 2021, while Spain reigned in 2020.

No fewer than 32 nations scored points in this 8th edition of the UCI Women Junior Nations’ Cup. Italy stands second on the overall podium after edging France at the very end of the season. Belgium came 4th (matching their best result ever in the series) while the Netherlands dropped to 5th.

Ferguson and Sharp lead Team GB

Following Zoe Bäckstedt’s feats last year, it was time for Cat Ferguson to lead the Brits to victory, with strong support from her compatriots.

Great Britain and Ferguson rose to the forefront as early as the Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Valli del Verbano (19 March), the first of the five events part of the 2023 UCI Women Junior Nations’ Cup alongside the UCI World Championships and Continental Championships.

Born in 2006, Ferguson was only 16 when she took that early-season victory. And she was yet to turn 17 (27 April) when she shone in the EPZ Omloop van Borsele (21-23 April). With her very consistent results (3rd, 4th and 3rd in the race’s three stages) Ferguson won the points standings and came 3rd overall. But it was her teammate Isabel Sharp who won the Dutch stage race.

This power duo went to Scotland with high ambitions for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships held in Glasgow and across Scotland, in Great Britain. They both stood on the podiums, although gold escaped them.

Sharp was 2nd in the individual time trial (ITT) behind Australia’s Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, who also ruled the Women Junior ITT at the Oceania Road Cycling Championships. Five days earlier, Ferguson had also claimed silver in the road race, behind France’s Julie Bego, another of the season’s stars.

Bego and Venturelli show their colours

At 18 years old, Bego, also a cyclo-cross racer, is an exciting cycling talent as well as an engineering student. She came 2nd in both the Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Valli del Verbano and the Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie Femmes (6-7 May), in France. Then when summer came, she rose to glory.

After Ferguson sprinted to victory in a reduced bunch at the end of stage 1 of the Bizkaikoloreak (22-23 July), Bego flew over the ascents of stage 2 to power to the overall victory in Spain. A couple of weeks later, she made another strong attack to claim the road race rainbow jersey in Glasgow. Across the season, she amassed 114 of the 158 points for France (Célia Gery claimed 24, Léane Tabu 19 and Amalia Debarges 1).

Federica Venturelli’s results were even more essential for Italy as she was the best scorer of the season with 146 points (Marta Pavesi added 10 and Virginia Iaccarino 6).

The 18-year-old Italian is an extraordinary talent who shines on all terrain. She kicked off her year with 4th place in the Women Junior race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands. She had stellar performances at the end of August in the UCI Junior Track World Championships (2 rainbow jerseys, with a world record and an additional silver medal) and she shone on the road all year long.

Coming 2nd in the EPZ Omloop van Borsele, Venturelli upped the ante to win the Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie Femmes a couple of weeks later. She stood on the podium of the ITT at the UCI Worlds (3rd). And she won the Watersley Ladies Challenge (September 15-17) to power Italy past France onto the second step of the podium at the very last moment.

All these young riders have delivered thrilling shows of talent. And it’s only the beginning!

Main photo: Watersley Ladies Challenge

Photo credit: ©Ivo Delahaye